HTC Touch Pro2 for T-Mobile Review

It's been a long time coming for T-Mobile customers, but HTC is back with a vengeance in the form of the Touch Pro2. As this is the first US version of the smartphone to hit the market, it will surely become a major topic of discussion among business users. First unveiled during MWC earlier in the year, the juggernaut of Windows Mobile smartphones packs quite a punch in the features department – deeming it as a Swiss Army knife of mobile phones. Although the looks have been modified for this version, the underlying software remains intact – so any Windows Mobile user will fit right in.

If you've seen the GSM version of the phone available for the European market, you'll notice that this one . Gone is the chrome outer bezel that gave it that stark quality look and now replaced with a bronze color scheme that just loses its appeal slightly. There's no denying its behemoth size and weight makes it near impossible to place in a pocket without being too noticeable. Luckily though the construction feels solid all around – even with the snappy opening and closing mechanism of the device. We're just disappointed with the heavy plastic feel for such a powerhouse smartphone and would've loved to see it retain the beautiful elegance the European version radiates.

The first thing that takes prominence when you turn on the HTC Touch Pro2 for the first time is the massive 3.6” WVGA screen. With a resolution of 480x800 pixels, it'll produce the most distinct text and images without a hiccup. Unfortunately the resistive touch screen will require you to press down with a fingernail in order to register correctly. The magnetic feature used for holding the stylus in place on the HTC Touch Pro is gone and replaced with just a simple stylus slot. Flipping it over onto its back will reveal the slightly bumped up 3.2-megapixel camera with the grid guard covering most of the top portion.



Moving the screen reveals probably one of the best QWERTY keyboards around. The five row keyboard is filled with adequate sized rectangular buttons to make anyone speed type relatively quick. On top of that, the white backlighting is bright enough to distinguish buttons from one another. Granted that you can tilt the screen at an angle to give it a laptop look, we just found it difficult to type in that position because you lose focus on the screen and prefer to have it lay flat.



Underneath the hardware, it is  Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional running the smartphone. The much loved TouchFLO 3D UI is intact except for the myFaves home screen that you can choose to display, as opposed to the usual digital clock we are normally greeted to. For the most part, it runs pretty smooth with no major slowdown issues during operation. 

Sure T-Mobile is the first to get this, but the only sore spot is its inferior looks compared to the European version. Customers have been starving for something to truly replace the aging T-Mobile Wing – the HTC Touch Pro2 does dethrone it and lives up to be the well rounded smartphone Windows Mobile fans have been waiting for.

HTC Touch Pro2 detailed review | Specifications