T-Mobile myTouch 4G Review

Introduction:

Fresh out of the oven and still cooling down in time to be absorbed by customers, T-Mobile has been on the roll with the recent acquisition of the T-Mobile G2 which is going toe-to-toe with the Samsung Vibrant for the supreme title of best handset on T-Mobile's lineup. Strengthening their high-end selection of Android powered smartphones, the T-Mobile myTouch 4G is aiming to complete the trifecta of high-end offerings available to customers this holiday season. Being one of the few devices on the market to be sprinkled with the love for HSPA+ connectivity, it quickly follows up as being one of the very few handsets on T-Mobile's lineup to sport a front-facing camera for video calls. Set to the customary price of $199.99 with a contract, the T-Mobile myTouch 4G will really need to step up to the plate if it intends on keeping up with the likes of the Samsung Vibrant and T-Mobile G2 as the biggest handset with the most bang.

The package contains:

• T-Mobile myTouch 4G
• 8GB microSD card
• microUSB cable
• Wall Charger
• 3.5mm Stereo Headset
• Start Guide

Design:

From an initial cursory look, the T-Mobile myTouch 4G clearly borrows some design styles found on the myTouch 3G Slide and Nexus One. With the front portion of the handset, it's an exact facsimile to the styling from the myTouch 3G Slide with its layout of the physical buttons and optical track-pad. Similarly, the rear of the handset has the distinct look of the Nexus One seeing that its metallic rear cover and the placement of its camera are in direct contrast to the venerable smartphone. It might not exhibit the most eye appealing industrial design out there, but in true HTC fashion, it's constructed out of some fine materials to let you know that it exudes premium quality. However, it's hardly the most consistent looking handset since it meshes a variety of items like its white glossy plastic, chrome bezel, and the two-tone metallic finish in the rear. Fortunately, its reasonably streamlined (0.43” thick) showcasing manages to add to its appeal, but you do notice the top heavy (5 oz) nature of the device – much like the Nexus One.



You can compare the T-Mobile myTouch 4G with many other phones using our Size Visualization Tool.

To our delight, the T-Mobile myTouch 4G will put a smile on most faces with its 3.8” Super LCD capacitive display from Sony as it looks refreshingly crisp with its WVGA resolution (480 x 800) and support for 65k colors. Even though it might look quaint on paper, it's more than equipped in producing some deep and rich looking colors while maintaining a high level of sharpness due mostly to its high resolution. Needless to say that you'll be instantly mesmerized by its radiance, but we are more impressed by its usability in direct sunlight with its great viewing angles. Finally, the sturdy glass like material enables it to radiate a sense of durability, while its slick feel allows for the most accurate and responsive measures of touch.

As we've mentioned already, the physical buttons directly below the touchscreen are laid out on a similar manner to what's been seen on the myTouch 3G Slide. They include the home, menu, back, Genius buttons which are all ample in size and offer a subtle response when pressed. Following the trend of course is its choice of utilizing an optical track-pad as an alternative means of navigation – while still producing a tactile response when pressed down for a selection. As much as it works well, it would've been nice to see it light up as well, like the G2, for any notifications – but instead, we're greeted to a tiny LED lighting up at top left corner of the display.


Looking to the left edge, you'll be greeted to a somewhat recessed volume rocker which is still fairly manageable to feel out, the microUSB port, and three pins which would seem to allow it to connect to a dock. On the opposite side, you'll only find the two-level dedicated shutter key which is sufficient in size. In addition to the the 3.5mm headset jack found on the top edge, we also find the recessed power button which lacks any distinguishable characteristics to feel it out with our fingers.


Taking a quick look at the rear, the 5-megapixel auto-focus camera slightly juts out from the rest of the surface which does make you think about the lens possibly scratching as it lays flat on its back – just like the Nexus One. In close proximity, you'll also find the LED flash and circular cutouts for the speakerphone embedded into the metallic surface. With a quick yanking motion, the rear plate pops off from place and provides access to the spring assisted microSD card slot, battery (1,400 mAh), and SIM card slot.

Interface:

Speed is undoubtedly the name of the game with the handset as it boasts a wicked fast second generation 1GHz Qualcomm MSM8255 processor that's capable of offering one of the utmost responsive experiences we've seen. From moving through the homescreen panels to launching applications, there is no stutter getting in the way of its goal with the T-Mobile myTouch 4G. In fact, we're easily blown away with how much faster it accomplishes even the most basic of functions like scrolling, opening up the app tray, and even playing some demanding 3D games. Without question, those who pick up the handset will surely be impressed by its high level of performance as it quickly ascends to the top of the rankings among all other Android devices out there.


Even though it sports the same exact modified version of the Sense UI found with the myTouch 3G Slide, it's graced with all the blessing of Android 2.2 Froyo to give us the most up-to-date experience. Meaning, it'll offer things like tethering capabilities, native social networking integration, Microsoft Exchange server, and support for Adobe Flash Player 10.1. Visually, we're not too fond of the overall look of this modified version of Sense, but some can learn to appreciate it. On top of being able to choose static or live wallpapers, the handset sports myModes which are basically preset customized themes which can be time activated to best suit your personal schedule. For example, you can set it to run the “Home” myMode to turn off email notifications so you focus on your family. Conversely, there is a “KidZone” myMode which disables access to messaging, the dialer, and much more so you can let kids play with the phone. Commonly found on other Sense enabled handsets, you can perform a pinching gesture or press the homescreen twice to get into helicopter view so you can visually see all your active homescreen panels all at the same time.

Social networking happy individuals will take a liking for the Friend Stream app and widget which essentially aggregates your Facebook and Twitter accounts. The one stop centralized hub will display the latest status messages and tweets from friends, allow you to post your very own status message, and will even allow you to upload a photo to your Facebook and Twitter accounts simultaneously. For those who heavily rely on these two specific services, Friend Stream will not only keep them up-to-date with the latest happenings, but it'll also lessen the time needed in going through two separate applications.


Seeing that the Genius Button is something that's synonymous with the myTouch line of Android smartphones, it'll enable you to accomplish a variety of tasks with the aid of your voice. In particular, you can call someone, send an email or text message, search the web, and even find a business that's local to your specific area. Powered by Nuance, its specialized system enables it to translate spoken words into text most of the time – in fact, we find the experience to be quite satisfactory.

In trying to drastically separate itself from the usual pack of handsets, the myTouch 4G is one of the very few handsets on T-Mobile's lineup to offer a front-facing camera. With super speedy HSPA+ connectivity in tow, Qik's Video Chat app is on board to offer the sincere option of seeing your callers in the flesh. However, the notion of it being offered is tainted solely due to its poor performance as it's accompanied with some major lag issues that hamper its usability. Not only did we have to battle the unresponsive nature of the service, but the speaker made voices sound extremely muted and difficult to comprehend.



Organizer & Messaging:

We're particularly fond of how Android 2.2 is able to link various contacts on its own with their respective social networking accounts to offer a centralized area where you can get all the specific information for each individual in your address book. If the handset is unable to figure it out, it'll manually come up with some suggestions which requires your approval to execute – but still, it does it so well. So when you click a person in your contacts list, it'll display all the common pieces of information you'd expect – plus things from the social networking accounts like status messages and birthdays. Furthermore, the T-Mobile myTouch 4G also includes the carrier's all too known “Faves” list which basically runs a dedicated interface with nifty scrolling effects to get you in touch with the most important people in your list.


Even though it comes loaded with the Clock app which basically turns your handset to a virtual bedside alarm clock, the smartphone also comes with the Desk clock app that appears to be a more advanced version of the native Clock app. Intended to be used with the dock specific for the myTouch 4G, it has some additional functionality like seeing the current temperature, weather status, and upcoming calendar events that are tied to Facebook. There's also a dedicated Dim icon to reduce its brightness to make it more suitable for night time use. Within the app, you'll also have quick access to some other common apps like the music player, alarm clock, calendar, weather, and FM radio.


Thanks to its ability to sync with your Google Calendar, you'll always be on top of specific events no matter where you're at. Offering a variety of viewing options like day, week, month, and agenda views, setting up a new appointment works just like any other Android phone. If you happen to make one, it'll accept a variety of information related to that event – such as reminders, descriptions, location, and exact times.


Employing a 3.8” display is more than satisfactory when it comes to typing up messages – even more when there are a trio of input options available. First up, you've got the Sense keyboard which is one of the most precise ones out there on any phone since its layout mimics a regular keyboard. We specifically adore the fact that you have instant access to non-alphanumeric characters, like numbers and symbols, without the need of hitting some alternate symbol function. In fact, you can type one in by simply executing a long press on a specific button. Secondly, the Swype keyboard is a fantastic solution that enables advanced users like us to write up a mean text message swiftly and without much fault. Sure it has a steep learning curve for newcomers, but once the art is mastered, you'll find yourself rarely making any long pauses or mistakes. Finally, the Dragon Dictation keyboard is also available and combines a giant “Tap to Speak” button in addition to the stock Android keyboard. We're pretty surprised by its voice recognition prowess seeing that it manages to translate a sizable amount of spoken words without much fault. And even though the portrait options are all nice for the trio of input options, the landscape one proves to be more than spacious in being good to your fingers.


Gmail lovers will certainly find the Gmail app very appeasing since it offers an almost exact experience to what you get on a computer. Naturally, it's one of the biggest strengths for all Android smartphones out there since you're given that meaningful experience in all aspects of Gmail. Keeping track of conversations is a thing of the past seeing that emails are displayed in threaded view to allow users to backtrack their history. Moreover, you can set up more than one Gmail account on the T-Mobile myTouch 4G to consistently keep you satisfied. If Gmail isn't your kind of thing, the Mail app will enable you to set up just about any other email client out there. You simply provide your email address and password, and it'll automatically set up on the phone – however, it may require additional items if it's not something too familiar.


Aside from the usual Google Talk app loaded with the handset, it comes with Yahoo Messenger as an alternative instant messaging client. If neither is your cup of tea, you can download a host of others through the Android Market – such as Skype, Fring, and AIM.

As we mentioned already, the Android Market is a treasure trove for applications that's always growing, but there are a handful of other ones that come with the phone. These include the Amazon MP3 store, Asphalt 5, Monopoly, Screen Share, and T-Mobile TV.

Camera:

Taking a photo is such a natural process with the T-Mobile myTouch 4G thanks to the dedicated shutter key. Luckily, there is approximately a 1 second delay after you press down the shutter key all the way down and for it to actually take the shot. In addition, we like the variety of effects options you can enable to liven up some of the photos you take – like the distortion one that takes some hilarious looking photos. In any event, there are also other options you can change to really fine tune the shot you're about to take.


Although it's not as stunning as the Samsung Vibrant, the handset's 5-megapixel auto-focus camera manages to take some average looking photos. In sunny conditions outdoors, it produces some neutral levels of detail that should suffice, but clearly lacks any distinct sharp lines. Thankfully, color reproduction is rather good with its ability to process natural looking tones that aren't overly too saturated – while still offering a distinct difference between identical color gradients. In lower lighting conditions, the overall appearance of the images slightly diminishes as it offers less detail and bland looking colors. However, the LED flash actually does a good job in capturing photos as colors look more vivid with a little bit more sharpness to them. But it's a hit or miss mark as the handset attempts to auto-focus in complete darkness without the aid of the flash turning on for a bit. Nonetheless, the myTouch 4G's photo taking capabilities should appease the casual point and shoot users.



As much as we'd love to see continuous auto-focus, the myTouch 4G at least offers you the option of touch focus as you're shooting a video. With 720p video recording on board, it should be no problem right? Well, it's actually not all that impressive versus the competition since it's a bit lax in visuals with its softer tones. However, it manages to move along fluidly seeing that it captures video at a rate of 29 frames per second. For what it's able to put on the table, its quality should also be more than forgiving for general users to accept. Clearly not the best looking videos, but it's more than acceptable for the occasional spontaneous moments out there.

T-Mobile myTouch 4G Sample Video:



Multimedia:

Following in tradition, you can view all of your videos and photos within the Gallery app – both in a grid-like view in portrait and a 2D carousel in landscape. And since this is Android we're talking about, you're given the ability to edit and share photos directly from the handset. Additionally, we do like how it offers the convenience of being able to see photo albums from Facebook friends and from a Flickr account. 


In trying to add some glitzy looking visuals to a somewhat normally stale music player, we're pretty happy with the results found with the handset. Although it presents the normal set of customary items on-screen, like the album cover, controls, and song information, it manages to display lyrics as a particular title is being played. More like a karaoke than anything else, you'll always know the exact words of just about every song you play. Likewise, the 3D like carousel adds some flare to allow you to flick through songs without having to rely on the player controls. However, the audio quality from its speaker doesn't complement the slick presentation since it is rather crackly in tone and strains immensely when placed on the loudest volume setting.


Boasting a stunning looking display that does well to compete along other handsets using the best display technologies on the market, videos play extremely fluidly without no hiccups whatsoever. After loading a video trailer encoded in MPEG-4 1280 x 720 resolution, it played at a phenomenal frame rate while looking ever so good with its sharp details and strong color tones. Furthermore, we also managed to load a DivX video, and just like what we experienced already, it didn't have any trouble in playing it to its entirety without any blemishes. If videos are your kind of thing, you won't be disappointed with the myTouch 4G with its fast playback and awesome looking display.


Sizing up with a reasonably measurable 8GB microSD card, there shouldn't be too much of an issue in accommodating the needs of most people. Unless you're doing plenty of high-definition videos, you can always replace it with card up to 32GB in magnitude.

Connectivity and Internet:

Such a stunning handset in many aspects, you'll naturally want to take along the handset abroad – especially when it offers quad-band GSM (850/900/1800/1900 MHz) and dual-band UMTS (1700/2100 MHz) connectivity. Albeit, there might be certain instances when you don't have sufficient connection to the network, the handset's 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi combined with the Wi-Fi calling app, will always keep you connected at all times. Besides that, you've also got Bluetooth in tow which will allow you to connect a variety of wireless devices to it.

Even before checking out the web browser, it's only expected for a super phone like this to offer a phenomenal experience that should mimic what you see on a desktop. Thanks to HSPA+ connectivity, complex web pages load in almost no time at all while being rendered properly like they should. With the presence of WVGA resolution, even the tiniest of text is discernible from a zoomed out view. And upon closer inspection, everything manages to come to life with Flash content playing without a hitch. Scrolling is tastefully smooth with very low distinguishable levels of choppiness to ruin the fun, while pinching gestures enables you to jump to specific zoom levels – all the while re-flowing text properly to fit the length of the display. Since that it maintains a high level of performance in all categories, the web browsing experience is truly appreciated by anyone.

Performance:

Emitting some subtle tones, its earpiece is less than equipped in handling noisy environments as you'll really need to shove it close to your ear to listen to anything. And even though there are some small traces of static that can be heard on our end, it doesn't deter us in making out the natural sounding voices we are subjected to. Conversely, our callers did say that they also were capable of making out our voices without much effort. However, the audio quality when using the speakerphone is less than invigorating when it produces some inaudible screechy sounds that makes it arduous in getting through conversations.

Normally getting an average of -77 dBm in signal strength around high coverage areas, it didn't manifest any dramatic changes during our testing in the greater Philadelphia region.

Shining so brightly in a wide array of categories, the one undeniable blemish to the somewhat unhindered exterior can be found in the battery life department. Packing a 1,400 mAh battery in its compartment, we were utterly disappointed with its output as it completely died once we hit the 10 hour mark on normal usage. Although light users might be able to get out a little bit more by manually setting brightness to its lowest option, heavy users will constantly need to recharge the handset if they don't want to find the unpleasant notion of having a dead smartphone. The manufacturer has it rated for 6 hours of talk and 288 hours of standby time.

Conclusion: 

If you can overlook the poor battery life it exhibits, you'll find the T-Mobile myTouch 4G to offer a high-level of performance that will appease almost anyone in the market for a smartphone. Just about everything radiates a polished feel, and fittingly, it can be regarded as one of the best handsets available on T-Mobile's lineup. And to make it stand out more from the other devices it's trying to compete with, the availability of HSPA+ connectivity and a front facing camera will undoubtedly add to its overall appeal. So when it's priced at $199.99 on-contract, you can't go wrong with a quality product from HTC's camp as it supplements T-Mobile's high-end Android lineup. It's going to be a tough call for customers shopping around for a smartphone, especially when you've got the Samsung Vibrant excelling in battery life and the T-Mobile G2 offering the convenience of a keyboard. Regardless, the T-Mobile myTouch 4G can't be ignored since it packs a whole lot of features into its streamlined body.

Software version of the reviewed unit: Android 2.2; Build  1.17.531.2 CL277036; Software number: 1.17.531.2

T-Mobile myTouch 4G Video Review: