The HTC HD2 is an upgraded version of the HTC Touch HD. The HD2 does everything that the HD did, but even more so. The HD2 isn't a small phone by any means. In fact it's noticeably bigger and heavier than the iPhone, although slimmer. In fact, it's a superslim 11mm. It's not going to fit into everyone's trouser pocket and it's one of the heaviest phones in the shops. But the reason why it's so large is the screen. If you thought that the display on the HD was huge (and it was), then the display on the HD2 is absolutely massive. At 4.3 inches across, and with an incredible resolution of 480 x 800 pixels, this is simply the best screen on any mobile phone that we've ever seen. If you want to watch videos on your phone, get this phone!
The screen is a capacitative touchscreen, and it's wonderfully sensitive to the touch. HTC have brought out everything that they can think of to make the user interface on the HD2 the best ever. Apart from the size and sensitivity of the screen itself, the HD2 uses an ultra-fast upgraded processor, so there is no lag at all. The memory has also been upgraded, so running apps doesn't seem to slow the phone.
Perhaps the nicest feature is the new HTC Sense user interface, which is overlaid on top of Windows Mobile Professional 6.5. With HTC Sense, you can easily customise the home page, giving you one-touch access to all your favourite apps, such as messaging, calendar, facebook, etc. HTC Sense is organised around contacts, so you can easily view a person's emails, texts and other contact info in one place. There are great features here, such as the full virtual QWERTY keyboard, the zoom control activated by the touch of your fingers, and the accelerometer which automatically rotates the screen orientation when you turn the phone on its side. Under the hood, the Windows Mobile operating system is powerful and customisable too. The Windows Marketplace apps are starting to grow in number, and you can find plenty of useful stuff there.
The HD2 also has a great music player, benefiting from a 3.5mm stereo audio jack, so you can plug in your own headphones. With support for microSD memory cards, you can easily expand the memory to store thousands of MP3 tracks. It also has an FM radio with RDS. The GPS receiver with Google maps works brilliantly on such a hi-res screen, and has a digital compass feature too. The web browser is also superb, making excellent use of the large screen and touchscreen interface. HTC have upgraded the 3G connection to use HSPA, so you can download at speeds of up to 7.2 Mbps and upload at 2 Mbps. WiFi is also available, for ultra-fast data transfers in a WiFi environment. Bluetooth 2.1 and USB connectivity is also supported.
So far, so good. What we've described is an absolutely brilliant user interface with an MP3 player, GPS receiver and phone attached. Sure it's big, but how else could it have such a large screen? The problem is that HTC have enhanced the strong points of the original Touch HD, but without addressing any of its weak points. The weak points of the Touch HD were its large size and weight, its poor camera, and its weak battery life. The HD2 doesn't fix these problems. In fact, they have become even more obvious in the HD2. Not only is the HD2 larger and heavier than the original, but HTC have replaced the 1350 mAh battery with a weaker 1230 mAh. The results is even less battery life. The camera is 5 megapixels, the same as the Touch HD, but it now comes with a dual LED flash. It still can't compete with other phones in this price range though.
So, the HD2 has enhanced the strong points of the HD, but failed to address any of its problems. That makes it in some ways the best possible phone, and in other ways rather lacking. It's perhaps like a finely-tuned supercar with no room for luggage and impossible to park. You have to choose a phone like this with both eyes open, knowing what it will do and what it won't do. We hope that this review has given you an understanding of this.
Features of the HTC HD2 include:
5 megapixel camera with autofocus and dual LED flash
Video recording & video calling (VGA resolution) with secondary camera
Display: TFT, 480 x 800 pixels (4.3 inches)
GPS receiver with digital compass
Music player (MP3, AAC, AAC+, eAAC+, WMA formats)
FM radio with RDS
Messaging: SMS, EMS, MMS, Email
Ringtones: 40 voice polyphonic ringtones / MP3 ringtones
Wallpaper
Java games
Internet: Opera Mobile web browser, GPRS, EDGE, HSPA (7.2 Mbps download, 2Mbps upload)
Connectivity: Bluetooth 2.1 with Enhanced Data Rate, mini-USB 2.0, Wi-Fi, 3.5 mm audio jack
Memory: 448 MB RAM plus microSD memory card (SD 2.0 compatible)
Vibration alert
Quadband GSM (850/900/1800/1900 MHz) plus HSPA/WCDMA (900/2100 MHz)
Size: 121 x 67 x 11 mm
Weight: 157g
Talktime: 320 - 380 minutes
Battery standby: 390 - 490 hours
