HTC Touch2 Review (part one)

Available from Clove for £285.20

Main Features- Slim, compact and lightweight, Weighs just 110g, with battery. Windows Mobile 6.5 for an improved user experience, 3G/HSDPA high speed connectivity, Quad Band network connectivity, 3.2 megapixel camera, WiFi, Bluetooth, On board GPS receiver, 2.8″ touch screen
3.5mm audio jack, MicroSDHC Memory Card Slot.

In The Box- HTC Touch2, Battery, UK AC Adapter, Stylus, USB Sync Cable, Documentation.

The HTC Touch2 is an evolutionary device which sits somewhere in the mid-range of the Windows Mobile market, but is priced aggressively at only £285. For that price you get the majority of features you would expect in a high-end phone and nothing major is missing from the specification list.

The box is tiny and reminiscent of the Apple iPhone box, in fact it is nearly identical in some areas, and crams everything you need in a small package. The accessories are classic HTC and the headphones will probably need to be changed if you are a serious music listener. There is no case this time or screen protector and these appear to be the only omissions you would expect to see in a high-end HTC phone.

First Impressions

The Touch2 is small. When I say small I mean small because it makes my BlackBerry Curve 8900 look cumbersome, and the weight at only 110 grams is noticeable from the moment you pick it up. Design wise it excels and feels solid in the hand with few sharp edges to ruin what is a beautifully designed smartphone which will appeal to almost everyone on looks alone. It does not stand out in any way, but is without doubt one of the nicest looking smartphones I have seen to date. Gone are the sharp edges of some previous HTC models to be replaced by subtle curves, a sympathetic silver surround and flush buttons just below the screen. I can honestly think of no way to improve the design.

Build quality is also at the top of the game and the solid feel adds reassurance to the overall smartphone experience with not a rattle in sight. This is without doubt a phone that you can use anywhere and not have to worry about the occasional knock or scrape ruining the look.

I’m not going to address the implementation of Windows Mobile 6.5 at this stage because I need more time with it to see what is different and so the first part is mainly a look at the hardware in the Touch2. Below the screen are five buttons; call end/start, home, start menu and back. They are quite flush, but are easily accessible and I have had no issues at all in pressing each one when needed. The call end button also acts as the power button which, in my opinion, is much better than happen to hit a side-mounted button to turn it on and off. On the left side is the volume key above the microSD slot and a 3.5mm headphone jack on the top (the right place for it). The miniUSB connector is at the bottom and the camera shortcut button is… nowhere to be seen? I guess that the 3.2MP camera is not the highlight of this device and so it has been downplayed somewhat here.

The outer coating is almost completely fingerprint resistant and the only area that will suffer in this department is the screen. Making a screen that is resistant to fingerprints is impossible so we can forgive HTC that. The outer coating is also easy to hold and non-slippery so we really do have the perfect formula for how a phone should be coated for day to day use. The camera on the back is the only stand out in a design which is otherwise bare of the need to show off and it all works perfectly. I cannot stress enough how good this phone feels to hold.

The screen is bright and crisp and works well enough outdoors. You can see from the image taken next to the Curve that it is not as clear in sunlight, but it works in almost all conditions to a useable standard. I would rate it as functional rather than outstanding, but the QVGA resolution is strangely barely noticeable probably because the screen is 2.8”. It still feels very much like a Windows Mobile device in terms of navigation and some time will be needed to get used to the slightly less than natural feel, but it works and should present no problems. It is without doubt an improvement on what has come before.

For first impressions the HTC Touch2 offers an overwhelming sense of confidence and a sense that it could stay with you for the long run. The question remains- is that enough in 2009? It works for BlackBerry so I see no reason why it should not here, and this has proved to be one of the most accessible Windows Mobile devices I have used so far.

In part two I will be looking at the all important software, speed and everything else that is crammed into this bijou beast of a smartphone.