Today HTC announced two phones that they will be hoping can help secure their position as one of the top smartphone manufacturers. The Desire HD and Desire Z are two very different models which will aim to please both those who want a more functional phone with fast text entry and a smaller footprint as well as a model for those who want a media-playing powerhouse with a huge screen. Both phones look absolutely fantastic and are sure to gain the attention of HTC fanatics and newcomers alike. Here at Compare and Recycle we’re more than just a little bit excited at what these phones have to offer, especially since we liked the original HTC Desire so much.
Desire Z
The Desire Z is HTC’s first model with a full QWERTY keyboard in sometime and their first Android phone with with sliding QWERTY keyboard (that’s if you don’t count the Google/T-Mobile branded G1 as a real HTC model). Looking pretty much like the US-bound T-Mobile G2 the Desire Z is a great looking phone and while the 5 megapixel camera and 800Mhz processor aren’t quite top of the range any more it still outshines many competitors and provides an overall package that few rival manufacturers have equalled so far.
The aluminium body should give the phone an expensive feel and great build quality while the decision not to completely push the boat out as far as internal hardware is concerned means that it’s quite possible the Desire Z will offer good value compared to models such as the iPhone 4 once released.
Desire HD
While those in the US have been enjoying the Evo 4G for a good few months now the only HTC model released in Europe that can really compare is the Touch HD2, but that was running the dated WM6.5 software and couldn’t quite match features such as the 8 megapixel camera of the Evo.
The Desire HD however gives Europeans something of their own to brag about. With a 4.3″ screen, 1Ghz processor and an 8 megapixel camera with dual flash the Desire HD looks like a serious attempt to dethrone the iPhone as the must-have smartphone. The camera has recieved some serious attention with features such as 720p video recording and a range of effects that can be applied to photographs, the sold aluminium body construction means that this phone is sure to feel as good as it looks and the while the large screen may not be quite what some people are looking for it will certainly make web browsing, viewing pictures and watching movies on the Desire HD a very enjoyable experience.
The Desire HD is in many ways a ‘best of’ all the Android phones HTC has released to date and some nice touches such as the inclusion of Dolby Mobile technology, which should make music and movies sound great, will only add to the appeal of what will surely become HTC’s flagship model.
Both phones are to be released in October in Europe and will feature the new HTC Sense which looks set to link your phone and PC to extend the Sense experience beyond smartphones.