HTC Desire HD Reviews

HTC Desire HD Review at Engadget

So what to make of the Desire HD? It's undeniably hampered by some design flaws and poor battery life, but the sheer volume of good things it brings to the table can't be ignored. Froyo is the most polished and accomplished version of Android by a good margin, HTC's latest Sense enhancements add legitimate value to the proposition, and the aluminum unibody construction, upgraded internals, and jumbo screen are unignorably appealing. On the whole, we feel like the Desire HD's downsides tend to relate to things that won't affect you too much in daily operation -- you won't need to access the battery too often, for example -- whereas its strengths reside in the critical areas of expanding functionality, choice, performance, and screen dimensions. It's Froyo on a 4.3-inch screen and it tastes just right. Read more...

HTC Desire HD Review at CNET

For smart-phone fans who want the biggest, most feature-packed beauty that money can buy, the HTC Desire HD delivers in style. Android 2.2 is better than ever, and HTC's Sense skin helps smooth over the remaining rough edges, as well as adding some handy extras.

The 4.3-inch screen and heavy case means it may be too much phone for some people. It's not cheap either, and its app store has a whiff of the Wild West. But we think bigger is better, and the Desire HD bestrides the narrow world like a Colossus. Read more...

HTC Desire HD Review at Pocket-lint

So there is certainly no shortage of features on the Desire HD - and there will never be the space to cover everything in this review - as well as all the benefits of Android 2.2 sitting behind it with its app offering that is rapidly gaining on Apple’s App Store - beef up the gaming selection and we’d have a real contest.

There are some niggling issues - we had problems with some of the HTCSense.com services, the occasional freeze here and there, and the video support could be a little more substantial, but overall the HTC Desire HD is a phone to get excited about. It’s the sort of phone you can spend hours exploring and still find some little detail that will bring a smile to your face.

A new chipset, more RAM, combined with the latest that Android has to offer makes for a very fast experience, resulting in a hugely enjoyable mobile phone that has loads of features and loads of potential. Certainly one of the best devices available today. Read more...

HTC Desire HD Review at Wired

Overall, the HTC Desire HD is a phone at the very pinnacle of the smartphone market, the best Android phone currently on the market and a strong competitor to the Apple iPhone 4. A bit of bulk in the software department and a few button-related niggles don't significantly detract from this achievement. The only question to ponder is: with a new version of Android on the horizon, and manufacturers holding onto new hardware until then, how long will it rule? Read more...

HTC Desire HD Review at SlashGear

HTC has become synonymous with Android smartphones over the past three years, and with good reason. The company’s Sense interface remains the most comprehensive reworking of the core OS to-date, and in this latest iteration has gone from being a simple social network aggregator and redesign, to a real value-add for HTC users. The bundled Sense-online experience not only works to the user’s benefit, but is a clever move by HTC to promote brand loyalty. What remains to be seen is how quickly the company can move to deliver Android updates despite their heavy customisation, a problem faced by most players using Google’s platform today. With Gingerbread just around the corner, the last thing HTC needs is a legion of unhappy users left wondering when their flagship phone will see an upgrade. Read more...

HTC Desire HD Review at TechRadar

It would be a massive step too far to say we were disappointed with the HTC Desire HD, as it's only because the bar has been set so high with previous iterations in HTC's Android portfolio.

The screen size will be an issue for some people, but that's subjective; you'll either want it or you won't. A more pressing issue is the battery life - people might be coming round to the daily charging idea, but if you can't last a day in some instances that's going to get tiresome very quickly.

Believe us when we say that the HTC Desire HD is going to be the perfect handset for a lot of people (providing the price stays at a reasonable level) and we'd certainly recommend it as the phone to get if you want the very latest in cool smartphone technology that actually works. But that battery issue, combined with a few other niggles, leave us wondering if HTC has started to reach a little too far with the ultra-cool factor on its handsets. Read more...

HTC Desire HD Review at Trusted Reviews

All of which brings us to our conclusion. What's clear about the Desire HD is that it isn't perfect. We feel its screen is unnecessarily large and though very good isn't the best quality on the market, its battery life isn't the best either, its still not quite as slick as the iPhone and there are a few other small tweaks we'd like. However, none of these issues is enough to change the fact that as an overall package this is the best smartphone we've tested. Extra functions like the presence of Flash in the web browser put it above the iPhone 4 while its build quality and design puts it ahead of the Android competition. Read more...

HTC Desire HD Review at T3

HTC’s chosen to refine rather than make any drastic changes to the Desire HD. Tweaks to the build, an excellent browser and 720p movie made make it enjoyable to use, while HTC Sense continues to be one of the best UI’s on the market.

However, the Desire HD is a BIG phone and although it’s far more usable than we initially thought, it will still be too big for many. And while the 4.3-inch screen is certainly good for browsing and video playback, it’s a real shame the resolution isn’t higher or AMOLED, it’s just not as good as the Samsung Galaxy S and Apple iPhone 4 and those are the phones it will be competing against. The large screen size really affects the battery too – we turned it on at 12.00 and with moderate calling, WiFi on and a heavy browsing period, it was on 15% by 7pm. After charging overnight and again it flashed up 15% by early evening.

We really enjoyed using the HTC Desire HD, it is a great phone and one of the best Android handsets on the market. But the original Desire blew us away and this is something of a fizzle in comparison, good, but certainly not worth replacing your original Desire for. Read more...