Sunday, May 15, 2011

Price & Details about HTC Desire Z

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When Z means a keypad

The Desire was one of HTC’s most popular models that faced criticism on account of its plastic body and the lack of a dedicated keypad. The Desire Z addresses both these short comings, and although this section of the Android market is a lot busier than during the Desire days, the Desire Z stands out as a well rounded device.

Built of metal with plastic bits, the Desire Z is heavy, at 180 grams, and has a rather plain silver and grey colour scheme. The QWERTY keypad doesn’t slide out, rather it has a hinge system that reveals the keypad when lifted – we question the longevity of this mechanism. The S-LCD first seen on the Desire makes a comeback, although the menu keys are capacitive-touch this time, with uneven lighting that detracts from the quality feel of the handset. The onscreen keypad is sensitive, but in portrait mode you will find it a bit cramped.

The hardware QWERTY also deserves mention for the wrong reasons – keys are small, feedback is hard and rubbery and the layout isn’t the best we’ve seen as a result its not very usable, and we found the onscreen keypad in landscape mode to be a better bet.

Reception and call clarity tests are a breeze, as is handsfree and loudspeaker volume, although the latter is too tinny for music. The Desire Z has a very nice camera, although its only 5 MP, it produces crisp images with good colour and very decent highlighting. The phone is quick enough, but at times we found it a bit sluggish compared to a Desire HD that runs faster hardware. Battery life is decent.

Our major gripe with the Desire Z would be its flawed QWERTY keypad. Other than that, it’s a good phone, although for the price there are newer handsets around. With dual cores on the way, we’re also beginning to wonder about future proofing. With the release of handsets like the Incredible S, the Desire Z with its flawed keypad loses a good bit of its charm.