HTC TITAN Sim Free Windows 7.5 Smartphone

I was lucky enough to walk into my highstreet and grab a HTC TITAN over the first weekend of October (seemingly a good 2 weeks before launch elsewhere) and I've been so impressed that I thought I'd upload a review, that will hopefully fill in the blanks for you if you're looking to purchase this phone:

First impressions:
The TITAN, living up to its name, is big. To put it into perspective, if you are upgrading from a previous 4.3 inch phone, you might not notice the extra size as the bevel is much smaller on this phone than on similar 4.3 inch models, to the point where the dimensions wouldn't be much bigger. If, on the other hand, you are upgrading from a 3.5 inch or similar model, you'll notice a substantial increase on the face, that might take a while to get accustomed to. Whilst that might be said, it's also worth noting that the phone is stated as 9.9mm thin, but this is at its maximum, in reality I measure it closer to 9.6, making it on par with the iPhone 4, but not quite the same level as the Samsung GS2. It's worth noting that although the handset is very large, due to the thinness, and the ratio due to the phone being a bit wider, it sits really well in the hand.

Is it pocket friendly?:
This is a double edged sword. I'm a regular guy with a 32 inch waist that wears normal (practical) jeans, cargos and the occasional leopard-skin leotard and I have to say that I haven't found a pocket this phone wouldn't fit into. And that's not to say that it `just' fits. In fact, it always has room to spare, so do not fear if you sound similar to me there. If you're keen on skinny jeans, I doubt you'll fit this phone in your front pockets, rather stick it in your handbag (because if you wear skinny jeans you OBVIOUSLY have a handbag to go with it ;

Build quality:
Two pieces, both solid. The phone unit is actually cradled inside the aluminium chassis, which is released with a solid feeling button at the bottom of the handset. It's incredibly well built, and the removable battery is always a plus. Make note however, that this phone does not support expandable memory, and thus you are left with the 16GB in-built flash only. Swapping the SIM on the go is pretty difficult due to the fact that it needs to be inserted before the battery goes in, effectively locking it in place. Looking at it, you can 'modify' it to allow anytime SIM removal with judicious use of a nail file, but that'd be at your own risk, and I'm not sure it'd work!

Screen quality:
This is my first experience with `S-LCD' also known as SUPER-LCD to some. I come from an iPhone 4 background, as well as having briefly dabbled with the GS2, just so you know where I stand, comparatively speaking. The screen on the TITAN is leaps and bounds ahead of the iPhone, with richer colours, deeper blacks and ever-so-slightly better viewing angles. Whilst the resolution is higher on the iPhone, the Titan doesn't display any form of aliasing (jagged edges) and appears incredibly sharp throughout, especially when viewing photos. Between the TITAN and the GS2, it's a much closer call, and I'd have to go with the GS2 as having the edge. Although, to put it into perspective: The only way you'd ever be able to tell one is better than the other is to have the two side-by-side constantly, which, let's face it, is never going to happen. The TITAN has an incredible screen, and it's a joy to use.

Speaker:
Not so great, fairly quiet even at max volume, so not great for music or phone calls, but it does have slightly deeper bass than the `tinny' sounds of other phones. In any case, headphones are the way to go for this one.

Camera:
8MP, twin LED flash, 720p video, advanced ISO/editing/panorama/burst options...sounds good. Oh, and an f/2.2 lens. I'm a photographer, so I knew this was marketing babble from the get go, and don't be fooled, this isn't going to replace your compact any day soon, but in daylight it actually does a fantastic job. I know I started off negative, but I just don't like it when claims are made that don't live up to their expectations, and so far this TITAN has exceeded every claim made by HTC (except maybe their slogan: The best thing you've ever held. Which is subjective, at best) So basically, the shots are grainy at night, but in daylight are great, perfect for web uploading and small prints. HD video is nice, quite good quality and upscales fairly well. At the end of the day, camera technology isn't perfect in smartphones, there are too many compromises, but HTC does a great job at mitigating those issues and delivering a package that makes a decent walkabout companion.

Battery life:
On par with iPhone 4, GS2 and such. It'll give you a days worth with moderate use, no problem, but still the kind of phone you'll want to charge overnight.

Internet:
The TITAN supports HSPDA+ (a better version of 3G) which allows for around 12-14mb/s downloads. I have to say, I've reached this, and it's great. Webpages load much quicker under the new Internet Explorer too, so that's also a bonus.

Operating System:
Mango is included out of the box, and it's a welcome addition to Windows Phone 7. Multitasking, better surfing, and a whole host of under-the-bonnet tweaks and fixes means that this is the best edition yet. The TITAN is super-speedy too, with all tasks opening quickly, and no lag at all across any applications I have tried.

Conclusion:
It's great. Big, yes, but very effective at what it does. I have no issues so far, it looks and feels great in the hand, and Windows Phone 7 is my favourite mobile operating system. I hope this review has helped you, and as I have the phone with me all the time, if I have left anything out that you'd like an answer on, please feel free to ask in the comments and I'll get back to you.

I have had this phone for two weeks now, and in that time I've been bowled over by it's speed, stability and all round performance. Previously I had an iPhone and I can honestly say I don't miss it at all.

I feel Microsoft have done a great job with the OS, it's very intuitive to use and looks fantastic, and actually makes both iOS and Android look extremely dated. The app situation isn't quite as bleak as some say, in fact there are some excellent free ones available, and I've found decent equivalents to all my iPhone apps.

I've read several reviews on this phone and they keep mentioning the 'low' screen resolution - this really is a non-issue, the display is outstanding, and colours are nice and vibrant too. It's great for showing your photos (incidentally albums are synched with Facebook which is another positive about WP7).

Internet browsing on this phone is a superb experience, the IE9 browser works nicely and is very quick on a 3G or wireless connection. It doesn't support Flash though which is a bit of a shame.

As far as I'm concerned the only downside compared to the Apple is that the WP7 music player doesn't support gapless playback, but in the scheme of things this isn't a major issue. The sound quality is excellent.

All in all an excellent phone. I have no regrets. It's more unique than an iPhone (or a boring Android phone), and I know it's subjective, but I think it's better.

I recently changed to HTC phones as I wanted a good smartphone brand, and everyone seemed to recommend HTC. SO I bought a HTC Wildfire a few years ago. This phone was good, but texting on the phone was a nightmare for me because of my mars bar fingers - I always hit two or more buttons or sent the thing without it actually being finished. So I went on the hunt for a better HTC model, and found this one. I decided to part pretty reluctantly with my hard-earned dosh and took the plunge.

All in all, this phone is AMAZING.

The screen is HUGE. I wanted a phone with a nice big screen and this one fits the bill perfectly. The size may take some getting used to but in time you will grow to like it. I don't know how I ever got by without a large screen! On top if this, its WVGA Super LCD screen is beautiful. Whites are crisp and bright and colours are sharp and vivid. it's not as good as the retina display on the iphone 4 but its REALLY good none the less. You need really good eyesight to notice the difference. The keyboard also accommodated my grotesquely large fingers very nicely!

The phone also has a fast processor, so multitasking, playing games, viewing photos, watching movies, listening to music and screen animations all run very smooth and quick. The HTC TITAN also boots up a lot faster than my older phone, the TITAN boots in about 20 seconds, my older phone took over minute to boot fully...

The camera is also very good. At 8MP, it wont beat your normal point and click camera but its pretty good for a phone! (In my experience, anyway). It also record video at 720p HD resolution, and there is plenty of space on its internal 16GB memory.

One thing I would say though, on listening to music on the phone the sound seems to crackle a little when I move the headphone jack around in the socket. This can be a bit of a pain if you walk around a lot like I do. I'm not sure if the phone has a loose jack or if my headphones are on the fritz - but if the phone is still there is no problem with the sound at all.

If you are looking for a nicely built, sturdy, large screened phone this is definitely the one to go for. Would highly recommend!