:: Mobile Phone Reviews ::

HTC Touch Diamond2 review:

HTC Touch Diamond II’s spec sheet: Windows Mobile® 6.1 Professional Qualcomm® MSM7200A™, 528 MHz ROM: 512 MB RAM: 288 MB microSD memory card (SD 2.0 compatible) 3.2” TFT-LCD touch-sensitive screen with 480 X 800 WVGA resolution HSPA/WCDMA 900/2100 MHz GSM/GPRS/EDGE 850/900/1800/1900 MHz Bluetooth® 2.0 with Enhanced Data Rate and A2DP for wireless stereo headsets Wi-Fi®: IEEE 802.11 b/g HTC ExtUSB™ (11-pin mini-USB 2.0 and audio jack in one) Internal GPS antenna Main camera: 5.0 megapixel color camera with auto focus Second camera: VGA CMOS color camera Capacity: 1100 mAh FM Radio, G-Sensor 107.85 X 53.1 X 13.7 mm 117.5 grams (4.15 ounces) with battery Without going into too much detail, the Diamond II is good old Touch HD, but in a new, more streamlined and pocketable package. Our only niggle with its design is the touch-sensitive stripe at the foot of the front fascia. Apparently, HTC wanted their latest and greatest phone to have a distinctive feature that would set it apart from a legion of other candybar-shaped Windows Mobile devices. However in this case the end doesn’t quite justify the means – I played around with it for 10 minutes or so and still couldn’t figure out how it was supposed to help me, unlike, say, the navigation wheel found in the Touch Cruise, where it was tied up with the communicator’s GPS navigation department. Main disadvantages: Fingerprint nightmare Average sunlight legibility Questionable build quality No TV out port No standard 3.5mm audio jack No magnetic stylus Audio Quality: Top Notch The audio quality of the HTC Touch Diamond2 has improved greatly over its predecessor. It now sports a much better frequency response, which keeps within the +-1db level throughout the audible range. The noise level, dynamic range and stereo crosstalk readings haven't changed too much but this is only because they were pretty good on the original Diamond already. The total harmonic and intermodulation distortion readings are also improved although we have to admit that they have still remained only average. Image/Camera Quality: Poor video recording The Touch Diamond2 video capturing capabilities are not impressive at all - VGA recording at 15 fps. Given the video capabilities of many modern phones and bearing in mind the powerful Diamond2 CPU, we really expected more. The video quality is almost decent though the colors are dull, the detail levels seem normal, but they really should be better. The biggest problem of course is the low frame rate, and it's really not what we've come to expect in such a high-end device. Excellent Image Quality The picture quality is surprisingly good with excellent detail, natural colors and little over-sharpening. Even foliage came out well and didn't suffer any loss of detail. In fact, everything is just fine and subjectively, the camera on the Diamond2 fares even a notch above the one on the LG KM900 Arena. Overall Conclusion: We were very impressed with the HTC Touch HD but its size was a bit of a limiting factor. The Diamond2 packs most of the hardware of the HD into a smaller, more manageable package (using the HD with one hand can be troublesome). That coveted 3.5 mm audio jack alas didn't cross over to the Diamond2. HTC Touch Diamond2 is an excellent Windows Mobile phone that will handle whatever you throw at it with ease. But that's no news for an HTC-made PocketPC . The news is HTC have themselves a solid upgrade of an excellent device and a strong contender in the increasingly competitive smartphone market. Rating Against Price: **** A '4 Star'. Recommended!