There are so many smartphones around these days that they can be characterised as entry level, mid-range and high-end. Right at the top of the tree is HTC's HD2. It is not small, but it packs in the features and for sheer glitzy capability it is superb.

The HD2 has a massive 4.3-inch screen that offers 480 x 800 pixels. It is clear, sharp, bright and very impressive. If your smartphone activities are likely to include Web browsing, video viewing or reading emails or other texts, the screen will really appeal. The capacitive technology and support for multitouch are also plus points. The former ensures swift responses to finger sweeps and presses, the latter caters for pinch-to-zoom.

The big screen has another plus point, which will appeal to those interested in creating text for emails, SMS and so on. The tappable keyboard is sizeable and relatively comfy to use in wide mode, and we found we could even use it efficiently in tall mode; quite a rarity, that.

But there is the obvious downside that the HD2 has to be large to accommodate its screen. The device's vital statistics are 120 x 67 x 11mm x 157g and you'll need a fairly large pocket in which to carry it around. Also, those with smaller hands might find it difficult to reach right across from one side of the screen to the other for one-handed use.

The chassis design is sleek with just one side button; a volume rocker. Beneath the screen are four small buttons. Three are the Call, End and Home keys while the fourth is a rocker containing the Back and Windows menu functions.

The HD2 runs Windows Mobile 6.5 which HTC has skinned with its Sense User Interface. The result is large icons which are easy to find and tap. The skinning goes quite deep, and while you do encounter the old fashioned, small, Windows Mobile icons and touchbuttons eventually, you can do a lot without coming face to face with them.

An accelerometer ensures that the screen flips between wide and tall modes as you turn the HD2 in your hand, and in wide mode, viewing Web pages via the pre-installed Opera Web browser is a much more positive experience than it is on many smaller-screened handsets.

The core technical features are all at the higher end. The processor is the fastest yet seen on a smartphone, the 1Ghz Qualcomm Snapdragon. It dealt with our requests speedily and did not keep us waiting. The HSPA supports downloads to 7.2Mbps and uploads to 2Mbps. The camera shoots stills to 5 megapixels and has a dual LED flash. Wi-Fi and GPS are built in. An FM radio augments music playback and there is a 3.5mm headset jack on the bottom edge of the casing.

Notably absent from the line-up is a front facing camera for two-way video calling. Its omission is a shame, as the rest of the features mark the HD2 out as a top of the range smartphone.

Verdict
It is large in the pocket, and expensive, but apart from the absent video calling camera there isn't much to criticise here on the technical front.

Company: HTC

Contact: 01202 552936

Tags: htc corporation wi-fi windows mobile htc htc sense universal serial bus android windows phone 7