HTC Desire Z review : Compare UK HTC Desire Z deals : HTC Desire Z reviews

HTC Desire Z Overview

Expected UK Release Date: Available

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Key Features
Slide Out Keyboard Design
Dimensions 119 x 60.4 x 14.16 mm
Android™ 2.2 Froyo Operating System with HTC Sense™ UI
3.7 Inch 16 Million Colour Capacitive Touch Screen (480 x 800 Pixels)
DLNA® Support
WiFi® Technology
Instant Messaging
5 Megapixel Camera with Pinch to Zoom & Video Recorder (3GP)
GPS Navigation with Google Maps & HTC Footprints™
Facebook® & Twitter® App
3G HSDPA Technology

Design

100%

Usability

100%

Features

98%

The above ratings are average figures, which have been generated from submitted mobile phone reviews.

Our HTC Desire Z Review

Overview
The HTC Desire Z is an amazing touch screen 3G Smartphone which has been designed for usability, along with its assortment of built in features & easy to use slide out designed QWERTY keyboard. This Smartphone comes with a stunningly designed casing & supports a highly useable Android™ 2.2 Froyo operating system. It is a member of the Desire range which includes other HTC Smartphone's such as the HTC Desire & the HTC Desire HD. The Desire Z is slightly deeper in size than the original HTC Desire, but this is due to its slide out keyboard design. The Desire Z supports a powerful processor, amazing user interface, five megapixel camera feature, an array of messaging services, music playing features & easy to use call features.

Appearance & Size
Its casing has a smooth but tactile coating which makes it easy to hold & open & it comes in a stylish black colour which gives it a sophisticated appearance. The slide out QWERTY keyboard simply slides from the left hand side of the casing which gives the user a wide keyboard layout. It is fairly large in size due to its screen size & its slide out keyboard design, but it is not too large to hold & its extra weight gives it a high quality feel. The Desire Z weighs one hundred & thirty five grams & its dimensions when closed are 11.9cm by 6.04cm by 1.42cm. It has a good size touch screen which measures 3.7 inches from corner to corner plus this screen supports a high colour display with a beautiful screen resolution provided when the user is viewing photos & videos. Its HTC Sense™ user interface is easy to use & supports a customisable home screen options allowing the user to give their Smartphone a personal design.

Imaging, Media & Entertainment
For entertainment the user can download games which can be controlled using the touch screen. The user may prefer to listen to music for entertainment which can be gained using the music playing feature or by tuning into their preferred radio station. There is a five megapixel digital camera lens on the rear of the casing which provides a still photo capturing or video recording feature for the user to enjoy on the move. There is a wide variety of settings, imaging options & features which will help the user to gain the best quality finish to their photos or recordings. A pinch to zoom can be used on the touch screen & the user may choose a face detection setting when taking photos. When recording videos the user simply selects the video option & can record moving footage in 3GP format. Video playback is possible which provides another form of entertainment on the HTC Desire Z & the user can playback videos in MPEG4, 3GP, 3G2 & Windows Media Video 9 formats, plus this Smartphone supports DLNA®.

Communication & Messaging
The HTC Desire Z comes with integrated social network applications which include both Facebook® & Twitter® applications, allowing the user of this amazing Smartphone to access these popular social network websites easily & providing a form of communication between other users. The Desire Z also supports a friends stream feature & HTC peep for tweeting which is fun to use & useful for all those Twitter loving users. There are many useful messaging services which include an instant messaging service allowing the user to communicate using text & symbols whilst taking part in an online chat with their friends. The user may prefer to communicate with business contacts or friends via email which is possible on the HTC Desire Z complete with document attachment support. This Smartphone supports multimedia messaging which allows its user to share photos, sound & video recording in a message or text message can be created & shared with other SMS contacts. The HTC Desire Z makes communication easy for its user by providing a wide selection of easy to access & use communication features.

Technology & Internet
The Desire Z comes with 1.5 gigabytes of internal memory & has 512 megabytes of RAM. There is a memory card option which will hold up to 32 gigabytes of external memory in the form of a MicroSD™ memory card. An integrated GPS navigation feature provides the user with guidance to their next location whether the user is travelling by foot of by car. There is a user friendly browser providing a social network compatible Web experience on this Smartphone & the user can gain access to the Web using the phones WiFi® capabilities. The HTC Desire Z is a 3G HSDPA capable Smartphone which works over HSDPA 1900, HSDPA 2100 as well as four GSM networks. It has a good battery which when fully charged will provide the user with an estimated 6.6 hours of 3G talk time or up to 9.8 hours of talk time when used over a GSM network. This Smartphone supports Bluetooth® wireless connectivity allowing its user to connect their handset to other compatible devices without using cables, & therefore the user can transfer data quickly & easily plus at high speed thanks to the handset EDGE technology. There is a micro USB connection port which provides another method of connectivity as the user can use a USB cable to connect the Desire Z to other compatible USB devices to transfer music, message, photos, video & more.

HTC Desire Z Specifications & Features

Screen
3.7 Inch 16 Million Colour Capacitive Touch Screen (480 x 800 Pixels)

Imaging
5 Megapixel Camera
Auto Focus
Flash
Face Detection
Pinch to Zoom
Photo Geo Tagging
Photo Effects
Camera Setting
Photo Album
Video Recorder (3GP)
Video Player (MPEG4, 3GP, 3G2 & WMV9)
DLNA® Support

Messaging
SMS (Text Messaging)
MMS (Multimedia Messaging)
Email
Instant Messaging

Sound
Music Player (MP3, WAV, MIDI, AAC, OGG & WMA9)
FM Radio
Sound Recorder (AMR)
WAV & MP3 Ringtones

Entertainment
Downloadable Games

Organiser
Contacts
Phone Book
Calendar
Alarm Clock
Call Log
Digital Compass
GPS Navigation
Google Maps
HTC Footprints™
Facebook® & Twitter® App
HTC Peep for Tweeting
Friends Stream
Android™ 2.2 Froyo Operating System
HTC Sense™ User Interface
Slide Out QWERTY Keyboard

Connectivity
3G HSDPA
HSUPA
WiFi®
Bluetooth® A2DP
Micro USB
GPRS
EDGE

Network
Quad Band (GSM 850, GSM 900, GSM 1800 & GSM 1900)
HSDPA 1900 & 2100

Internet
HTML Browser
Social Network Compatible

Memory & Talk Time
1.5GB Memory & 512MB RAM Plus MicroSD™ Memory Card Support up to 32GB
9.8 Hours GSM Talk Time
6.6 Hours 3G Talk Time
340 Hours GSM Standby Time
340 Hours 3G Standby Time

Weight & Size
135 g
119 x 60.4 x 14.16 mm

Your HTC Desire Z Reviews

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Reviewer: Darrenc - Bristol, UK
Date: 11th Mar 2011

Right I said I would be back after a few months, so here I am. I am still extremely pleased with this phone & it does everything I want it to. Just 2 issues I had were:

- The battery is rubbish. It comes as standard with a 1300mAh. I had to charge the phone up twice a day, which was a pain. The Solution is to invest in an extra life 1750mAh. My phone will run quite happily all day & it still won't run out of juice.

- The light sensor appears to be a bit hit & miss. When you flick the keyboard out the backlight for the keys are meant to be on when it's a bit dark. If its pitch black, yes it works. Anything less than pitch black then the light intermittently switches on & off. It would be useful when the keyboard is exposed the backlight would just switch on. Period!

That's why I've dropped the features to 95%. There should never be a light issue, where a hard keyboard is part of the hardware.

I would recommend this phone to anyone. Even if my wife (iPhone 4 user) say's the z hinge mechanism will snap like a twig. No it won't. LOL

Design

100%

Usability

100%

Features

95%

Reviewer: Barthelemy Roberts - Newry, UK
Date: 25th Dec 2010

I added 100% because it ticks all boxes for me. Have been a Desire user (& very happy)but needed hw keyboard as my PC usage is about 20% now thanks to HTC Desire & now it's 'enhanced' sibling, Desire Z. So all my email, I am, YouTube etc is now running via HTC Desire Z.

First of all note for all mourners about battery life: guys, these devices (with Android OS) are connected to cloud system so almost constant web connection is present. The Sense UI is based on widgets, which are almost all dependant on Internet connection. You have to follow few steps to get best of your battery.

- After unboxing put it on charger for at least 12 hours. Leave it OFF!
- Don't let the battery go below 5%! Switch OFF & CHARGE IT!
- Best performance will be achieved after 7+ charging cycles.
- Use 3G HSDPA only if you're in full or good coverage. If weak signal, phone is 'looking' for 3G & that drains battery. So switch to EDGE, if not downloading.
- Bluetooth is OK when connected to headset or other accessory, but don't leave it ON when not using any BT accessories.

Bear in mind that display is huge & it does take a lot of juice, but more important: widgets! They are biggest RAM & battery consumers. So before installing one of them, check what it 'does' with your phone after install & when in use.

For now can't say any negative comments. The spec is very similar, almost identical with Desire. Have read some other comments regarding loose hinges, but that's down to your usage. It comes with updated Sense UI, which now supports Sense.com cloud system, where you can back up your stuff, find or lock wipe your phone in case of lost or stolen.

Can only recommend this device to anyone, who need to updated all the time, being it work or family/friends related.

Will check back in few weeks time with some feedback.

Oh, & one more thing for all of you guys, MERRY XMAS & Happy New Year!

Design

100%

Usability

100%

Features

100%

Reviewer: Darrenc - Bristol, UK
Date: 13th Nov 2010

I've just got my hands on one of these on an Orange contract & I must say I am pretty pleased. I use all the Google products so it lends itself well although they need to sort out a Google Doc App to satisfy us Google users. Oddly I didn't think I would get on with the touch screen which is why I went for the one with hard keys, but strangely I do. LOL. Lots of stuff from Android App Store which I've been experimenting with.

The only problem with this device is that you'll never put it down & that will have an impact on the battery juices so I know I'll also have to keep an eye on the programs running in the background.

Call quality seems a lot better than my last phone (Nokia E71).

I'll repost in a month or 2, but for now, it's a thumbs up from me.

Design

100%

Usability

100%

Features

100%

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