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Slider smartphone with full QWERTY keyboard and push to talk
- Fast Web surfing
- Wi-Fi
- Full QWERTY slideout keyboard
- 2.8-inch touch screen
- 3.2-megapixel camera
- Good call quality
- Sluggish at times
- Bulky
- Body is slick, attracts smudges
- No dedicated camera button
The HTC Fuze is the AT&T version of the HTC Touch Pro smartphone (Discontinued), with essentially the same advanced features and some very slight differences in body, color, browser and QWERTY keyboard design. For instance, the Fuze has a push-to-talk button that the Touch Pro lacks. Reviews that mention the AT&T Fuze and the Sprint Touch Pro together don't indicate a preference; most professional reviews rate the HTC Fuze as good or very good, indicating it's an especially good choice for business users because, as one reviewer says, "it's a true messaging powerhouse." As with other QWERTY slider phones, the HTC Fuze is judged a bit bulky -- 4 inches by 2 inches by 0.7 inches and 5.8 ounces. The two major criticisms are that the body is a bit slick and smudge-prone, and that the performance is bit a sluggish. Some reviewers expected a firmware update would fix the latter.
A main attraction of HTC smartphones is their proprietary 3-D TouchFLO interface that attempts to make Windows Mobile 6.1 software "finger-friendly" on the 2.8-inch VGA-resolution touch screen, but some reviewers still find the screen more challenging than an iPhone's. Consensus of reviewers is that call quality is good and that Opera Mobile 9.5 is a superior Web browser. Otherwise there are typical smartphone features including GPS, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. Some reviews praise the 3.2-megapixel camera, and some don't (also noting the lack of a dedicated camera button). There is also no headphone jack. Rather, there is an included adapter to plug in the USB port. PCMag.com compares the HTC Fuze with the Apple iPhone 3G (its Editors' Choice), BlackBerry Bold and AT&T Tilt (now discontinued), but it notes flaws with each and makes no one-size-fits-all recommendation.
We found the best reviews at the usual sources for cell phone analysis -- CNET and PCMag.com. Both sources test many cell phones and assign an overall score to make for easy comparisons. ConsumerReports.org tests the HTC Touch Pro, but not the Fuze. We found about 40 owner reviews apiece at CNET and Amazon.com. While not a traditional review, a two-part video at PhoneDog.com compares the slightly different features of the HTC Fuze and the HTC Touch Pro better than any other source, useful for anyone trying to choose between the two.
| HTC Fuze / HTC Touch Pro GSM (US ATT Version) Unlocked with No Warranty | |
(5 reviews) |
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Our Sources
1. CNET
CNET tests lots of cell phones and rates the HTC Fuze "very good" for "power business users," albeit a bit bulky. About 40 owner reviews combine for a similar rating. The slideout QWERTY keyboard and Windows Mobile 6.1 are pluses. Video playback caused the phone to stall during testing.
Review: HTC Fuze (AT&T), Bonnie Cha, Nov. 11, 2008
2. PCMag.com
PCMag tests the HTC Fuze thoroughly and assigns an overall rating ("good"). Reviewer Jamie Lendino says the HTC Fuze is a "a true messaging powerhouse" with a QWERTY keyboard, but it's pricey, bulky and "sluggish at times."
Review: HTC Fuze (AT&T), Jamie Lendino, Nov. 11, 2008
The very thorough reviews here fail only in the lack of direct comparisons with competing products, but some get "recommended" tags. And the HTC Fuze gets a "highly recommended." That's despite a balky touchscreen and a "sluggish" system.
Review: Review of HTC's Touch Pro for AT&T -- the Fuze, Ricky Cadden, Dec. 10, 2008
The detailed analysis of features here would be more helpful if direct comparisons were made to similar products. Still, an overall score is assigned, and the HTC Fuze's score of 77 percent ties with the nearly identical HTC Touch Pro for highest score among business smartphones.
Review: HTC Fuze Review (AT&T), Philip Berne, Nov. 13, 2008
5. Amazon.com
About three dozen owner reviews combine to give the HTC Fuze a good overall rating. Among the complaints are that the body is a smudge/fingerprint magnet, that the screen-locking function is frustrating and that the phone has a mind of its own, making calls at whim.
Review: HTC Fuze Phone, Black (AT&T), Contributors to Amazon.com, As of April 2009
6. ConsumerReports.org
ConsumerReports.org doesn't include the HTC Fuze among the two dozen smartphones ranked in a chart, although the HTC Touch Diamond is rated. A subscription is required to see the rankings and individual capsule reviews.
Review: Smart Phone Ratings, Editors of ConsumerReports.org, Jan. 2009
