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A great Google Android smartphone for Sprint
- Impressive interface
- Good call quality
- Responsive touch screen
- Standard 3.5 mm headphone jack
- Sluggish speeds
- Poor camera
- Lackluster multimedia performance
Sprint's Hero sports a snazzy touch screen
The HTC Hero is the latest smartphone to use Google's open-source Android operating system, and critics love the improvements HTC has implemented. The new HTC Sense user interface gets high praise from reviewers, who love its customizability and good looks. Features like the Hero's 3.2-inch capacitive touch-screen keyboard and access to the Android Market app store put it second only to Apple's iPhone 3GS (*Est. $200 and up with contract), according to some critics. The Hero syncs well with social media sites like Facebook and Twitter, but the Hero falters with multimedia integration. There is no media syncing software -- you have to drag and drop via USB -- and no file manager.
Consumers should be aware that there are two phones called the HTC Hero. The original unlocked version, available in Europe, has a more angular shape, including a distinctive chin at the bottom. Sprint's U.S. version has a more rounded look, with what John Biggs at Crunchgear.com dubs a "jowl." But reviews indicate that, in terms of performance, the two smartphones are essentially the same, so reviews of one model can apply to the other. Core functions are solid, if unspectacular: Call quality is described as good, and speaker quality, somewhat better. Nearly all reviews estimate that the battery lasts about a day with moderate use.
HTC Hero's hardware drags it down
Despite the praise heaped on its software, the Hero is criticized uniformly for its lackluster hardware components. Reviewers may like the Hero's casing, but they don't like what's inside -- a sluggish 528 MHz processor that's unchanged from the earlier T-Mobile MyTouch 3G/HTC Magic. No reviewer was able to get reliable Flash video playback while surfing websites, despite HTC's claims that the phone is Flash-ready. The 5-megapixel camera is roundly criticized. PhoneArena.com calls it "a major disappointment" and recommends "that [HTC] attend a class or two on how to build proper cameras." Video recording is also a letdown, and reviewers are generally not impressed with the Hero's music and multimedia applications, though all are pleased with its 3.5 mm headphone jack, which means you can use your own headphones without a clunky adaptor.
We found solid reviews of Sprint's HTC Hero at CNET and CrunchGear.com. The European/GSM version of the phone gets ample coverage from both American and British professional review sites, including PhoneArena.com and CNET (U.K.). Blog-style evaluations from Engadget.com, TechRadar.com, SlashGear.com, Gizmodo.com and BoyGeniusReport.com also look at the European HTC Hero variant. Despite the wide range of sources, reviewers are nearly unanimous about the pluses of the software and the minuses of the hardware for both versions of the phone.
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Our Sources
1. CNET
CNET's Bonnie Cha profiles the HTC Hero for Sprint, noting some of the external design modifications from its GSM counterpart. However, performance issues -- good and bad -- seem the same. The HTC Sense user interface is praised, though Cha feels that it has a bit of a learning curve.
Review: HTC Hero (Sprint), Bonnie Cha, Sept. 16, 2009
PhoneArena.com calls the HTC Hero the best Android cell phone so far, praising the phone's Sense interface and social media apps. Web browsing is also good, but a touch below the iPhone. However, some quibbles about processing speed come up, and the phone falters with its poor camera and mediocre multimedia performance.
Review: HTC Hero Review, Editors of PhoneArena.com, Aug. 6, 2009
This brief blog-style review is very enthusiastic about the HTC Hero for Sprint. John Biggs goes into some of the minor changes between the U.S. and European models, and notes that some of the problems associated with the earlier Hero have been fixed.
Review: Review: HTC Hero from Sprint, John Biggs, Sept. 17, 2009
4. CNET (U.K.)
CNET (U.K.) gives the HTC Hero an Editors' Choice Award. Reviewer Fiora Graham raves about the Hero's interface and touch-screen keyboard, and finds that the phone's physical aesthetics are pleasing as well. However, a lack of Flash support, media-syncing software and the same slow processor as the older HTC Magic keep the Hero from being an iPhone-killer in Graham's estimation.
Review: HTC Hero Review, Fiora Graham, July 22, 2009
5. Engadget.com
Engadget's Joshua Topolsky points out that the GSM HTC Hero has the guts of an HTC Magic, but with slicker industrial design. He feels the hardware is underpowered, which hampers the otherwise impressive operating system. Topolsky says that the phone's camera is "awesome," though he's not as impressed with its video capabilities.
Review: HTC Hero Review, Joshua Topolsky, July 23, 2009
Reviewer Gareth Beavis feels that the HTC Hero isn't quite up to the standard of the iPhone or Palm Pre. Beavis likes the customization of the Sense interface, call quality and some aspects of social media integration. However, he reports trouble importing contacts, slowdowns and hangs in the software (especially when trying to play online Flash content). Beavis describes the camera quality as "laughable."
Review: HTC Hero (G2 Touch), Gareth Beavis, July 20, 2009
Chris Davies' blog-style review of the HTC Hero is generally positive, going into considerable detail about the specifications and software of the phone's GSM version. However, he does little to situate the Hero alongside competing phones.
Review: HTC Hero Review, Chris Davies, July 21, 2009
8. Gizmodo
Matt Buchanan feels that the HTC Hero is fatally hampered by slow speeds. He also faults the Hero's camera performance in both still and motion capture, and is equally unimpressed with its audio and video applications. On the other hand, he loves the Sense user interface, and raves about the Hero's in-hand feel and "Star Trek" aesthetic.
Review: HTC Hero Review: Ambitious, But Tragically Flawed, Matt Buchanan, July 21, 2009
This anonymous reviewer is torn. While he likes the screen, user interface, music player and physical design (except for the placement of the back button), he finds performance suffers thanks to the Hero's lackluster hardware. The Hero is held up as being a vast improvement over the Palm Pre, but "Boy Genius" says the touch keyboard falls short of that on the iPhone.
Review: HTC Hero Review, "Boy Genius", July 24, 2009
