EmailGet info about new reports and updates
HTC Touch Pro2
Top Windows Mobile device more business than fun
- Outstanding QWERTY keyboard
- Large, 800-by-480-pixel touch screen
- Wi-Fi capability
- Integrated contact and messaging features
- Pricey
- Tricky Windows interface
- Touch screen can be imprecise
- Poor camera
- Bulky
Touch-friendly Windows Mobile smartphone is a hit on most counts
CNET's Bonnie Cha calls the Touch Pro2 "one of the most powerful smartphones in T-Mobile's lineup," while PCMag.com's Sascha Segan names it "the best Windows Mobile 6.1 phone on the market." However, both reviewers mention drawbacks -- namely its high price and interface, which aims to make Windows more touch-friendly, but isn't always graceful about it. The HTC Touch Pro2 is Wi-Fi- and Bluetooth-compatible and has built-in GPS functionality, an FM radio, a 3.2-megapixel camera, a front-facing camera for video calls and a microSD slot that can handle up to 16 GB. The HTC Touch Pro2 is available on Sprint, Verizon and T-Mobile. Notably, the Sprint version offers more software, which vastly improves the Windows Mobile experience, according to experts. The Verizon version offers world-roaming capabilities.
Experts say T-Mobile's HTC Touch Pro2 is a fine upgrade of the HTC Touch Pro smartphone, which received fair to very good evaluations despite somewhat sluggish performance. According to reviews, the HTC Touch Pro2 offers a more spacious QWERTY keyboard that's easier to type on, better battery life and compatibility with T-Mobile's high speed 3G network. The tilting touch screen has grown from 2.8 inches to 3.6 inches and has a high resolution of 800 pixels by 480 pixels. Most reviewers find the unlocked version's rounded design to be superior to the T-Mobile model's boxy shape, though critics also note the vast price difference -- the unlocked version costs $600, whereas the T-Mobile version can be found for as low as $200 with contract. Engadget.com editors point out one design improvement: You don't have to remove the battery cover to access the microSD slot on the T-Mobile version.
At 4.6 inches by 2.3 inches and 6.3 ounces, it's a little bit bigger than the Touch Pro and about the same size as the Apple iPhone 3GS, though the iPhone weighs about 2 ounces less. "The Touch Pro2 is a boat," Segan says. While the mammoth size allows for a 3.6-inch screen, there's no longer a directional pad for navigating the Windows Mobile interface; you have to use the stylus. (HTC's TouchFlo 3-D interface does not require a stylus.) The Touch Pro2 tries valiantly to tie the two interfaces together, resulting in a "split personality," according to Segan. Both he and Engadget.com editor by Chris Ziegler recommend avoiding the Windows interface at all costs. "If you stick to HTC's home-screen apps," Segan says, "you'll never have to pull out the little stylus tucked into the corner of the device."
TouchFlo 3-D interface and multimedia features
HTC's TouchFlo 3-D interface is well-liked by critics, who rave about the easy access to contacts, email, music and other applications with just a finger swipe. Like the Palm Pre, the Touch Pro2 integrates contacts and messaging seamlessly, and it even includes Facebook contact integration. This interface is well served by the bright and sharp 3.6-inch display, which packs a lot of information and is easy to read. The HTC Touch Pro2 has an built-in accelerometer that automatically switches the screen from portrait mode to landscape mode when you rotate the phone, and reviewers say it is responsive most of the time.
When it comes to multimedia features in general, the HTC Touch Pro2 falls short. As Segan says "the [T-Mobile] Touch Pro2 is an embarrassing disaster as a media player," describing the clunky adaptor that is required to plug in headphones (he recommends using Bluetooth headphones). The Sprint version adds a standard headphone jack, much to Segan's relief. InfoSyncWorld.com's Philip Berne has trouble navigating the music player, calling it "frustrating at best," reporting that the touch screen would often mistake his flicking motion for a screen tap and start playing a song when he simply wanted to scroll through his song list. Berne calls the 3.2-megapixel camera "the most disappointing feature on the HTC Touch Pro2," while Segan says it takes "surprisingly pixelated photos."
CNET, Engadget.com and InfoSyncWorld.com offer in-depth reviews of both version of the HTC Touch Pro2, with comparison and critique of the major features. PCMag.com thoroughly evaluates the T-Mobile version, while BoyGeniusReport.com and WirelessInfo.com offer less detailed reviews, though the latter offers lots of comparison. About 15 users chime in at CNET.
Our Sources
1. CNET
Bonnie Cha gives the HTC Touch Pro2 for T-Mobile the full treatment, comparing it to the unlocked version that she reviewed previously. While she likes the smartphone's business features, she finds the device bulky and wishes the camera were better. A handful of users chime in, most of who give it a high rating, though nearly everyone mentions the phone's high price.
Review: HTC Touch Pro2 (T-Mobile), Bonnie Cha, Aug. 11, 2009
2. PCMag.com
While Segan is very impressed with the HTC Touch Pro2, he declines to give it an Editors' Choice award because of its "cobbled together interface" and poor media playback features. In the end, he prefers BlackBerry's Curve 8900 for T-Mobile users. He has not reviewed the unlocked Touch Pro2.
Review: HTC Touch Pro2 (T-Mobile), Sascha Segan, Aug. 12, 2009
3. Engadget.com
Engadget.com offers a complete walkthrough and review, complete with a plethora of product shots and a video. Chris Ziegler notes differences between the unlocked and T-Mobile version, lamenting the latter's boring, business-like design. In the end, however, Ziegler calls it "the greatest Windows Mobile device available on an American carrier today."
Review: T-Mobile Touch Pro2 , Chris Ziegler, Aug. 12, 2009
The HTC Touch Pro2 gets a "very good" score from editor Philip Berne, who calls its QWERTY keyboard his "favorite" and its speakerphone "best in class." Like other sources, he finds its multimedia features lacking.
Review: HTC Touch Pro2 Review, Philip Berne, Aug. 12, 2009
5. Gizmodo
Gizmodo's John Herrman is outraged by the Touch Pro2's exorbitant price tag, noting that it would be fabulous smartphone if it went for half as much. After getting that off his chest, he goes on to compare it with the Touch Pro, noting the bigger screen and longer battery life as pluses and the poor camera and non-standard headphone jack as big minuses.
Review: T-Mobile HTC Touch Pro2 Review: Wait, How Much?, John Herrman, Aug. 12, 2009
Editors at BoyGeniusReport.com take a look at the unlocked version of the HTC TouchPro2, touching on all the major points. Their observations concur with other sources, namely that the touch screen isn't always accurate and Microsoft's interface is less than perfect. The conclusion, though is that the Touch Pro2 is "the best Windows Mobile device in the world."
Review: HTC Touch Pro2 Review, Editors of BoyGeniusReport.com, June 10, 2009
This review, based on a short hands-on demonstration is sprinkled with product images comparisons to three other smartphones. Marianne Shultz concludes that the updated HTC Touch Pro2 is "a really nice evolution from the Touch Pro that combines a whole host of features that will make it a formidable competitor in the smartphone space."
Review: HTC Touch Pro2 Review, Marianne Schultz, Feb. 26, 2009
8. Amazon.com
The unlocked version of the HTC Touch Pro2 gets only a handful of reviews at amazon.com, all of which are positive. One reviewer says it's "like having a laptop in your hand," while others say its better than the iPhone and the T-Mobile G1. No complaints are mentioned.
Review: HTC Touch Pro Unlocked Phone, Contributors to Amazon.com, As of Aug. 2009
