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T-Mobile's myTouch 3G most flexible among top smartphones
Pros
- Lightweight design
- Easily customized user interface
- Runs multiple applications simultaneously
- App store offers more than 6,000 apps
- Syncs with Outlook Exchange email
Cons
- No syncing with Outlook calendar or contacts
- Can only save apps to microSD card
- Average reception and call quality
- Read-only attachments
- Mediocre media playback
Mostly solid reviews for the next-gen Google phone
"As the saying goes, you never get a chance to make a second first impression. But it never hurts to try," says Katherine Boehret of The Wall Street Journal in regards to the T-Mobile myTouch 3G (made by HTC). As a follow-up to the squarish Google Android-based T-Mobile G1 (*Est. $100 with contract), the myTouch has morphed into an iPhone-like chassis with a stylish touch screen. Yet despite the upgrades, it hasn't knocked the Apple iPhone 3GS (*Est. $200 and up with contract) off its pedestal. CNET's Kent German says the Android OS and handset "pale slightly in comparison," while a user at CNET warns it's not a corporate device. Still, experts consider it a worthy alternative for T-Mobile subscribers, especially given its strong multitasking abilities and easily-customized user interface.
"We're glad to see an Android phone that actually looks cutting edge," says German. The myTouch is a smidge shorter than the G1, but 1.5 ounces lighter with the physical keyboard lopped off. It has the same 3.2-inch display, but Melissa J. Perenson of PC World says the underlying virtual QWERTY keyboard is "far from perfect." Experts find that the screen, in addition to being a fingerprint magnet, is cramped, and they miss the double-finger zoom and magnifying features of the iPhone. Still, the myTouch keyboard offers haptic feedback (emitting a slight vibration with a key strike) and an accelerometer (changing screen orientation when the device is turned). The sturdier buttons please German, and the BlackBerry-like trackball aids navigation. Innovative packaging is also a hit. "It's the first phone box I've actually considered keeping a phone in after it arrived," says PCMag.com's Sascha Segan.
Android software gets an upgrade
Likewise, the Cupcake software upgrade is "blessed" with things "we pined for on the G1," says Lisa Gade of MobileTechReview.com. There's a new apps store (6,300 and counting) and Outlook Exchange email support, although experts bemoan the absence of a file manager and syncing with Outlook calendar and contacts. Like the Palm Pre (*Est. $100 with contract), the myTouch 3G can run more than one app at a time, although one owner says that "multitasking between apps gets very choppy." Additional perks include a YouTube application, stereo Bluetooth, video recording and threaded conversations for instant messaging. The Android interface has three customizable home screens, plenty of shortcut widgets and Google searching is as strong as ever, says Christopher Null of Wired, but Perenson notes that the phone's voice command feature, like the iPhone's, isn't the most accurate.
Built-in memory has ballooned to 270MB, but in Segan's tests, the myTouch "choked" on a 16GB card -- something to consider since the apps can only be saved to a memory card. Most other features remain the same as the G1: a 528 MHz Qualcomm processor, webkit browser, GPS with Google Maps and 3.2-megapixel camera. Messaging includes text and picture, and email with POP3 accounts and Gmail, but Philip Berne of InfoSyncWorld.com warns that there's no unified inbox.
Network support is a mixed bag. For starters, T-Mobile's 3G coverage (currently the fastest type of network) is less widespread than AT&T and Verizon. While Wi-Fi lends to fast web browsing, critics lament that the myTouch can't tap into T-Mobile's Hotspots for unlimited calling -- a money-saving feature of the BlackBerry Curve 8900 (Free with contract). Voice quality has improved slightly over the G1, although Gade notes average call quality and "middle of the road" reception. Segan says media playback hasn't gotten much better either, and the phone still lacks a 3.5 mm headphone jack. On the upside, battery life is beefier. The G1 is rated at five hours of talk time, myTouch raises the bar to six; it cranked out about six hours in tests at CNET and seven hours at Wired. Eric Zeman of PhoneScoop.com speaks for most when he sums up the myTouch 3G as a "solid bet -- especially if you worship at the altar of Google."
We found a number of quality reviews at sites including CNET, PCMag.com and Wired. PC World provides a helpful head-to-head of top smartphones, including the myTouch 3G. Users at PhoneScoop.com offer insight into day-to-day performance issues.
Our Sources
1. CNET
After a "shakedown" of the myTouch 3G, CNET's Kent German gives a thumbs' up to the eye-catching design and software boost. Still, the lack of support for Outlook calendar and contacts syncing is a letdown, along with uneven video quality and absent file manager.
Review: T-Mobile MyTouch 3G (black), Kent German, Oct. 14, 2009
Philip Berne evaluates T-Mobile's myTouch 3G and says it "will draw mixed emotions." He considers the design more polished and appealing than the G1, but it's still no match for the "wealth of apps" and advanced capabilities of the Apple iPhone 3GS, or the business-savvy Palm Pre.
Review: T-Mobile myTouch 3G Review, Philip Berne, July 22, 2009
3. PCMag.com
Sascha Segan sums up the myTouch as the "closest thing T-Mobile has to an iPhone." While the new apps, attractive design and outstanding packaging rate well, he says that most of the improvements are merely cosmetic, and he considers T-Mobile's BlackBerry Curve 8900 a better choice.
Review: T-Mobile myTouch 3G with Google, Sascha Segan , July 22, 2009
4. PC World
While not nearly as detailed as other reviews, this head-to-head evaluation looks at the top four smartphones: the Apple iPhone 3GS, the Nokia N97, the Palm Pre and the T-Mobile myTouch 3G. The devices are compared on a number of fronts, and the myTouch nudges ahead of the competition for multitasking and its easily-customized home screen.
Review: The Hottest Smartphones of Summer Battle It Out, Ginny Mies, June 19, 2009
Editor Lisa Gade likes the new design and touch screen of the myTouch 3G and sees the Android's ability to multitask as an advantage over the iPhone. Still, the myTouch isn't "nearly as pretty as the iPhone," and she's not overly impressed with the video playback or call reception.
Review: T-Mobile myTouch 3G with Google, Lisa Gade, Aug. 16, 2009
6. PC World
Like other reviewers, Melissa J. Perenson finds the new virtual QWERTY keyboard "far from perfect" and the screen a fingerprint magnet like the iPhone. While she praises the lightweight design and gorgeous screen, she notes that the "native software just doesn't cut it for long e-mails and messages."
Review: T-Mobile myTouch 3G, Melissa J. Perenson, July 21, 2009
7. Wired
Christopher Null considers the T-Mobile myTouch 3G a "vastly better cell phone" than its predecessor, the G1. Nevertheless, he sees shortcomings -- including the smudge-prone screen, sluggish OS and T-Mobile's relatively small 3G coverage area.
Review: HTC T-Mobile myTouch 3G, Christopher Null, July 27, 2009
Editor Katherine Boehret is pleased with the updates to Android G1, even if they should have appeared in the first edition. Her evaluation looks at some of the key differences between the myTouch and its closest rival -- the iPhone -- including the app stores, touch screens and carrier pricing.
Review: Second Chances: T-Mobile Tries Again, Katherine Boehret, July 22, 2009
"Great phone but not without issues," writes an owner of T-Mobile's myTouch 3G. The majority of users weighing in arrive at the same consensus as the experts: The myTouch has nice cosmetic upgrades with little improvement in overall performance. Complaints include lag time when running multiple apps, a horrible native email client and unresponsive virtual keyboard.
Review: HTC myTouch 3G / Magic, Contributors to PhoneScoop.com, As of Nov. 2009