The Windows Phone 8X by HTC for T-Mobile is a smartphone that works as hard as you do. It comes packed with preloaded Windows Phone 8 apps like Office Hub, which keeps you productive with mobile Excel, Word, OneNote, and PowerPoint, while People Hub keeps all your social media feeds in a single, easy-to-use app.
Looks matter. HTC's 8X ($ with contract) both looks and feels better than its only Windows Phone 8 competitor on T-Mobile, the Nokia Lumia 810. The 8X is the most elegant way to experience Windows Phone 8 on T-Mo's fast nationwide HSPA+ network. But you'll pay a bit extra for design, and what you gain in screen resolution over the Lumia 810, you lose elsewhere. We have a full review of the AT&T model of the 8X, and the T-Mobile handset looks and acts very similarly. I'll focus on the differences between the AT&T and T-Mobile versions, and comparisons with other T-Mobile phones, in this review. In brief: The 8X is a very attractive phone constructed from blue polycarbonate, with a palm-friendly tapered form and a sharp 1,280-by-720-pixel Super LCD 2 display. The screen resolution is noticeably better here than on the Lumia 810, giving you considerably more real estate when browsing Web pages, but colors look pale and washed-out compared with the high-contrast, hyper-saturated colors of Nokia's OLED panel. Note: The slideshow below shows the AT&T model, but the T-Mobile model is identical other than the carrier logo. While the 810 is almost comically boring looking, and the Editors' Choice Samsung Galaxy S III is huge and plasticky, the 8X fits perfectly in my hand, stands out on a table, and feels like it's made of premium materials. It comes in other colors on other carriers, but for now, T-Mobile only gets a deep blue. Call quality on T-Mobile's network was just fine in my tests, with no distortion and volume on the high side of average. I found some interesting reception behaviors, though, where the Lumia 810 outpaced the 8X in connecting calls in a very weak-signal area, but the 8X consistently showed stronger signal and better Internet speeds with medium to strong signals. Unfortunately, Windows Phones can't use T-Mobile's Wi-Fi calling system, which is one of the best benefits of the carrier. The 8 hours, 3 minutes of talk time I got on the 1800mAh battery was roughly in line with the 8X on AT&T, but falls short of the 9 hours, 12 minutes the Lumia 810's same-size battery turned in. Also, the Lumia 810's battery is removable; the 8X's isn't. Apps, Performance and MultimediaThe 8X runs Windows Phone 8. It's an easy-to-use, lively operating system based on Live Tiles that make it more configurable than Apple's iOS, but less of a free-for-all than Android. Windows Phone 8's one Achilles heel is that it doesn't offer quite the range of third-party apps iOS and Android do; when I checked the top free and paid apps on the Apple, Amazon and Google stores against Microsoft's store a few weeks ago, I found about 60 percent support. Internet speeds are a bright spot, helping Web pages and apps to download faster on T-Mobile's network than on the Lumia 810. The 8X blew out the 810's speeds in both strong signal and weak signal areas, with results ranging from (with a weaker signal) to down (stronger signal); the 810 marked from (weak) to 6Mbps (strong). Both phones can connect to Wi-Fi networks on both the and 5GHz bands. The 8X works as a Wi-Fi hotspot with the appropriate service plan. The HTC 8X uses the same dual-core Qualcomm S4 processor as you'll find in the most recent Nokia Lumia phones. But because its 1,280-by-720 screen packs about times as many pixels as the 810's 800-by-480 panel, the Lumia 810 benchmarks faster and shows higher frame rates in simulated gaming tests. Fortunately, the 8X can still keep up; at 33 frames per second in WPBench, games don't look slow. The difference in performance between new Windows phones is more about the included apps, and here Nokia has an edge. Nokia Maps, Drive, and Transit are a very big deal, and you can't download any of them on HTC phones. Microsoft's built-in mapping app isn't nearly up to the quality of Google Maps on Android. You get no voice-guided navigation, no transit directions, and a limited points-of-interest database with, in my neighborhood, at least, a lot of inaccuracies. Garmin StreetPilot is available, but it costs $30. Nokia also seems to be working to grab exclusive games, utilities, and apps for kids. HTC's most meaningful contribution to the platform is the HTC Hub, an app which shows the time, weather, and stock prices. It can also beam weather information to your home screen, which I immediately set as my default. T-Mobile also adds a stack of useless bloatware and promos that aren't worth discussing, but are worth deleting. We reviewed the HTC 8X's camera and multimedia capabilities when we looked at the AT&T model of the phone, but I wanted to add some comparisons specifically to the Lumia 810. The 810's camera isn't quite as good as the Lumia 920's, so the 8X camera comes out better in comparison. They're both decent, not extraordinary examples of 8-megapixel phone cameras. For videos, you have to decide whether you want your low-light videos to be dim and smooth (on the Lumia) or brighter, but at a lower frame rate (on the 8X). Music sounds more emphatic on the 8X because of Beats Audio, which really improves clarity and punch. Because of the difference in displays, HD video playback looks sharper but more washed-out on the 8X. The 810 also features Nokia Music, a free streaming/caching radio service like Pandora or Slacker. Of course, you can also download Slacker (but not Pandora, yet) on your 8X. The 8X also only comes in a 16GB model, with of free storage and no memory card slot. Using a 32GB memory card, we managed to boost a Nokia 810 to 37GB total storage. ConclusionsI like the Windows Phone 8X a lot more than the Lumia 810, because I think it's gorgeous, and I appreciate the fast Internet connection and high-res screen. But you might prefer the Lumia 810 if you want voice-guided driving directions or have a large media library that would overflow this 16GB phone. Disregard the $50 difference between the gadgets, as these other considerations are more than worth the cash. Ultimately, the biggest thing to think about when buying one of these phones is the Windows Phone OS. If you use and love Windows 8, Windows Phone 8 is a great choice: it uses a very similar interface and integrates very well with Windows 8 PCs. Ditto if you work for a company which uses Microsoft enterprise products like Sharepoint and Office 365. For the rest of us, the question really comes down to: Are the apps you want available? When I checked a few weeks ago, about 60 percent of the most popular apps for Android and iOS were available on Windows Phone. You can check yourself at the Windows Phone marketplace portal. Windows Phone 8 is easier to use and less fiddly than Android, the other major smartphone OS choice on T-Mobile. This very handsome phone could easily find a lot of happy customers; I intend to use one myself for a while. But you have to be willing to be a bit of a maverick to run with Windows Phone right now. The Android-powered Samsung Galaxy S III and HTC One S are still our two top choices on T-Mobile. The world's most popular smartphone, the Galaxy S III has a huge number of apps and is extremely customizable; if you're looking for a smaller device, the One S doesn't match the Galaxy S III's screen resolution and expandable memory, but it fits more comfortably in the hand. Both use the more mainstream Android OS, which has all the apps you're looking for. More Cell Phone Reviews:• HTC U12+• Honor 10• Huawei P20• LG G7 ThinQ• OnePlus 6• more
Limited-time offers; subject to change. $35/line device connection charge due at sale. May not be combinable with some offers or discounts. iPhone 15: Contact us before cancelling service to continue remaining bill credits, or credits stop & balance on required finance agreement is due (e.g., $829.99—iPhone 15 128GB).
It's a big day for Microsoft with the official debut of Windows Phone 7 in New York City today. Plenty of the major mobile device players brought their WP7-enabled devices to showcase, and here's a quick hands-on review of the HTC HD7. More coverage: Microsoft’s Windows Phone 7: Perception hurdles and the tablet angle An inside look at Windows Phone 7 and its first phones (images) Windows Phone 7: Microsoft applies lessons learned from Apple and Google Microsoft’s goal with Windows Phone 7: Disrupt the category Windows Phone 7 handsets start to emerge Officially announced this morning, the speed of the HD7, powered by a Qualcomm 1GHz Snapdragon processor, is evident right from the start. Based on how speedy the rest of the WP7 smartphones on display were too, part of that swiftness has to be attributed to the operating system. [Image Gallery: Hands-on with the Windows Phone 7 smartphone collection] Zooming in and out of applications is almost as quick as the blink of an eye, with a few exceptions. Strangely, Twitter took awhile to load. Not strangely, Internet Explorer took between 30 seconds and a minute to load a page. Given that there wasn't a SIM card installed and the device was connecting via Wi-Fi, part of the load lag could have been due to crowding of everyone else trying to connect to the network. The immediate feel of the HD7 was a bit bulky for my hand, reminding me of the Motorola Droid X and HTC Evo 4G, both of which also sport displays. The smartphone doesn't feel all that heavy, and it should be able to slide into a pocket easily, measuring in at less than an inch thick. Everything on this WP7 device is controlled on the touch screen, with few buttons 'round the sides for volume control, power and a camera shutter button. One of the extra unique features on the HTC HD7 is the kickstand on the rear of the device near the 5-megapixel camera and dual LED flash (pictured below). That should certainly be convenient for watching movies on-the-go. Now all they need is Netflix for WP7. Otherwise, there aren't many differences between the HD7 and the other eight devices currently in the Windows Phone 7 line-up. It really comes down to mobile carriers, physical characteristics and pricing. T-Mobile will begin rolling out the HTC HD7 throughout the United States mid-November. As ZDNet's Matt Miller reported this morning, this particular WP7 smartphone should also be retailing for $199 (on contract). Related HTC U23 Pro 5G Dual 256GB 8GB RAM Factory Unlocked (GSM Only | No CDMA - not Compatible with Verizon/Sprint) Global Model, Mobile Cell Phone– White 3.0 out of 5 stars 1 $410.00 $ 410 . 00I have spent a few months playing with Windows Phone 7 and after playing with the HTC Surround and Samsung Focus on AT&T I couldn't wait to get my hands on the HTC HD7 on T-Mobile since T-Mobile is my personal primary carrier. T-Mobile sent me an HD7 a couple of days ago and after stopping at the T-Mobile store I now need to choose between the HD7 and the T-Mobile myTouch 4G device. The T-Mobile HD7 feels great in your hand and is going to be a tough device to return in a couple of weeks. You can check out my image gallery that includes some device photos, my YouTube video, and my first impressions walk around below. Image Gallery: Check out photos of the HTC HD7 on T-Mobile. In the box and first impressions The T-Mobile HTC HD7 comes in a solid box very similar to the one that the HTC HD2 was packed in with a large glossy image of the HD7 on the front and list of features and services on the back. HTC and T-Mobile have created a fairly consistent out-of-the box experience that helps you feel that you have purchased a quality device. Inside the box you will find the HD7, battery, A/C charger, USB cable, wired stereo headset, and some pamphlets like the Start Guide. Everything is packed and presented well with soft plastic bags holding the accessories. The HD7 feels fantastic in your hand with a form factor similar to the EVO 4G and HTC HD2, but with even more refinements and sleekness. It feels solid and even though the display is big there is very little black around the display and the device doesn't feel that big in your hand. Specifications Specifications for the T-Mobile HTC HD7 include the following: Windows Phone 7 1 GHz Snapdragon processor Quad-band GSM and dual-band 3G (1700/2100 MHz) inch WVGA (480x800) capacitive LCD touch display Integrated 16GB flash memory 512MB ROM and 576MB RAM 5 megapixel camera with dual LED flash Proximity sensor, light sensor and digital compass Integrated A-GPS Wi-Fi ( b/g/n) Bluetooth 1230 mAh battery mm headset jack Dimensions: x x inches and ounces Note that there is no accessible microSD card slot for the end user to put in whatever they lack, which is typical for most Windows Phone 7 devices. The display is fairly standard and looks a bit lackluster when you put it side-by-side with a Super AMOLED Samsung device. Then again, fonts look good and the display is still quite good so I highly doubt too many will complain. These internal specs are fairly standard for Windows Phone 7 devices and the differentiation comes in the form of some hardware and software differences. Walk around the hardware The front is dominated by the large inch capacitive touch LCD display. It is a nice display with fonts and photos looking great on the screen. There are the three required buttons, touch capacitive, for Back, Start, and Search below the display. You will find a cool set of stereo speakers on the front in the form of speaker grills at the top and bottom of the front. The large volume button and camera capture/activation button are found on the right side with nothing at all on the left side. The bottom is where you will find the microphone, microUSB port, and mm headset jack. The only thing on the top is the power button. The back is pretty cool with a slick kickstand that flips out from around the camera. I have seen photos of the camera surround being yellow and red, but the T-Mobile USA version is simply gray. The camera lens and dual LED flash are centered on the top of the back. The entire back is covered in cool soft touch material. The volume button has a bit of movement that I have read about on a few other sites. It isn't a major issue, but you can easily move it up and down a bit in the slot and it does make a bit of a clicking noise when you move it. Walk through the software As I said in my first impressions post on the other Windows Phone 7 devices, carriers are limited in what they can install on devices out of the box. On the T-Mobile HTC HD2 you will find the following loaded by default: Netflix Slacker Radio T-Mobile TV T-Mobile Family Room TeleNav GPS Navigator HTC Hub T-Mobile TV is a rebranded, and much improved, version of MobiTV that will set you back $ per month after the free 30 day trial. T-Mobile TV is quite good and plays well on the HD7. The T-Mobile Family Room application and service only allows other family members with Windows Phone 7 devices to "write on the virtual chalkboard", post images, and more. The rest of the standard Windows Phone 7 suite is on the device. Pricing, availability, and final thoughts The T-Mobile HTC HD7 will be available on T-Mobile on Monday, 8 November, for $ with a 2-year contract. The full Even More Plus (no contract) price will probably be in the $500 to $550 range. My T-Mobile SIM has been in the HD7 for a couple of days and I am seriously considering the device for myself, but I may get the myTouch 4G first and if I don't like it switch to the HD7 within a couple of weeks. If you are looking for a Windows Phone 7 device on T-Mobile, then the HD7 is an excellent choice. The Dell Venue Pro will eventually be available directly from T-Mobile at some time. I am curious to see how well the HD7 does at T-Mobile. Reviews of the HTC HD7 As I continue to check out the HD7, I recommend you check out the following sites who have had the chance to spend a lot more time with the device before I did: Engadget SlashGear TechRadar RelatedMCnQ1m. 395 392 237 395 334 333 149 114 87
htc t mobile windows phone
