T-Mobile may not be the best U.S. carrier, but the scrappy underdog
continues to provide shelter for an assortment of Android handsets. That
includes the HTC Amaze 4G, which continues the trend toward larger
displays in an effort to stand out from the crowd.
T-Mo and HTC have thrown almost everything but the kitchen sink into this model, but is it enough to separate it from the pack? The
first thing you'll notice when holding the HTC Amaze 4G is its solid
build quality and how great it feels in the hand. Weighing in at 6.1
ounces and 0.46 inches thick, the handset is a direct descendent of the HTC Sensation, but takes advantage of T-Mobile's 42Mbps HSPA+ network speed to warrant the 4G branding. An
aluminum frame wraps around the edges and spills onto the lower half of
the back, available in either black or white (we reviewed the latter). The
Amaze 4G has a 4.3-inch qHD touch screen at 960x540, which makes it
physically smaller than the Samsung Galaxy Nexus, and a bit easier to
hold and use with one hand. Pixel density junkies might be
disappointed with the screen, but unless you're coming from an
ultra-high density display (like that of the iPhone 4S or Galaxy Nexus),
you'll likely find the 256 pixels per inch to be perfectly sharp, and
the display as bright and color-rich as you could hope for. The
entire back of the Amaze is one piece that pops off by pressing a notch
on the bottom of the unit. A standard SIM card slot is perched
vertically above the removable battery, with space for a micro-SD/SDHC
card (up to 32GB) at left. The handset continues to work while
the back is removed, so there's no need to power down for a quick SD
card swap (the SIM card is blocked by the battery, so you'll need to
remove it first).
With the back plate on, the Gorilla Glass face
is raised above the chrome frame at the left and right edges, bucking
the current trend of smartphones where the display is recessed. Although
the glass is larger and far more rounded on the edges, the raised face
echoes the iPhone 4/4S. The
HTC Amaze 4G has a somewhat unique button setup, featuring two camera
buttons on the lower right side: One
dedicated to video record mode
(marked with a red line) and a second, larger button for still photos. A
volume rocker rests at top right, which is a somewhat awkward position
for right-handed individuals. It also doubles as a zoom control when in
camera mode.
The top of the device features a 3.5mm headphone
jack and power button, with micro EXT/USB on the left. A two-megapixel
front camera rests to the right of the earpiece above the T-Mobile logo,
with a blinking notification LED to the left.
The HTC Amaze 4G is
available for a wallet-friendly $179.99 with two-year contract after a
$320 instant discount and $100 mail-in rebate.
0 comments:
Post a Comment