HTC HD7S Review

Introduction:

More than six months in since Microsoft brought its new mobile platform to the scene, we haven’t witnessed anything new in terms of hardware for AT&T’s Windows Phone 7 lineup, but customers can now opt to pick up the HTC HD7S for the golden price of $200 on-contract. Aside from its choice of utilizing a Super LCD display instead, there is absolutely nothing else that separates it from the original version. Still, some might be drawn to the prestigious line that it’s following.



Design:

Employing the same svelte and solid looking industrial design of the original model, there’s plenty to like about it, but the only thing different with its aesthetics is the yellowish/gold accent surrounding the area of the camera.

The HTC HD7S employs the same svelte and solid looking industrial design of the original model

You can compare the HTC HD7S with many other phones using our Size Visualization Tool.

Who knows what the “S” stands for in its name, but one can only presume that it can be related to the exceptionally better looking 4.3” WVGA (480 x 800) Super LCD that it’s packing – whereas, the original one sports a regular LCD panel. Although it produces deeper looking colors and doesn’t fade tremendously at various angles, its overall brightness is still rather reserve in output.

The HTC HD7S sports a 4.3” WVGA Super LCD display

All the buttons are located in the same positions as before, while in the rear, we find its 5-megapixel auto-focus camera with dual-LED flash, tiny speaker grill, and kickstand. Meticulously looking at its rear cover, which encases its 1,230 mAh battery and SIM card slot, it doesn’t seem to close all the way and exposes a tiny gap.

The back of the HTC HD7S

Interface and Functionality:

With the platform’s stringent hardware requirements, the handset is powered by the same 1GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon processor with 576MB of RAM, which creates a sense of speed and responsiveness with almost every function.

Of course, it’s already loaded out of the box with the “NoDo” update that brings forth the most up-to-date Windows Phone 7 experience, but we’re still eager to see the new features with Mango. As much as we’re drooling over it, there is plenty to like about the platform with its dynamic looking homescreen.

The HTC HD7S comes with the “NoDo” update out of the box

Speed typers will find both the portrait and landscape keyboards extremely satisfying since it offers plenty of space and responsiveness to keep up with our pace.

On-screen keyboard

If you want to learn more about Windows Phone 7 and all of its core features and apps, then you can read about it more in our in-depth walkthrough.


Camera and Multimedia:

The HTC HD7S takes some quite poor-quality photos, with colors being on the colder side. Low-light shots have a faint hint of noise to them, while its dual-LED is able to light up the scenery, but casts some cooler looking colors again.

Outdoor samples taken with the HTC HD7S

Strong	Low light	Darkness with flash
Indoor samples

Granted that it offers continuous auto-focus with its 720p video recording, it’s rather perplexing to find a handset that has “HD” in its name producing some ugly and almost unrecognizable videos.

HTC HD7S Sample Video:

Needless to say that the Zune experience conjures up a refreshing presentation when listening to music, but audio quality with its speaker is on the sharp side – at the same time, lacking some needed bass.

Zune

There is no arguing that its Super LCD display and kickstand are the perfect tandem for watching high-definition videos, but it gets even better as the HD7S doesn’t stutter for one bit with its playback.


Internet and Connectivity:

The HTC HD7S offers an overall great web browsing experience since it exhibits fast page loads, smooth scrolling, and offers plenty of room to surf.

The HTC HD7S offers an overall great web browsing experience

Being the usual GSM phone that’s equipped to work in every corner of the world, it also features your usual set of connectivity features – like aGPS, Bluetooth 2.1 with EDR, and 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi.
Performance:

Leaving a sour taste in our mouth, calling quality isn’t all that great due to its weak earpiece, muffled voices through its speakerphone, and robotic tones on our caller’s end.

Luckily, signal strength seems to be solid in high coverage areas and it didn’t drop any calls during our testing in the greater Philadelphia area.

Paltry is one word that clearly defines its 1,230 mAh battery, since it manages to get us a total of 5.5 hours of talk on a single charge. Expect to constantly charge this one if you happen to be a power user.


Conclusion:

Although it’s the latest thing to grace AT&T’s lineup, the HTC HD7S doesn’t dethrone the Samsung Focus as the carrier’s best WP7 handset. Moreover, its $200 on-contract price is undoubtedly hard to swallow considering that it doesn’t differ tremendously from the original model. Revolting in a way, we’re sad to see that the latest crop of WP7 devices on the market are none other than recycled models like this one, but it’s even worse for the HD7S since it doesn’t receive a fitting price point.

Software version of the reviewed unit: 7.0.7390.0
HTC HD7S Video Review: