HTC Inspire 4G review: Fast, cheaper and beautiful

(USASABAH)

Tevhid Baştürk / New York

This past week HTC delighted us by providing us with a test unit of an Inspire 4G, the United States variant of the Desire HD. HTC in recent years has been putting out what are arguably some of the best smartphones on the market, naturally placing high the expectations we have for their products. To this expectation the Inspire 4G stays true.
The Key features of the Inspire 4G include:
-Feature full Android 2.2 OS running HTC's very own HTC Sense
-A 4.3 inch (10.9cm) super LCD touch screen, with WVGA resolution
-4G mobile internet speeds provided by HSPA+ technology
-Mobile internet tethering for up to 5 Wi-Fi devices
-Proximity, light and G-Sensors alongside integrated GPS
-An outstanding 8 megapixel auto focus camera with not one but two LED flashes capable of 720p HD recording

Though the entertainment features on phone might be great, but without the proper hardware to back it all up what's the use?
Well not to worry, for the HTC Inspire 4G has the proper hardware to do the job, boasting the following specifications:
-A 1GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon processor like those in the HTC HD2, HD7, EVO and Droid Incredible
-A whopping 768MB of RAM, in comparison to the IPhone 4's 512MB
-4GB ROM 1.55 of which is available for use and an 8GB Micro-SD in box
-And a 1230mAh LiIon battery

The 1GHz CPU has come to be expected of the modern smartphone as it has been sported by most new high-end devices so it is nothing new, but a phone with 768MB of ram is simply outstanding. Well what does this mean?
While other comparable Android phones may seem to lag after a few hours of use with multiple background data and ram consuming apps up and running the way my Desire Z does, in my tests the Inspire 4G never did. Well some may be concerned about battery life, may EVO, G2 and Incredible users complained about poor battery life, all these phones having higher capacity batteries then that of the Inspire. With the moderate-to-heavy data and Wi-Fi use I experienced anywhere from 13 to 15 hours of battery, descent for a days use, but like all high end phones you might want to have a charger handy for those long outings.

What are the advantages of this device?
Well first and foremost would have to be the beautiful 4.3 inch display, for those who find the screen of the IPhone small but don't want to lug around a tablet or laptop, this phone seems to well fit the void, having a large screen yet still being pocket able being only .46 inches (1.2 cm) wide. The capacitive touchscreen responds well to pinch-to-zoom commands, though not as well as the IPhone, also offered a very reassuring haptic feedback giving the on screen keyboard a more traditional feel. Also the 3.5mm regular headphone jack located at the bottom came in handy for any pair of regular headphones is useable on the device. The 8mp camera also a welcomed feature takes very nice photos and also records in 720p. But the camcorder was not up to par with that of the IPhone 4; fore the footage taken seems to experience quite a bit more panning lag then that of the IPhone's.
Possibly the best part of this device would have to be the pricing. Offered at only $99.99 by at&t with qualified upgrade or new 2-year contract with data plan, the Inspire 4G is a hundred dollars more affordable then the comparable smartphones offered by HTC on different carriers as well as those of many competitors.

What are the downsides to this device?
It must have some. The biggest downside I experienced was the at&t network. The H+ signal strength, which appeared in most places, was supposed to identify where the at&t network offered 4G speeds. Though in the New York City, Brooklyn where I mostly used this phone the speeds did not impress as multiple and I stress multiple speed tests on the network averaged around 1.8mbps, in other words the Inspire 4G's HSPA speeds seemed at many times to be out paced by the IPhone 4's regular 3G. What baffled me is why HTC chose to implement Android 2.2 Froyo on this device when 2.3 and 2.3.3 Gingerbread has been available for months now, though a Gingerbread update promised for the Desire HD most probably means one for the Inspire 4G will be available as well.
Overall the Inspire 4G is a great smart phone for those that want the big screen, the Android operating system, the fast phone which won't give you ulcers from waiting in lag as well as the higher speed data connection not yet available on many other devices, all in a very reasonably priced package.