HTC Legend review

The HTC Hero was one of the best smartphones of 2009. It’s follow up is the HTC Legend, a stunning new handset with brings together  Android 2.1 and a tweaked Sense User Interface from HTC, superb AMOLED screen and clever chassis design.

The mix of hardware and software features combine to create a smartphone which, apart from one significant concern, is spectacular.

So, let’s get that concern out of the way first. It is the old chestnut for smartphones, battery life. The Legend has a 1300mAh battery, which is slightly below par – 1500mAh batteries are hardly uncommon on top-end handsets these days.

Combine this with the knowledge that to get the best out of this smartphone, especially on the social networking front, you will need to use 3G a fair bit. Add in that Wi-Fi and GPS are here, and you are likely to want to use them.

The result is a disappointing battery life. In fact we’d say that, depending on your usage patterns, you may need to apply mains power during the course of a day just to keep the handset ticking over. Of course, frugal users could get through a day or a day and a half between charges.

OK, on to the fun stuff.

The Legend has a superb mostly aluminium chassis. Over time it may get scratched though, so be prepared for a distressed look. It is a single sheet, folded, so that there is no capacity for a backplate. Instead a small plastic section on the bottom back edge comes away to reveal battery, SIM and microSD card. You have to power down the handset to get to the microSD card slot, which is a bind, but that aside the system works well.

Those that remember the upwardly angled lip at the bottom of the HTC Hero may be pleased – or not – to know that the Legend has a lip too. But it sits at a much shallower angle now and to be honest it is barely noticeable.

Where the Hero had a miniature trackball, the Legend has a tiny optical trackpad. It looks too small to be workable, but trust us, it works fine. It is most useful for moving around screens where a finger can’t provide the required accuracy, such as within Web pages or positioning the cursor within text.

Android 2.1 is a real draw, and business users will be pleased about its support for Microsoft Exchange as well as for standard POP email as in earlier versions. HTC’s Sense User Interface has been considerably tweaked, and alongside the super AMOLED capacitive screen, makes using the Legend a very pleasurable experience.

The screen measures 3.2 inches and so is only average sized by modern standards. Its 320 x 480 pixels break no new ground either. But it responds extremely well to finger taps, so that pinch to zoom, for example in the Web browser, works a treat.

You can also pinch inwards on the main home screen and see thumbnails of the seven home screens on the Legend. Tapping any one of them opens it up. You can fingersweep between home screens too, just as on the HTC Hero, so one-handed use is catered for.

All of the home screens can be populated with widgets, and these include one for an application new on the HTC Legend, FriendStream. This brings together data from Facebook, Twitter and Flickr in one place. It’s an interesting idea, although you might find it dominated too heavily by Twitter updates.

You still get HTC Peep for sole Twitter use. Another new feature is the ability to copy text from the Web browser – and even tweet a link from within the browser.

The HTC Legend is simply the best Android handset we’ve seen from HTC to date, and is arguably the most beauftifully designed device currently available. It is a real shame about the battery life, though.

Price: £330
Web: www.htc.com

Essential Verdict
Performance: 8/10
The processor is speedy, the user interface is superb, battery life poor

Design: 10/10
This is one beautifully designed smartphone

Features: 8/10
Not the most high-end device, but everything you’ll need is here

Value for Money: 8/10
Not inexpensive, but is a real premium handset

Overall score: 9/10
A seriously classy smartphone; one of the best we’ve seen on the Android OS

Review written by Sandra Vogel. Originally published in Smartphone Essentials magazine.

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