Review: HTC S740

The HTC S740 is a long awaited new entrant to the Windows Mobile Standard line-up from HTC. It replaces the somewhat chunky S730 and brings the Touch Diamond styling to HTC’s smartphone range.

Specs & info

Price: £295 – Buy now from DeviceWire
Operating system: Windows Mobile 6.1 Standard
Processor: Qualcomm MSM 7225 528MHz
Memory: 256MB ROM, 256MB RAM
Dimensions: 116.3mm x 43.4mm x 16.6mm
Weight: 140g
Display size: 2.4 diagonal inches
Display resolution: 320 x 240
Expansion slot: 1 x microSD

Physically this is a somewhat tall smartphone, and it is a bit on the fat side too. The girth is unavoidable, though, as HTC has had to pack a sliding keyboard into the casing and this requires it to have both height and some depth. The keyboard slides out from a long edge and offers four rows of keys. Numbers are embedded into the qwerty row and, like characters such as ‘£’ and ‘?’ are accessed by hitting a Fn key.

The keyboard design is up to HTC’s usual high standards, but we did have a couple of problems when using it. The keys themselves are a little on the small side. They are wide enough, but they are short, and even with our smallish fingers we found we sometimes hit keys we did not mean to. We got over this by going slowly, but you may find it a little annoying till you get used to it.

HTC has built its diamond patterning into the backplate of the casing, and this makes for an uneven surface which we found made holding the S740 while using the keyboard a little awkward. This isn’t a real problem, but what is a problem is that the uneven back surface means the S740 refuses to lie flat on a desk. So when you try to type with the S740 on the table it rocks around so badly that it becomes virtually unusable!

While we are mentioning awkward things, we ought to draw attention to the SIM and microSD card slots. These are both together and sit beneath a flap that is accessible only when you have the keyboard pulled out. You can’t access the microSD card slot without first lifting the SIM, which is a little fiddly and also means you have to power the S740 down every time you want to swap cards. If card-swapping is something you do a lot this is guaranteed to annoy.

When it comes to specifications there is a lot going on here. Wi-Fi and a GPS antenna are present, Bluetooth is here with A2DP for your stereo wireless headset. The camera is a 3.2 megapixel shooter. The S740 is a HSDPA device with speeds to 7.2Mbps so Web browsing on the move should be as speedy as your network will allow. There is quad-band GSM support too. But there’s no front camera for video calling.

The range of software is reasonable. The 2.4 inch screen isn’t touch sensitive, but HTC has given the Windows Mobile look a make-over so that things feel a little snazzier. Software includes Google Maps, an RSS reader and FM radio as well as the standard Windows Mobile stuff.

One thing we don’t much care for is the one-piece stereo headset which shares the same mini USB connector as mains power and PC connecting cable. We by far prefer a 3.5mm connector on the device itself, or at the very least a two-piece headset. We aren’t too sure we like the flat front key area, either. It doesn’t have that look of class we like to see in our smartphones. Instead the keys look plasticky. Still, we have to admit that we had no trouble using them.

Battery life is reasonable with eight and a half hours of music from a full charge and you should get a good two days between charges if you don’t make copious use of GPS or Wi-Fi.

The S740 is a definite improvement on its predecessor, but still feels a little chunky to our hands and pockets.

Essential Verdict

Performance: 8/10
Sometimes slightly slow to respond to key presses, but pretty speedy generally

Design: 4/10
We really can’t forgive the uneven back surface which makes typing with the S740 on a desk impossible

Features: 8/10
The range of features is pretty good, but we’d have liked a front camera for video calling

Value for Money: 7/10
Not a bad price SIM free, expect to find it well subsidised on contract

Overall score: 7/10

Buy the HTC S740 from DeviceWire

Review originally published in Smartphone & PDA Essentials magazine. Words by Sandra Vogel.

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