HTC Legend Review

Worthy successor to last year's most talked about smartphone

The HTC Hero was one of the better smartphones released last year and arguably the best Android device. The HTC Legend improves upon the Hero in many ways.

Specs here.

The retail box contains the following:

• The device itself
• 2GB Class 2 microSD memory card
• USB to microUSB cable
• Wall charger (USB output to the above mentioned cable)
• Stereo handsfree set (Uses the 3.5mm audio jack, contains mic, and buttons to answer calls and control your music playback)
• Manuals, Warranty info, and other literature.

Just looking at specs, there's really not much difference. There's a 72 Mhz improvement in CPU clock speed and 96 MB improvement in RAM. The trackball has been replaced by an optical trackpad. The camera is still 5MP but is now accompanied by an LED flash.

Despite the minor hardware improvements, the Legend feels significantly faster than the Hero. No lags in animations and screen transitions. Pinch-to-zoom (in either browser or photos) feels much smoother than on the Hero.

The main difference from the Hero (and other devices available now) is the design of the Legend. It's has an aluminum unibody design. This makes the device thinner and feels very sturdy in hand. The brushed finish makes it less slippery to hold. It's compact size makes it very pocketable. The chin from the Hero is still here but it's more subtle.

Consider swapping out the 2GB microSD card for something at least 8GB. It would have been ideal if HTC had included a couple of GB of internal storage. But it's a minor issue since 8GB cards are pretty inexpensive these days.

The device does not come with screen protectors or a pouch. So you may want to invest in one or the other or both. The screen is glass so it won't scratch easily. But having a screen protector won't hurt. Plus, it'll greatly improve the resale value if you decide to sell it in a year or two.

The screen is HVGA resolution which you would think pales in comparison to WVGA devices. In reality, it doesn't. There's a difference obviously but it's not like everything is fuzzy in HVGA.

Please see my Desire review for my comments regarding the browser, keyboard, and negatives about the device. The same applies here.

(Unlike the HTC Desire, the Legend allows you to attach a lanyard.)

A couple more differences between the Legend and Desire:

• Less options available in email retrieval scheduling compared to the HTC Desire.
• You can have seperate wallpapers for the lockscreen and homescreen on the Legend while you can't on the Desire.
• The Desire supports live-wallpaper (animated) while the Legend doesn't.

Conclusion:
The Legend is perfect for someone who wants something compact and sturdy. The unibody design makes it look super sleek. It's got both style and substance. If you choose it over the HTC Desire, you're not missing out on anything other than screen size.