The HTC Legend is the smartphone of the moment, packing in a unibody design that puts the svelte lines of the Apple iPhone 3GS to shame. What’s more, packing in the HTC Sense interface it could well also be the easiest Google Android smartphone yet. Find out whether it’s been worth the wait with our HTC Legend review…
In many respects, the HTC Legend is a re-working of the excellent HTC Hero. You’ll see the lineage in the chin design at the base of the smartphone. Fortunately, HTC has done away with the trackball and the overall design is slimmer and sleeker.
Read our Google Nexus One review
Instead of a trackball you’ll find an optical trackpad, which in many respects isn’t really necessary as the HTC Legend has a 3.7-inch screen that is a genuine pleasure to use. It’s big, bright and best of all, responsive.
The chassis of the HTC Legend is made from metal, all except for the housing around the camera. It feels amazing in the hand with a tactile feel that is balanced by a decent weight dispersal.
However, it is the Google Android 2.1 OS that really makes the HTC Legend come to life. First seen on the Google Nexus One, the big difference here is the inclusion of the HTC Sense UI, which really helps bring the standard apps, such as Google Mail, Google Maps and a reworked web browser, to life.
It’s not just the standard Google apps you can access quickly on the HTC Legend, as the new Friend Feed app brings your Facebook, Twitter and Flickr accounts into one easy-to-use place. Then there is the ‘7 screen leap’, which allows you to view all the various Homescreens at once.
When it comes to features, you’ll find the standard array of features as on the Nexus One. So, there is a 5-Megapixel camera, GPS and Wi-Fi built in as standard. We found the camera took some amazing test shots, even in a room with dim lighting.
The HTC Legend isn’t without its flaws: the battery life isn’t amazing, so you’ll find yourself needing to charge it on a regular basis and call quality wasn’t as good as we’d hoped.
Verdict
The HTC Legend is comfortably the best Google Android smartphone to date. It’s a great looking device with an amazing screen that responds quickly. While it’s less impressive as an every day phone if you’re looking for the ultimate smartphone, the HTC Legend has to be it (for now).
Best features
Great screen
Amazing HTC Sense UI
Not so good
Average battery life
Is the trackpad necessary?
Check out the HTC Legend image gallery:
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