HTC Titan II Review

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Posted: 09 Apr 2012, 06:26 , by Brian K.

Categories: AT&T;AT&T; Windows Windows HTC HTC Bookmark

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Introduction:

It was not too long ago that we were introduced to the massive 4.7” display on the HTC Titan and we came away overall impressed, though not blown away by the device. HTC and AT&T obviously read our review and were heartbroken, so they rushed an upgraded product to market in hopes of pleasing us. Just over four months after the release of the Titan, we now have the Titan II. The Titan II should probably be named the Titan 4G, because the only real difference between the two is the inclusion of LTE and the impressive bump from an 8MP camera to 16MP. Are these changes enough to appease us? Read on to find out…

Design:

Laid side-by-side you’d have an almost impossible time distinguishing this new Titan from the original from the front. Both feature the large 4.7” super-LCD display with the standard Windows Phone buttons, an earpiece and not much else. The backs are more distinguishable; the Titan II has a more refined design with curved lines that are reminiscent of HTC’s Android offerings. The bottom door is better integrated into the design and no longer looks out of place. Still, it only gives you access to the SIM slot and the battery remains fixed. One perplexing note, removing that door powers down the device.


The HTC Titan II feels good in the hand and we have no concerns about its build quality

You can compare the HTC Titan II with many other phones using our Size Visualization Tool.

The Titan II retains the same layout around the phone as the original: the power button and 3.5mm headphone jack are at the top, the volume rocker and camera button are on the right side and the microUSB port on the left. There are dual mics, the main one at the bottom and a noise cancelling one up top. Button travel and feedback are ok, we’d prefer a bit more of both but we didn’t have any issues operating them.

For as large as the HTC Titan II is, it actually fits in our hand pretty well. Obviously it’ll be a bit wide for those with smaller hands, but in our medium hands it fit comfortably. The back appears to be plastic all the way around, but feels very good and is coated with HTC’s excellent soft touch coating.


The 3.5mm jack and power button are on the top	The volume rocker and camera button on the right	The microUSB port is on the left

Though the differences are small, we appreciate the redesign that went into the HTC Titan II. From the back it simply looks more grown up than the Titan. The phone feels comfortable in the hands and slides into your pocket easily. The Titan II is crafted with the attention to detail that we’ve come to expect from HTC and we have no concerns about the build quality. Without a doubt, it is one of the better looking Windows Phone devices you can buy.

The 16MP shooter on the back

Display:

The S-LCD display itself is very crisp and responsive, and is very likely the same panel we saw with the Titan. Partially thanks to the flat colors and contrasting design nature of Windows Phone, we were easily able to use the phone even in bright, direct sunlight. With a resolution of just 480x800 it is obviously not on par with the qHD, HD and Retina displays available on many other devices out there, but it still delivers a respectable ~200ppi.

HTC Titan II 360-degrees View:

Drag the picture or use the keyboard arrows to rotate the phone. Double click or press keyboard Space to zoom in/out

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HTC Titan II

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1. jubbing posted on 09 Apr 2012, 07:12 5 0

7.5/10 is a fair score I guess. Slightly lower than Lumia 900's 8/10, especially with it's price.

2. bobfreking55 posted on 09 Apr 2012, 07:35 0 1

i guess in the windows phone world, the titan is the lumia's only competitor.

but soon...

41MP > 16MP

6. Schmao posted on 09 Apr 2012, 09:20 0 0

41MP means it takes up MUCH MORE space. So they scale the image, and you get a nice low resolution around 16MP.

7. DIYguy posted on 09 Apr 2012, 09:51 0 0

Dafuq you talking about?

14. Birds posted on 09 Apr 2012, 16:15 0 0

No dude they combine the pixels. Every six pixels becomes one pixel so the actual resolution is around 5 megapixels. But if you note that the 808 actually takes photos at both 38 and 32 megapixels, well it is easier to see how it can combine pixels, making a super pixel of sorts. There is no down scaling, just combining pixels.

15. corrifa posted on 09 Apr 2012, 18:12 0 0

Wouldn't scaling down be pretty much the same thing as combining them?

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16. Birds posted on 09 Apr 2012, 18:34 0 0

Rofl in a way but scaling down - according to Nokia- creates lost detail but combining pixels doesn't. I kinda see what they mean. When they combine the pixels the the picture is encoded at the same size as when it was 38 or 32 megapixels. But when the pixels are combined, the resolution drops by five to six times. In other words, you can look at it like it is 38 or 32 mega pixels when the final product is finished. Its is just that the pixels are connected so if you were to scale it to five megapixels, view it at full resolution, it wouldn't have any loss of details as if you were to view it at the actual 38 or 32 megapixels.

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23. neutralguy posted on 02 May 2012, 05:34 0 0

Hahaha. This guy doesn't really understand how pureview tech works.

25. Raymond_htc posted on 3 days ago, 10:52 0 0

41MP IS NOT LUMIA!!!! ITS PURE VIEW!!! SO I CAN SAY THAT TITAN II COULD SMASH LUMIA in one SWOOP.

26. bobfreking55 posted on 3 days ago, 11:17 0 0

i said "soon" bro. easy. it's a 100% sure decision that Lumia will incorporate Pureview in their next flagships.

3. Dameon posted on 09 Apr 2012, 07:49 0 0

nice review..now im not sure if i wanna get a wp7 phone now or wait for apollo and see what they have in store

4. DontHateOnS60 posted on 09 Apr 2012, 08:17 0 0

I was really hoping for the same set of photos as with the Lumia 900 so I could compare the two of them head to head.

5. REYNER posted on 09 Apr 2012, 08:29 0 0

slight lags at times?!! lags in WP? really?! how often? what happen to htc+WP?! tsk tsk tsk..

8. snowgator posted on 09 Apr 2012, 10:05 0 0

It is tough to reason out 200.00 for a WP 7.5 device at this point. I expect HTC and AT&T; to get this down to Lumina 900 levels, and then this will be a great option. I am hoping for a September/October WP8 launch, and these two devices need to hold the interest of phone buyers until Apollo turns some heads.

9. droiddomination posted on 09 Apr 2012, 10:24 0 3

lumia 900 camera sucks bad. i can vouch for that. that is why i returned it yesterday. indoor shots esp are blurry and the flash doesnt light up a turd! windows needs to go back in the oven until Christmas i feel..we need duel processors, real cameras and more customization options...oh and another 100000 apps would be nice. otherwise ..i am liking what i am seeing but i am sticking with android for now.

11. Mozarrt posted on 09 Apr 2012, 12:42 2 0

Somehow I get the impression you havn't actually tried the Nokia 900

12. Lucas777 posted on 09 Apr 2012, 14:37 1 0

from ur name i get the feeling u wernt very inclined to like wp7 in the first place.. if u actually tried it at all

17. Mr.Best posted on 09 Apr 2012, 21:14 1 0

What? "Duel processors"? Are they gonna fight or something?

24. neutralguy posted on 02 May 2012, 05:36 0 0

Dual processors? Dude, clock speed issue only occurs on android phones because of it's OS. WP doesn't need that much of clock speed. And Camera? Wait until nokia's pureview gives a visit to WP.