HTC HD mini - You, Complete Me
Following through with its "You don't need to get a phone, you need a phone that gets you" marketing, the HTC HD mini is aimed at consumers looking for a compact and feature-packed device. Here's our evaluation of this simple, yet feature-packed Windows Mobile smartphone.
Petite Offerings
First, the , then came the and now, the HTC HD mini. And no, do not mistake the HD moniker for high-definition, because none of these three Windows Mobile devices from HTC can display nor process media resolutions anywhere near the 720p or 1080p range. Yet, it's undeniable that both the Touch HD and HD2 have proven themselves to be adequate performers for mobile multimedia. Nonetheless, there were those who lamented at the sheer volume and size that comes with these two juggernaut devices. Enter the HTC HD mini, a dainty alternative compared to the previous two offerings. But, does a size reduction equate a short change in its features? The answer lies within our HTC HD mini review in the forthcoming pages.
The petite HTC HD mini.
Mini Resemblances
Looking at both the HD2 and HD mini, it's safe to say the resemblance is uncanny. And if the mini moniker isn't a clear indication, then holding the HD mini in one's hands would make it even more obvious. Its overall dimensions of 103.8 x 57.7 x 11.7mm puts it squarely in our palms as a perfect fit. Neither overly large nor too small to handle, the HD mini also had a good amount of balance with its 110g weight.
Neither too small, nor too big, the HD mini was a perfect fit in our hands.
Other than obvious differences in its screen size, both units share the same frontal layout. A row of touch-sensitive panels, most of which are familiar sights, lies just below its 3.2-inch capacitive touch screen. We have the Call/End buttons at the edges, and nestled in between are the Home, Start and Back buttons. Each panel is given adequate spacing, and aren't too spread out as compared to the HD2's wider dimensions. The only physical buttons would be the volume control at the left profile and the power button at the crown. The 3.5mm audio jack is located just next to the power button.
Taking the capacitive approach, you'll see more thumb swiping on the 3.2-inch screen.
The touch-sensitive panels are grouped closer than the HD2, which uses physical buttons and has more room to spare with its width.
Physical buttons are limited to the volume buttons (at the left profile) and the power button (as shown here) beside the 3.5mm audio port.
Similar to the HD2, the HD mini will only see fingerprint smudges on its front. What differentiates it from its larger sibling is the removable housing, which covers the sides and rear of the device. Theoretically speaking, one can customize the HD mini with different patterns for the housing. HTC hasn't released any customized housings yet, so the next possible candidates would be third-party accessory makers. In fact, we've actually seen a clear plastic backing based prototype from HTC and it certainly makes the phone an interesting conversational piece (literally speaking too).
Removing the housing is relatively easy, and once you do, you can swap in the microSD card without powering down the device. While the exterior sports a solemn black look, the internal is splashed a bright yellow backing, including the 1200mAh battery that blends in.
Dig your fingers into the groove here, and you will be able to pry the housing open.
Accessing the microSD card is easy, whilst you'll have to remove the 1200mAh battery to slide in/out the SIM card.
Tingling HTC Sense
If you're familiar with HTC devices, you'll also be aware that it's not the hardware that put the Taiwanese company's offerings in the forefront. Rather, it's what lies beneath the screen that makes it stand out in the sea of mobile devices. In other words, the HTC Sense user interface (UI) will be its biggest attraction. Like the HD2, this smaller sibling will be running on Microsoft's Windows Mobile 6.5 platform, and shares a similar advantage - a fully skinned UI that makes it more user-friendly.
What you see on the HD mini's Sense UI is exactly what you'll experience on the HD2. In total, there are thirteen tabs on the main screen, two of which (Home and Settings) are non-removable. The remaining eleven tabs include People, Messages, Mail, Internet, Calendar, Stocks, Photos & Videos, Music, Weather, Twitter and Footprints - all of which can be removed or added as part of the interface.
The home screen of the Sense UI retains the same look as what you see on the HD2. Likewise, you can add or remove the tabs, except for Home and Settings.
Truth is, you won't find any major differences from the HD2 to the HD mini. But if you need a quick overview of what to expect from the Sense UI, there are a few differences to take note of, mostly aesthetics such as revamped tabs within its People interface. Looking at both the HD2 and HD mini, with the latter being the less powerful device, we weren't surprised to see a few features lacking. This includes the absence of a landscape orientation for its Photos & Videos and Music tab, and limiting the weather animation to the Weather tab.
The same one contact for all activities layout is present, albeit some slight aesthetic changes in the icons.
Social network integration includes Facebook, Twitter and even YouTube, as seen on the Settings page.
While the HD2 allows landscape orientation for its Photos & Videos and Music tab, the same option isn't available on the HD mini.
Compact Power
The HD mini's downsizing isn't just on the exterior. For its hardware, we do see a lower memory capacity at 384MB RAM and 512MB ROM. In the speed department, the HD mini comes with the new mid-range Qualcomm 7227 600MHz processor. Looking at both specifications, we figured this is a good combination, neither overly powerful for its size, nor too undermining as a compact device.
Unlike the HTC Touch 3G, which uses a simplified Sense UI, the HD mini employs the full experience. While that's good in functionality, considering the above listed hardware, we weren't surprised to experience a degree of slowdown and reduced responsiveness on the Sense UI, which mostly happens during data downloading. But once you get past the occasional lags in its interface, the HD mini still presents a smoother experience than most other Windows Mobile devices.
For heavy message users, you might find yourself struggling with the virtual QWERTY keyboard. Relying only on your fingers due to the capacitive-nature of the screen, we had to be doubly aware of what we're typing to reduce errors.
Remember, the HD mini is a downsized version of the HD2. While you won't get the full WVGA resolution screen on the HD mini, its 3.2-inch screen running at a resolution of 320 x 480 pixels is sufficient for video playback purposes. You'll also get the usual fare for its audio quality, with no real breakthrough in its stereo delivery.
HTC hasn't been particularly strong with its imaging features through these years, and it wasn't much different in with the HD mini too. In its case, you'll find a 5-megapixel camera with autofocus, but lacking in the LED flash department. Thankfully, it did not suffer from the pink circle effect which we spotted earlier on the HD2 (which has since been rectified with a firmware update). Nonetheless, there's still room for improvement for the HD mini's imaging sensor, which returned images with less details than we hoped for. Colors are given due attention with a good balance across all hues.
One of our considerations for a phone's performance lies with its battery mileage, which also translates to how mobile or portable the device is. To ascertain its performance under intensive usage, we subjected the HD mini to a looping playback of a video encoded at 240 x 320 pixels resolution. The controlled environment includes a display brightness and volume at 100%, with an active Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connection. Data downloads are constantly performed through both push email and Twitter.
Looking through the results and the comparisons between the various Windows Mobile devices, the HD mini didn't hold any unexpected results. With its smaller screen size and less power draining processor, it stood out stronger than both the HD2 and Acer's neoTouch, even with a slightly smaller battery capacity at 1200mAh. Comparing it against the Sony Ericsson Xperia X2, it's also just as we expected. The latter's 1500mAh battery and more manageable 500MHz processor gave it the edge, even if it was running at the WVGA resolution as opposed to the HD mini's 320 x 480 pixels resolution. However, the undeniable truth and benefit of the HD mini does lie with its miniature build. With up to 3 hours of battery life in the stimulated intensive usage environment, combined with its compact and light physical attributes, the HD mini scored pretty well in our portability index as seen above.
Beyond our intensive testing, we also put the HD mini through a possible daily scenario (which includes the usual calls, messaging and data downloads using both Wi-Fi and HSDPA connections), and from what we've seen, it managed to go beyond a day and a half before shutting down. Quite decent for today's standards.
Bite-Sized Delight
For us, the HTC HD mini is a clear representation of the Taiwanese company's continued effort in the propagation of the Windows Mobile scene. And it's aptly done by targeting both the niche and mass market groups. Whilst the earlier HTC HD2 caters to power users, the HD mini brings it closer to the masses with a more manageable form factor without yielding the features that made it a good fit.
While it isn't exactly an official successor to the HTC Touch Diamond2, we figured that in terms of upgrades, you could skip the Touch Diamond2 and gun for the HD mini instead. Hardware-wise, you do see a slight bump up, which includes a stronger processor clocked at 600MHz and higher memory capacity, a capacitive touch-screen with multi-touch support, and new software upgrades including Windows Mobile 6.5.3 and an updated HTC Sense UI.
But along with these updates, we also notice a few oddities. Interface lags are a common occurrence on the HTC Sense, which could be rectified with a future firmware update. Messaging can get tiresome and filled with errors if you aren't careful with the packed virtual QWERTY keyboard. If you can live with these downsides, then take comfort in the fact that it provided decent audio and video playback for a device of its size. Furthermore, thanks to its high battery mileage and portable nature, the HD mini is suitable for discerning users looking for a compact and long-lasting mobile phone.
Besides the HD mini, another similar compact smartphone contender would be the LG Mini. But that's a story for another day. The HTC HD mini is quite a competent compact modern Windows Mobile OS based phone. The only major concerns we had were the slightly less responsiveness of the UI at times and that texting on the virtual keyboard in this form factor is a chore. Size vs. usability - you be the judge.
If this review has gotten you interested in either getting a new device or getting a trade-in, we leave you with a final piece of info - the HD mini is currently priced at S$748 without contract. This includes a 2GB microSD card within, and comparing across other similar Windows Mobile devices (which have been lacking in numbers) such as the Garmin-Asus nuvifone M10, we have to say the HTC HD mini is one of the better buys. That said, this is only if you're adamant about getting a Windows Mobile device, given that there are more options nowadays with the proliferation of Android devices. There are however not many phones of the proportions of the HTC HD mini with its capabilities, so that's again something to think about.
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