Manage updates with the Download App
Editors' note: In this review, we'll focus more on the HTC Trophy's design, performance, and differentiating features. For more on its operating system and core functions, please read our full review of Windows Phone 7.
The HTC Trophy is one of many Windows Phone 7 devices available in international markets. Since Asia and Europe are often the recipients of cool phones, while we usually get the safe options, we decided to get one in to see if we were missing out on anything. The answer is: not really. Don't get us wrong. The Trophy is a solid smartphone and offers a sleek design and good performance. It's also one of the more-affordable models if you happen to live in one of those markets. However, here in the States, it will run you about $400 to purchase the phone unlocked and you can definitely get more for less from the Samsung Focus or the HTC HD7, so unless you're in the market for an unlocked phone, we'd say go with one of the other two.
Design
Compared with the HTC Surround with its slide-out speaker and the HTC HD7 with its extra-large display, the HTC Trophy might seem a bit plain, but we don't see that as a bad thing. At 4.67 inches tall by 2.42 inches wide by 0.47 inch thick, and 4.94 ounces, the Trophy is sleek and simple, which is attractive in its own right. The slim profile makes it easy to slip into a pants pocket, and it feels light yet solid in the hand. The aluminum-like bezel and soft-touch finish on back are also nice touches, as is the yellow interior behind the battery door.
The Trophy's display measures 3.8 inches diagonally and has a WVGA (480X800 pixels) resolution. Images and text looked sharp and bright. That said, the display washes out a bit in direct sunlight, and it's a fingerprint and smudge magnet. The touch screen itself is responsive, as it registered all our taps, smoothly scrolled through lists, and easily zoomed in on pages using the pinch-to-zoom gesture. There is also a proximity sensor and built-in accelerometer, but as we noted in past reviews, Windows Phone 7 currently has limited landscape support.
Microsoft did a really nice job with the onscreen keyboard, however. Despite looking small and cramped, it's easy to use and accurate. It's almost on par with the iPhone's keyboard and certainly better than Android's stock keyboard. When we were switching between the Trophy and other Android devices, we found the latter to be slightly slower and more prone to mispresses.
Below the display are touch-sensitive back, Start, and search buttons. There's a volume rocker and a Micro-USB port on the left; on the right side, you'll find a dedicated camera key. The top of the device features a power button and a 3.5mm headphone jack, and the back of the device houses the camera, LED flash, and speaker.
Our HTC Trophy review unit came packaged with an AC adapter, a USB cable, and a wired stereo headset.
Features
The HTC Trophy is a quad-band world phone, offering a speakerphone, call waiting, call forwarding, conference calling, voice dialing, and text and multimedia messaging. Stereo Bluetooth support, Wi-Fi, and GPS are also onboard, but since the Trophy is designed for the international markets, it's not compatible with the North American 3G bands. That means if you purchase the phone unlocked and pop in a T-Mobile or AT&T SIM card, you'll only be operating on EDGE, so keep that in mind.
