HTC Incredible S review
HTC's latest high-end Android smartphone is sleek and sturdy, but is this enough to set it apart from the competition? We take a closer look in our review to find out.
The Incredible S doesn’t lack any essential features and is a good smartphone in its own right, but there's little that sets it apart from other Android phones. In a world where new features drive the seemingly never-ending release of smartphones, it feels as though this is a stopgap release.The Incredible S is very similar to the almost identically-priced Google Nexus S. While that phone has the benefit of Android 2.3 and immediate operating system updates, the Incredible S feels more comfortable to hold. The Nexus S only just remains our preferred high-end Android smartphone, but if you have this money much to spend we'd recommend trying both of them out in person first.
HTC has even found room to put four cursor keys on the on-screen keyboards. Although unusual and may seem initially superflourous, these make it easy to move about in passages of text to find sections to edit. Despite their presence the keyboard didn't feel cramped.
The responsive touchscreen helps make copy and paste work well. HTC has included its own copy and paste system which mimics the one in iOS much more closely than the one in Android 2.3, which is a good thing. A context sensitive popup menu options paired with a superb text magnifier and drag tool make it easy to pick what you want to copy or cut. As with text entry, this benefits from the large screen size which helps with tapping accuracy. There is no optical touchpad, but this isn't really necessary when there's such a large touchscreen.
HTC has come up with a neat innovation for the four touch sensitive buttons that sit beneath the touchscreen. When you turn the handset on its side for widescreen use, the buttons follow suit, swivelling so they are the right way up. They only do this when you turn the handset anticlockwise though. Turn it clockwise and nothing happens.
Build quality is excellent. A rubbery finish to the backplate makes the Incredible S easier to grip and feel more secure to hold than the shiny plastic finishes of other smartphones. In our experience it was more scratch resistant too.
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