HTC has produced some high quality handsets over the years, helping to drive the Android revolution and offering some genuine competition for Apple's iPhone. Whether or not the Windows Phone 7 software will be able to compete remains to be seen, but one thing is certain, the HD7 is the phone to do it.
O2 took a relatively big risk in only carrying the HD7 at Windows Phone 7 launch. Most other major carriers have adopted the Samsung Omnia 7as the flagship handset, with one other more affordable choice. There is no doubt that the Omnia 7 is a pretty special phone, thanks in the most part to its sensational screen. But the HD7 comes close, and its large 4.3in display is perfectly suited to Microsoft's innovative new-look interface.
The handset itself is one of HTC's best design jobs yet, feeling good in the hand with responsive touch sensitive buttons sitting at the bottom of the screen. It is also one of the few Windows Phone 7 handsets that doesn't come with lots of fiddly design quirks. Given the simplicity of the UI it seems only right that the phone itself should be simple too. A small kickstand folds out from the back of the handset allowing you to sit the phone horizontally when watching videos or viewing photos. Personally I found this of virtually no use other than it providing a raised area at the back of the phone which helps stop you scratching the handset when you put it down.
One element of the HD7's design that was particularly dissapointing was its speakers and sound quality. Not only did the two small speakers that sit above and below the screen become an instant dust-trap, they were fairly quiet and didn't exactly impress on the audio quality front.
The five-megapixel camera on the back of the HD7 seemed to cope better under low light when compared to other Windows Phone 7 hardware. It also came with a dual LED flash which certainly helped. Video footage, shot at 720p, was clear and crisp with good colour balance, but not quite as impressive as the performance found on some other comparable handsets.
