includes: GSM, CDMA

8.0
final rating

reviewed on
this review has been viewed 19 times

Criteria Comments Rating
  • Reception and call quality generally good reception good
  • Display good color and crisp text, not the highest resolution good
  • Battery life if you disable a lot of automatic updates it is ok, however, heavy app use tends to drain it fast so-so
  • Ease of use once you get used to android it's very user friendly good
  • Design and form factor wish it was thinner so-so
  • Portability (size / weight) not too big or heavy good
  • Media support dependant on the apps you are running, audio support is better than video so-so
  • Durability screen doesn't scratch easily, but dust has gotten between the screen and the glass which is annoying so-so
  • Ecosystem (apps, accessories, etc.) android apps are fantastic great!
Detailed review
Pros:
- Hardware is solid, relatively thin, not too heavy
- Actual buttons on front of phone
- HTC Sense is a great addition to Android (especially the touchscreen keyboard)
- Generally responsive to input and programs rarely lag
- 2 days of battery life with typical usage for me
- 2.1 update improved performance and functionality

Cons:
- Phone can sometimes bog down if you are trying to do too many things at once

I've had my HTC Hero on Sprint for over a month now and I am very pleased with my decision to get this instead of the Samsung Moment. I was apprehensive about getting a purely touchscreen phone since I have large hands and prefer a physical keyboard, however, the onscreen keyboard is very usable and didn't take too long to get used to. It also appears that most of the sluggishness reported in early Hero reviews has been resolved by firmware updates. Overall the phone performs very well, but it would be better with more memory, RAM and a faster processor like the newer android models.
review history
2010-08-09
Rated Media support a 3
Edited comment on Portability (size / weight)
Rated Portability (size / weight) a 4
Edited comment on Design and form factor
Edited comment on Media support
Rated Durability a 3
Edited comment on Ecosystem (apps, accessories, etc.)
Rated Ecosystem (apps, accessories, etc.) a 5
Edited comment on Durability
Rated Design and form factor a 3
Edited comment on Ease of use
Edited comment on Reception and call quality
Rated Reception and call quality a 4
Updated overall rating
Rated Display a 4
Edited comment on Display
Rated Ease of use a 4
Edited comment on Battery life
Rated Battery life a 3
Updated detailed review