Coming hot upon the heels of a ultra-impressive G2, T-Mobile has returned to the myTouch array with a myTouch 4G. While the G2 is the natural enthusiast flagship, the 4G represents the flagship in its own right of the skinned, curated Android knowledge. If a G2 is a Droid 2 torpedo, T-Mobile substantially sees a myTouch as a iPhone 4 killer (even the name has the similarity to the renowned “iTouch” misnomer, and the 4G / 4 mirrors T-Mobile’s matchy matchy fixing sense with the myTouch 3G / iPhone 3G… we’re just saying, is all). So, what does that mean in perform? Some impressive functionality inside as well as out, including the front facing camera for video calls, HSPA+ network speeds, as well as WiFi Calling. How does it all play out in the real world? Let’s find out.T-Mobile myTouch 4G hands-on

Hardware
The myTouch 4G is very “reward.” Unfortunately, it’s “reward” in the worst approach. It screams over effort, has an unintelligible variety of pattern languages as well as materials, feels simultaneously heavy and cheap in the hand, as well as manages to bear a too-striking similarity to a iPhone 3G to foot (at least in a white edition of this phone we have, the handset also comes in red, plum, and black flavors). Lest you think you only have iPhone on the brain, the non-techy family member actually done a look-alike comment offhand, plain. What’s sad is that there are essentially the lot of saving qualities to a outmost hardware that, when taken a single during the time, would be flattering welcome in a phone.

Take a brushed metal battery cover, for instance. It has an ultramodern look as well as feel, and HTC (responsible for a hardware, though they obviously departed from their traditional design language) heightens this impression with a somewhat darker metal up above, around the camera. Unfortunately, this two-tone steel area is surrounded by white plastic, that makes both elements look poor and out of place. For altogether feel we actually love a large weight of a device (some competence vary, it’s the personal welfare, though there’s a hiatus of contour everywhere that would make a car engineer glow. If you run your finger from shade, over the side corner, and onto the behind you go from glass to metal to plastic back to steel, with all sorts of peculiar angles and abrupt edges en route. This competence tune stupid to be disturbed about, but we found that with all this craziness the phone just never “settled” into the palm in the gratifying approach.

Another personal welfare, but a single that essentially swings the other way, are the vast, clicky face buttons as well as the optical track desk pad that doubles as a button as well. We only adore clicking things. They’re all nestled in a “chin” of a device, an paper to the G1 / myTouch 3G heritage, as well as a small hold which you adore as well. Unfortunately, this friendly set of buttons is injured somewhat by T-Mobile’s replacement of the traditional poke button with the “Genius Button” to enact voice searches. We’ll talk more about it in program, but basically we’re unenthused by this switcharoo.

Finally, don’t even get us started upon the horrific earpiece orator griddle.

Other hardware sum that aren’t so polarizing: an excellent camera shiver button in a common spot; the close symbol in a common spot, which might be only slightly as well recessed; and a volume rocker that’s a small “loose” as well as plastic, but differently unoffensive. There’s the typical micro-USB jack upon the lower left-hand side, 3.5mm headphone jack up top, as well as some intriguing advancing pins of some arrange one a middle of a left side that seem primed for accessorizing.

Speaking of accessories, the myTouch 4G’s sell wrapping is actually flattering blow. Once you get the elementary cardboard sleeve off, it’s simply the zipper box with foam-lined spots for a USB wall plug adapter, USB cable, headphones (with remote / mic), manuals, and, of march, the phone. myTouch 4G accessories

Internals
Spec-wise, the myTouch 4G pretty much has it all. The 3.8-inch 800 x 480 really “pops” tone and brightness-wise, nonetheless the viewing angles don’t utterly compare Super AMOLED or a most appropriate LCDs we’ve seen. It’s additionally very readable outdoor, though the stream weather patterns didn’t allow for testing it under approach sunlight.

Under the hood there’s the same second-gen 1GHz Qualcomm QSD8255 “Scorpion” Snapdragon processor that powers a Desire HD, and a same 768MB of RAM. A sizable 1400mAh battery provides copiousness of extract to get through the day of flattering hefty make use of. We even left it off a charger overnight as well as still had some room in the tank to have it to noon the subsequent day. Of course, if you’re doing anything that really taps into a processor — 3D gaming, or the infrequently perfectionist Angry Birds (which kills the iPhone battery as good, as well as creates both handsets run inexplicably hot) — you should probably keep your charger accessible.

Storage-wise there’s an 8GB microSD label enclosed (which is easily permitted but removing a battery), as well as 4GB of built-in storage, though there’s usually about 1GB of which accessible to the user.

The real standout feature is the front-facing camera, which still usually a few handsets upon a marketplace can lay explain to. Of march, a VGA sensor won’t do your nauseous mop any favors. With HSPA+ onboard (what T-Mobile’s calling “4G” these days), T-Mobile is quietly pushing this phone as the “video calls anywhere” series, as well as luckily HSDPA works fine as good — which is extra-nice since HSPA+ signals are still flattering scarce in NY where you tested this. Around back there’s a 5 megapixel camera, complete with LED flash, that is additionally usable for video job.

One of our favorite little tidbits is the 802.11n WiFi, that blissfully supports the 5GHz-only home router in further to regular 2.4GHz shenanigans (2.4GHz is horribly saturated in Manhattan).

Phone / speakerphone / call peculiarity
This is an greatly churned bag. The excellent tie you got upon T-Mobile meant people could listen to us vastly better than they typically can on a AT&T / Verizon / Sprint connection in the usual haunts. This writer’s unit in sold is a sort of petrify bunker, as well as T-Mobile blasts right through it (of course, your mileage might change, T-Mobile’s network is well known for its unsuitable nature).

Better nonetheless, T-Mobile has included WiFi Calling on this phone, which Just Works. Basically, you just run a WiFi Calling app, register your stream WiFi network, as well as select if you prefer WiFi calls or cellular calls in absence of a alternative, or wish to go WiFi only. Then, for as long as you’re upon the WiFi, your incoming as well as outgoing calls will be routed by WiFi. Unfortunately, this app solution doesn’t have any arrange of handoff method for moving to cellular if you leave a WiFi area, but it’s still a distant steer improved than resorting to tack-on VoIP solutions when you can’t get the vigilance.

So, with great connectors during our behind, everyone we spoke to on a phone were positively ecstatic about our voice quality. Unfortunately, they don’t sound so great upon the end. Basically, a earpiece (that nauseous, nauseous earpiece) is too quiet. It’s not like you can’t hear people, though we similar to to have the genius to spin up the volume to an uncomfortable level, in box we’re in the loud surroundings, or a chairman upon the alternative end is still for some reason. Sadly, a speakerphone is even worse. Not only is it very still as well as rather than tinny, though it distorts terribly during the higher volume levels. Speakerphone music playback is painful as good.

The enclosed headphone / headset is alright, as well as at least solves a volume complaint upon our finish, but a remote / mic that’s built into the wire is the little too low for optimal voice pickup.

Camera

The 5 megapixel camera is alright. Interestingly, it seems to do a flattering good job with indoor lighting, though has a bent to have a too-slow shutter speed for cloudy outside shots. We have a little pretty shaky hands, as well as had worry getting the pointy picture of a view — a complicated JPEG application doesn’t help, possibly.
myTouch 4G representation shots

At least the UI is really good, with tap-to-focus, comparatively in-depth picture adjustments (ISO, exposure, saturation, contrast) as well as a little built-in filters

The 720p video is apropos a must-have feature in this category of phone, and we’re happy to inform which the myTouch handles it ably. You can switch in-between camera as well as video modes nearly now, as well as recording starts instantly as well. Footage is easily saturated and not as well terribly dense, and even quick pans and tilts look fine, nonetheless there’s no avoiding a regular shakeup of a non-stabilized handheld camera similar to this. Check out the sample below:

Software
Ugh. Please, T-Mobile, make it stop. We can listen to a gears branch in a T-Mobile HQ’s hive brain: “We’ll have a often vanilla G2 with a slide-out set of keys for those hardcore users, but Regular Joe Consumer? He can’t handle straight-up Android. Let’s take this paintbrush installed up with cosmetic and cruft and inconsistencies as well as a little bit of HTC Sense and allegation it all over Froyo.”

Does it sound similar to we’re taking this a little as well privately? Because you are. Android has gotten too good for these shenanigans, as well as while the basic consumer competence never know the difference — competence even like a little of these HTC-built widgets and T-Mobile themes — we can’t unsee the excellent elements of Froyo that have been trampled on to make approach for their inclusion. T-Mobile went to the difficulty of putting seven different themes on this device, each that packs the dissimilar background picture, a slight alteration of a UI’s “chrome,” as well as swaps the color of various buttons and alternative elements. To be honest, you wouldn’t be which annoyed by all of this if there was just a blessed eighth choice which pronounced “none.” As it is, we’re stranded with T-Mobile’s thought of the great UI (which of course clashes with the half dozen alternative UI styles present in various apps and the strange Google look that peeks by right away and afterwards, as well as a combined weight it adds to the knowledge.

For instance, when you squeeze for a presentation tray, there’s a pointed loiter that breaks the apparition of pulling something down as well as infrequently made us feel similar to we’d mis-touched — despite a actuality which a processor on this phone is incredible, and blazed through regular applications. Swiping between home screen areas can slow down slightly during times, as well as a swipe gesture to clear a phone (a downward lift upon a horizontal bar) feels unsatisfying as well as lacks the swipe-to-mute option.

Do we tune nitpicky? Good, let’s continue. Another large gripe is the detriment of Google’s own Calendar app for HTC’s identical though defective a single. In fact, HTC’s calendar app contra Google’s is sort of a case-in-point for what we’re articulate about UI-wise. The week perspective upon Google’s version is very “chromeless,” you might even call it nauseous. HTC spruces it up with some rounded corners, delicate color versions of the different monthly calendar colors, as well as gradients by any object to have events look the small bit similar to pieces candy. The problem? HTC motionless to dig a text out of every singular eventuality, no matter how vast, creation the perspective basically useless. This isn’t a brand-new problem for HTC Sense, though we’re starting to keep vituperation opposite it until Google / manufacturers / Regular Joe Consumer correct up.

On the bundled application front, T-Mobile goes for a “some-more the merrier” point of view, with games, productivity applications, and T-Mobile’s own “My Account” and “App Pack” additions. Here are the notables:

Swype: It’s set as the default set of keys, though you can return to the Android original if you’d like. Opinions in the staff are separate over Swype, but it’s really grown on this writer over time.

WiFi Calling: We already talked about this on top of, but we only longed for to discuss it again since you love it so most.

Media Room: A good UI for browsing by your song as well as video library, FM radio, as well as Slacker all in one place. We’re still surprised Google doesn’t offer something improved by default, though this is a single place where it’s good to have a third celebration step in.

Screen Sharing: A DLNA media pulling app from Twonky.

Faves: A flattering ho-hum doing of T-Mobile’s important / infamous Fave Five service. We probably wouldn’t discuss it if it wasn’t bolted to a bottom of the home shade to a right of a app drawer.

Genius Button: This is an hapless carry-over from the myTouch Slide. In place of the standard poke symbol, there’s the stylized “G” which launches the voice-controlled app. The voice control is powered by Nuance, the guys at the back of Dragon Naturally Speaking, and to their credit, it’s a little of the most appropriate voice approval around. It differentiates between affect as well as effect, as well as even recognizes “Engadget.” Unfortunately, we just don’t want voice approval in lieu of good old fashioned content searches. There’s no easy approach to switch the symbol to the search symbol that we’ve found, that would be an excusable concede, as well as instead we’ve got a good gimmick to uncover off to friends, but have been short a core underline of Android in remuneration.

Video Chat: A slightly-branded chronicle of Qik. Obviously, this is one of the phone’s many important facilities, and we’re blissful that it doesn’t feel wholly tacked upon, despite a 3rd party creator. Most importantly, it ties into the HTC social network alliance functionality (which is often useless otherwise… we cite the tangible Twitter as well as Facebook applications, interjection. The phone finds Facebook profiles which competence compare up with phone numbers or email addresses you have in your residence book, as well as asks you to “couple” them by hand. It’s not the hard process, though you were surprised when it popped up again for an additional round. Only, this time it was for adding Qik users we already knew. Once you’ve added someone to your Qik friend list, you get a concise list of contacts from inside of Qik that only shows the people which have Qik, with the video icon next to them as well as (here’s a best partial a green lit-up idol if they’re online! If you have the call with someone that’s not on your buddy list, you can add them after the actuality, as well as afterwards a magical-contact-linker will prompt you to join forces with a Qik friend with a contact label if it pulls up the compare. FaceTime should unequivocally take notes.

Calling-wise, Qik was discerning to settle a connection over 3G. For an incoming Qik call, a phone rings only like a regular phone call, even if it’s locked. Unfortunately, Qik seems to have a capped quality turn which presents flattering blocky video to both ends, even if you have WiFi. Hopefully this will urge in a future. For right away, it works, as well as you can indeed brag to your iPhone friends that you can have video calls wherever but a jailbreak or other hackery. Better nonetheless, you similar to a actuality that we already know the lot of people with Qik video chat-capable inclination, and which they aren’t all using a same device. Check out the demo below:

One last thing which should be remarkable is which most applications perform brilliantly upon this phone. The browsing knowledge is flattering much butter, even with a embedded Flash, with almost iPhone-level pinch-to-zoom and scrolling responsiveness. In alternative apps we beheld that some of a standard lag you had come to expect in that particular application’s opening was all though erased. Kudos to Qualcomm for the processor, as well as the grudging thanks to T-Mobile as well as HTC for not putting so really most cruft on here to essentially slow down a handset — yet we’d love to see how most it would scream with batch Froyo.

Network opening
We’ve got a little good news and some bad headlines. The good headlines is which you typically get blazing quick internet, upon par with a low-to-mid-level home broadband connection (2 to 3Mbps down as well as 1.3Mbps up, with similar speeds upon our laptop when tethered with a phone over WiFi). There’s essentially little disproportion in browsing between our cell connection as well as WiFi. Video calls have been as transparent as Qik can have them at this point (not really transparent, as well as the voice call extravagant is undiluted.

The bad news? As distant as we can tell, we’ve rarely strayed from HSDPA. Basically, T-Mobile has the really great “3.5G” network in NY, that is either vastly underutilized or just solid great. This excites us for the potential HSPA+, and in truth, we’ve probably bumped into it unwittingly on occasion (you have to dive pretty low into a phone to know what sort of connection you’re getting, the menu club simply displays an “H” next to a signal bars). Still, when shopping the “4G” phone you have to be aware to what extent a “4G” network exists to await it, as well as T-Mobile has the ways to go.

Wrap-up

Overall, the myTouch 4G hits roughly each checkbox when it comes to features and functionality, though sadly misses the mark utterly when it comes to cultured as well as “purity” of the Android vision. In T-Mobile’s try to have the consumer-friendly phone, we’d disagree they’ve driven in the alternative direction. Luckily, many of our qualms with a phone can be chalked up to personal welfare, as well as a power user could potentially finagle the batch Android ROM onto here, so we’d encourage any impending buyers to check out a phone for themselves prior to you deflect them off wholly. For the rest of us, we’ll keep dreaming of the Nexus Two that this phone many confidently isn’t.

Via Engadget