HTC Incredible S

Editor's Review of the Incredible S

With previous handsets arriving under the moniker of the "Legend" and the "Hero", there's no doubting that HTC has a high opinion of its home-grown handsets. The Incredible S is no exception, but can the modestly named smartphone meet our expectations?

Design & Build

If first impressions were everything, HTC's latest foray into the smartphone market would get a 5 star rating automatically. With its glossy back front panel and its "inside out" rear, the Incredible S is one of the best looking handsets to come out of Taiwan to date. The rubbery, matte black case seems to rise and fall over the handset's internals, which isn't only just comfortable to hold, but looks pretty suave too.

Within its toughened casing sits a 4 inch Super LCD display, which HTC is favouring instead of its AMOLED alternative. While it still produces a "super" clear images, its over saturated colours and poor outdoor visiblity means it just can't compete with the Super AMOLED screen, as found on the Samsung Galaxy S.

The handset's innards are nothing to get excited about, as it arrives packing a single-core 1GHz, which we can't help but think outdates it against incoming competition, such as the LG Optimus 2X and Samsung Galaxy S II. Still, once we got our hands on it, we were still pleased with the smoothness and responsiveness of the phone.

OS & Interface

The handset's stunning appearance is counterbalanced by the fact it arrives running Android 2.2 (Froyo), which by now, is a relatively old version of Google's OS. It's not as bad as it sounds though, as HTC is promising an imminent upgrade to Gingerbread, which will ultimately dress the handset in a refined UI, as well as giving it a speed and performance boost.

HTC's custom Sense UI means it isn't all doom and gloom for the Incredible S, as it packs the handset full of slick looking apps and widgets. It's one of the best overlays around, and blows competition from the likes of Motorola and Sony Ericsson's out of the water. It looks great on the handset's 4 inch display too, providing customizable homescreens, social networking integration, and "zero-wait" mapping.

The latest version of Sense also sports an all-new menu, allowing you to filter your apps so you can see just the ones you've downloaded from the Android Market, or your most frequently accessed apps.

Multimedia & Storage

Media is one this handset's selling points, the most notable feature being its rear-facing 8 megapixel camera with dual-LED flash, capable of recording 720p HD video capture. Pictured looked sharp and clear on the screen, although its duo of flashes can often be a little too blinding.

There's also a 1.3 megapixel snapper round the front, which is pretty much nothing but a make-shift mirror until Android 2.4 is installed. Still, once Gingerbread is onboard, this is sure to offer crystal-clear video calls.

The proprietary Android music player is as functional as ever, and on the Incredible S, it comes coupled with SRS surround sound. This enhancement can also be used in conjunction with the integrated video player, offering an all-around booming cinematic experience.

Everything else

The internet, like on most Android phones, is one of the handset's stand out features. The Incredible S arrives boasting HSDPA and WiFi speeds, along with super-slick multi-touch gestures and HTC's awesome text reflow.

Its premium web experience is coupled with a hefty 1450mAh battery, which promises to deliver almost 10 hours of talk time on a single juice.

Conclusion

So, is this Froyo-equipped smartphone "Incredible"? We're not so sure. While we're chuffed that Brits will finally get their hands on one of the US' most popular handsets, it's just not quite up there with its competition, especially considering its price. Still, there's no doubting, the HTC Incredible S is darn good to look at.