iPhone or HTC Magic? That was the question that crept into our minds when i-Tech was given the opportunity to try out the HTC Magic with the Android operating system just launched by Vodafone Malta.
Though mobile operator promotes both handsets, i-Tech was completely free to test the HTC Magic and tried hard to forget the iPhone, the iconic smartphone that has taken the world by storm according to usage statistics.
Pitting the HTC Magic against the iPhone actually worked in favour of the lesser-known handset. The high bar set by Apple's smartphone made the HTC look good, even though the iPhone had the edge in several aspects.
The HTC Magic is truly a Google phone, not just because it sports Google's Android operating system but because it's a quick rush to Google's other mainstream products such as Gmail, Maps (and integration with inbuilt GPS), YouTube and Talk. Users who depend on these online services will find themselves in Google heaven. Others may find this a little overwhelming or annoying.
However this model is not just Google on the move. The Android is a stable operating system that handles operations quite well. The interface is nice and intuitive, but we especially loved the login system that is based on a connection of circles to form a design rather than an alphanumeric password which is easily forgotten.
Though the booting time is rather long compared to other smartphones, we had straight access to most popular features. The 3.2-inch touchscreen is good and we had an odd small navigational joystick button, which users of touchscreen-based handsets may find redundant.
There is no multitouch facility, so that to do zooming in and out of photos you have to use a magnifying button instead of pinching the screen.
Processing speed was good and we never experienced hiccups or crashes.
We were impressed by the battery life, something smartphone users really value. Medium usage of calls, SMS and web surfing gave us at least two days of charge.
Quality of calls was good and WiFi gave reliable internet access.
The 3.2-megapixel camera is basic and is outshined by other handsets.
The handset does not have a 3.5mm earphones jack so you cannot turn it into an MP3 player.
The design may look plasticky compared to the sleek finish of other handsets.
Google has an application store where HTC Magic users can purchase and download applications. It's nowhere near the number of applications available on the Apple store, however, there are applications on the Google store than can customise the Android operating system much more than Apple allows on its iPhone.
Back to our initial question, the HTC Magic is a good phone and comes second to the iPhone by a narrow margin. It sells for €499 and is free depending on the choice of pay monthly plan. This makes it only a little cheaper than the iPhone.
www.vodafone.com.mt