If phones could make babies, then this
HTC Wildfire would indubitably be the love child of the
Desire and
Nexus One. But of course, the humdrum reality is that 'tis just an Android 2.1 replacement for the entry-level
Tattoo -- same 528MHz Qualcomm MSM7225 processor, 3.2-inch 320 x 240 capacitive LCD touchscreen instead of 2.8-inch resistive, 384MB RAM instead of 256MB, and a 5-megapixel camera instead of 3.2 (although quality matters more, obviously). So can this affordable handset provide enough bang for the buck to satisfy Europeans and Asians? Can the aging processor keep Sense UI well oiled? All will be revealed after the break.
Hardware
At first glance, the Wildfire's a pretty handsome and familiar-looking device, but if you're not a fan of this subtle brown finish, there are three more
color options. You can see several elements borrowed from the company's two other Android handsets -- touch buttons and the reassuring back texture from the Nexus One, although the buttons don't work as well on the big daddy; optical trackpad, earpiece, chin, and body frame from the Desire (read: not unibody à la Nexus One). The back is styled like the
HD2 with a wide metallic band, but it's not the metal that you take off for the battery bay -- the actual cover needs to be peeled off with some effort from the top (like the Desire). When held in hand, the phone feels like a shorter Desire but equally as sturdy.
The chin below forms part of the back cover, but this is where we spotted the Wildfire's first physical flaw: we saw an uneven cut between the body frame and the chin. This does no justice to HTC's impressive build quality on most of its other devices, but as an entry-level device, we'll need to go easy with this level of detail. Swinging around to the left side you'll see the shiny volume rocker -- which feels well-built -- and micro-USB port, and on the back you have the five-megapixel camera sandwiched by the loudspeaker and LED flash.
To meet the lower price point, HTC's opted for the good ol' LCD instead of AMOLED on the Wildfire. Sadly, the infamous mirror effect is still present albeit not as strong the Desire's and the Hero's. See for yourself in the video below where we compare this with the screens on the Desire, Hero,
Dell Streak and
iPhone 4 (HD playback highly recommended for more realistic results). Whilst on this topic, we're also a bit upset that due to the low 320 x 240 resolution, some apps -- including
our own -- did not appear in the Wildfire's Market. Ah, the good ol'
fragmentation problem. For future reference, potential Android users should look at devices with a minimum resolution of 480 x 320 to get the most support.
Performance
The Wildfire's been given the same HTC Sense UI blessing as its other 2.1 siblings -- highlights include Leap for switching between homescreens, FriendStream widget for stalking your friends, an intuitive text highlighting tool (which is dangerously similar to the iOS's), built-in Flash Lite, and a keyboard that many have shown preference to over the stock version. Like the Legend, live wallpapers are -- no pun intended -- sensibly disabled on the feeble Wildfire. Still, we noticed the occasional hiccups every now and then, and we've had a few crashes from the internet browser plus the slow camera app. Looks like the CPU's the main culprit here, considering the Legend also rocks 384MB of RAM but doesn't suffer from such issues. On a similar note, Flash web content took minutes to load on the Wildfire, and even if you have the patience, the low frame rate leaves a lot to be desired. You can see this demoed in the video above.
Despite the list of issues, we managed to get almost twelve hours of battery life on just 3G data connection, while enjoying the occasional music, photo-snapping, video recording, Twitter, FriendStream, and web browsing. Pretty impressive considering we only got about eight to ten hours on our Legend (also donning a 1,300mAh battery but with a newer and supposedly more efficient CPU) -- perhaps HTC's AMOLED screens do suck up a fair bit more juice than LCDs. Adding to the list of positives are the vast range of supported audio file formats, stereo Bluetooth audio (which worked flawlessly for us), and built-in FM radio. We wouldn't recommend using the rear loudspeaker for audio entertainment, but the supplied handsfree kit's pretty decent -- too bad it isn't the noise isolating-plug type, nor did its mic perform well in our noise test (but the phone's built-in mic wasn't any better, as demoed in the earlier video).
We've already praised HTC's multimedia apps in our Desire and Legend reviews. Nothing much has changed for the music player -- still as intuitive and stable as before. On the other hand, the gallery app is notably slower at loading pictures, and video playback is much worse -- we can understand that 720p playback isn't feasible with the old CPU (in fact, all our 720p clips froze up the gallery app), but with 640 x 480 MP4 clips coming out at low frame rates, you'd have to wonder who on Earth would buy this when there are featurephones that can do much better. Sorry HTC, but this smartphone ain't working out for us.
Moving on to the keyboard: if you ask the Android community, many would say HTC has one of the best virtual keyboards, but we have a feeling that the Wildfire won't make it to the list. No, it isn't to do with the slightly more crammed keys -- we were still able to type well with that; we're just annoyed by the slow response to our typing. That said, we must commend HTC for yanking the hide keyboard button -- the Back button below the screen does the job anyway -- to extend the space bar, plus the keyboard settings button now prompts a customizable list of international keyboards for quick switching. Not that this means we'd be less frustrated by the laggy keyboard, though.
Camera
Just like any other HTC device, don't expect mind-blowing picture quality -- especially in low-light condition -- from the Wildfire's five-megapixel camera, but indoor shots like the one above look pretty good. As for outdoor usage, the still camera either struggled with the white balance or consistently under-exposed the shots. Still, they are nowhere as bad as the videos recorded -- they're capped at a 352 x 288 resolution with a sad frame rate, and you'll get an even lower frame rate if you record in the dark. What a bummer.
Wrap-up
Well, we didn't have high expectation for the Wildfire to begin with, and having played with it we were even less stoked. In general, this handset's seriously lacking in multimedia features, and then we have the screen problem plus the occasional lag. That said, we can't really walk away hating the Wildfire in its entirety -- the battery life's good, plus it is after all a £230 ($346) device if bought off the shelf, or for free on T-Mobile's £20 ($30) per month two-year contract. In comparison, the Legend's about £360 ($542) SIM-free, but it's also available for free on Vodafone's £20 plan with significantly fewer minutes. Needless to say, your choice will greatly depend on your phone usage and carrier preference, but we'd gladly sacrifice some call time and go for the faster AMOLED-donning Legend. If you're looking for a basic off-contract Android smartphone but still want the Desire / Nexus One look, then the Wildfire's the way to go. You'd just quickly realize that you want more.
posted June 28th 2010 4:08PM
@Plazmic Flame Man I want a streak so much, should have held off getting my desire...
I'm actually tired of HTC's ui now.. I use Adw launcher on my incredible now. They rehash the same crap over and over. This is a different version of the aria. I have the incredible which is a different version of the desire.. and the evo is a better version of the hero. How about some innovation HTC! The only device that's a bit different is the my touch slide.
It's just getting boring seeing the same phones over and over they should focus on getting all their devices on 2.2 not useless rehashes...
@sylent101 You were making sense, then you compared the Hero to the Evo 4G, they aren't even close. The Evo 4G is much more like an HD2 successor. The Hero is the same thing as the Wildfire and the recently discontinued Droid Eris. And HTC isn't the only phone manufacturer to release the same phone again and again with different radios, look at the Samsung Galaxy S series.
@loismustdie
Ehh not really I don't see the evo as a successor to the hd2. I see them as the same phone on different platforms. Not saying anything bad about HTC or anything but they really need to change it up..
And meh who respects Samsung anyway? They're phones look generic to me.
@loismustdie
Wrong. The Hero's successor is the Legend; the Wildfire succeeds the Tattoo.
conclusion in two words: it sucks.
btw, the revision is rly professional.
cutest. android phone. ever.
(that's a compliment)
I think the HTC Sense keyboard is quite terrible actually. Too cluttered. Very inaccurate on my Eris. Not sure if that's a touchscreen issue or the keyboard's error correction. It should be smart enough to realize that W isn't as commonly used as E. I'm constantly backspacing to replace Ws with Es. Drives me a little insane.
@UptownDonkey Haha e is the most common letter in English language, but it is screen innacuracy, and software inaccuracy, and a but of slowness, it's better on the incredible
lol @ 320x240
this is annoying, the iphone screen wasn't that glaringly better if not at all than any of the phones there (except desire), so why should HTC only improve their screens. To be realistic, anyone with common sense would use their shadow to make their phone usable in direct sunlight, so the outside test is pretty stupid IMO unless it's a new tech built to tackle this exact problem like the pixelQI
320x240... deal breaker.
Terrible article filled with simple mistakes, look at the price, what a joke. Learn to research thx.
@ce782138 And how are the prices wrong? Tax should be included, if that's what you were referring to.
I never heard of this phone O.o?
htc has great designs i just wish that battery cover was the same color as the rest of the back. Either way its a low end smart phone and I do not see how it can make any sense to get this for the same or a bit more money you can get a full fledged android phone.
Review was decently done. This phone is nothing to write home about though.
If we were comparing budget Android smartphones the more appropriate models should've been with the Xperia X10 mini/pro and the upcoming Xperia X8 which (allegedly) costs only 200Euros. Also, I think Vodafone and T-mobile in the UK both have their own branded Android phones as well which could be used in comparison.
Poor review IMHO, the phone is fit for purpose bearing in mind its price point and target market. Purchasing phones SIM free in Europe is gaining popularity too. Comparisons with mid to high end phones is a waste of a review.
Looks like the euro version of the Aria without AT&T crapware and a cheaper screen.
I think i dig the design of the Aria more though. Sort of how verizon got the Incredible instead of the Desire, even though they are essentially the same device. The Wildfire looks like a shrunken Desire and the Aria looks like a shrunken Incredible.
@fixxxer The Aria's more like the Legend sans the unibody and with a slightly smaller battery.
Excuse my stupididty but which macbook is displayed in the picture above since all macbook pro noe have a black border around the screen??? and this keyboard is black like the current macboook pro line? Help
@Marzooq Just the 15-inch MacBook Pro with matte screen.
It looks like the desires dwarf brother *shivers*.
how can i put this...
EVO FTW
yeah, thats good
Its cheap, its isnt going to be high end now is it? For who its targeting its fine.
fragmentation? that's on HTC, not Android. HTC knows the requirements they have to meet. "they fault."(sic)
I think most people writing and reading this review are a bit biased as they are very techy, I have a desire yet my girlfriend has the wildfire, she loves it. It does the job, texts, calls, internet, Facebook, gps for navigation. That's all she wants and needs and its a great phone.
@SteveEdson But have you seen the photos and videos captured by your girlfriend's Wildfire? We're just saying there are better choices out there.
I don't know, these touchscreen based smartphones are toys, they're just not the right thing for business people. For example this one, low video quality...oh wait!
Couldn't they just call it the Desire Mini, or DesireLess.. :P
It's kind of adorable though.
Qualcomm processor? No thanks.
"You're horse is named wildfire! My horse is named Wildfire too!"
10 pts to whoever gets this quote.
@foghorn67
Tom. Berenger.
In before Desire and Nexus One rule43
Such a nice looking phone. it's like a lil brother of the Desire. SIGH STILL want the Desire for AT&T. But this one is for T-Mobile in the UK.
Ewwww StarBucks? that stuff is so fake and cheap, AOL should pay enough to go to a better place then that lol...
I liked this phone when it was called the Eris. Looks good but just makes you just wish you had more.
I have one of these HTC EVO 4G Android Phones and I think it's a pretty cool phone. Actually it's the best phone I've ever owned. How about the Best Cell Phone Deals Online.
I honestly have to ask who'd buy such a phone. Why not just get a cheaper phone that actually does what it does well?
@Crackajack
Winnar!
@Plazmic Flame
You're definitely right there
I think the reviewer missed the point spectacularly.
Basically the whole review was the screen, the camera and the video/flash performance. And these were compared with mid- and high- end phones (the screen isn't as good as the iPhone 4? really?)
This phone is aimed at those who want the core smartphone functionality at a low price. I have used this phone (and the iPhone) extensively, and the UI and widgets are perfectly responsive, including the keyboard, although the vibration effect should definitely be switched off. Internet browsing is similarly adequate on pages without flash content, and the iPhone-esque pinch-zoom functionalty is well-executed, and there is a fantastic double-tap feature that restructures text to fit the screen.
For £230 a year (in my area) you can get 300 minutes, 300 texts and unlimited internet every month and a phone that has GPRS, 3G, Wi-Fi, a camera (with video support), a GPS sensor, accellerometer, multitouch gesture support, an excellent UI with great unique features (FriendStream), email including Exchange support, a marketplace full of apps and an upgrade path to Froyo.
And while the embedded flash performance is very poor as shown in the video, this phone has only flash lite support, and video playback from within apps such as Sky News, Youtube and from the SD card is flawless.
Granted, the 320 x 240 resolution is unarguably low, but this is where the savings have been made, and I'd rather see that than a higher res resistive scren with no multitouch. While the resolution's main drawbacks are highlighted through video playback, it's beyond me why you would try to play back 720p, or even 640 x 480 files. That's like saying you are disappointed with your 1080p-screened HTPC because it struggles with 3840 x 2160 videos.
To say that you could pay an extra £72 a year for a better screen and faster flash playback (but .5GB of data) may be true, but it's also true that for an extra £215 a year you could get an iPhone (with no flash support at all) and that would be similarly obtuse.
The fact remains that at the price point this is a superbly capable phone, and lightyears ahead of the Tattoo (which gained credit for being an affordable smartphone when it came out, something that the Wildfire doesnt seem to get despite having a more impressive feature list).
And whilst it is clear that the Legend will handle your video better, I have no doubt that for many, the Wildfire will be just the smartphone they were waiting for.