The HTC Legend is the best piece of design we’ve seen in recent years that hasn’t come out of Jonny Ive’s studio at Apple HQ in Cupertino. But is the unibody hunk a winner? Or just an Apple rip-off par excellence? Read our complete HTC Legend Design and Build review to find out.
Read the rest of our HTC Legend review
HTC Legend review: Overall verdict
HTC Legend review: AMOLED Screen
HTC Legend review: Design and build review
Let’s make this abundantly clear. The HTC Legend is so obviously derived from the handiwork of Apple’s master craftsman Jonny Ive that it’s almost an embarrassment. The aluminium chassis, one solid unibody structure, takes its lead directly from the MacBook Pro school of design. Those black plastic accents? We first saw those on the original iPhone. If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, Apple must be flatter than a pancake right now.
But that’s not to say this isn’t one beautifully crafted piece of kit. From the cold metal feel, right through to the heft of the device in your hand, the HTC Legend screams quality. Sure, it’s a copycat design, but it’s also a very good one.
HTC Legend review: AMOLED screen
Outwardly, the HTC Legend is let down by very few aspects of its design. Only the somewhat uneven black bezel around the 3.2-inch screen lets us know this isn’t a true product of Cupertino’s design labs. And that’s a compliment. Likewise, the black plastic on the back of the phone, bordering its camera and flash, feels a little cheap, and looks slightly ugly.
OK, so it’s necessary for the on board wireless tech to work, but we can’t help thinking HTC could’ve come up with a more aesthetic solution.
That said, the smarts of the HTC Legend design are unsurpassed. Even the battery and SIM slots are cleverly put together. Being a unibody blower, you need to lift the bottom of the HTC Legend up to insert the battery, SIM and SD card. It’s a welcome change from prising off the back of your phone and lends the HTC Legend a much classier air.
HTC Legend review: Design and build quality
Solidity and craftsmanship aside however, we still have two major gripes with the HTC Legend’s build and design. First off, that protruding lip. Yes, it’s less jutty than HTC Hero’s tombstone chin, but it’s still a pain in the backside when you slide it into skinny hipster jeans. It’s a quirk, and a completely unnecessary addition. The HTC Legend could do without it, and it does little but detract from its otherwise minimalist form.
Secondly, there’s the optical trackball and button set up. Yes, the physical trackball is gone, replaced by this classy clickable affair, but just why HTC is still including a trackpad at all is beyond us.
The HTC Legend’s touchscreen is an absolute peach, and screams out to be fondled. By introducing an optical trackball all HTC has achieved is to give us thumb ache since it’s placed so far down the handset.
The button layout is poor too, and more than a little confusing. By including software features such as Leap, and zippy performance from a reliable touchscreen, HTC has effectively done away with the need for most of the buttons. We’d prefer to see HTC jettison the hard keys altogether, and use that trackpad key as a home button, but perhaps that would’ve made the Legend look that bit too much lke the iPhone.
These quibbles aside though, the HTC Legend is a brilliantly put together Android phone. It combines great looks with sturdy materials that will doubtless last the test of time, not to mention, our pockets. HTC now has the best looking Android mobile in the business. That’s a solid gold, or should we say solid aluminium, fact.
Read the rest of our HTC Legend review
HTC Legend review: Overall verdict
HTC Legend review: AMOLED Screen
HTC Legend review: Design and build review
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