The HTC Wildfire isn’t trying to kick it with the Samsung Galaxy S, HTC Desire and Dell Streak at the top end of the Android market, but the mid-range tier it’s aiming at is already clogged with competitors too. Does it better them? Read on as we put it up against rivals in this part of our HTC Wildfire review.
Read the rest of our HTC Wildfire review now
HTC Wildfire review
HTC Wildfire review: Android 2.1
HTC Wildfire review: Build and touchscreen
HTC Wildfire review: Ultimate buyer’s guide
LG GW620
LG’s first Android offering is still one of our favourite Google phones on the market. It’s robustly built with a decent camera, but its stand out feature is a slide out QWERTY keyboard we’ve still only seen on a handful of other Android phones in the UK (Like the hard to come by Motorola Milestone) that makes typing out emails and messages much more pleasant than rival cheap touchscreen phones. Unfortunately, it’s running the old Android 1.5, so don’t expect new fangled apps like Google Maps Navigation and the official Twitter app to work. But if you really need a physical keyboard, from £15 per month it’s the way to go over the HTC Wildfire.
Samsung Galaxy Portal
Samsung’s second Android phone in the UK is priced in the same territory as the HTC Wildfire, and on paper, ought to better it, with a sharper HVGA capacitive touchscreen and better battery life. But it’s a slab of a phone, with a cheap feel and hard buttons that actually echo when pressed. It is being updated to Android 2.1 from Android 1.5, but even so, the tight Facebook integration on the HTC Wildfire makes it a much more amiable blower in the mid price-range.
T-Mobile Pulse
The T-Mobile Pulse Mini may be under £100, for £50 more on Pay As You Go, it’s bigger, older brother is a more practical option since its screen is vastly more responsive. The HTC Wildfire rocks a newer version of Android over its 1.6 core, and a less tacky build, but that said, it’s mightily capable for the its price. If you have to get your Android phone on Pay As You Go rather than a cheap monthly tariff, it may be the better option, but as you probably guessed from the name, you won’t have any choice of network.
HTC Hero
Here’s where things get tricky. The HTC Hero is a year old now, but it’s aged into a perfectly capable mid range phone – just like the HTC Wildfire. It will cost a bit more up front (Between £30 and £50 online with similar monthly bundles) and hasn’t quite been updated to Android 2.1 yet, but performance is very similar to the HTC Wildfire, which has the same CPU, and typing using the on screen keyboard is a tad more responsive. Ultimately the toss up is between swifter typing and angular looks (HTC Hero) or no jutting chin and the option for more than one Google account.
HTC Legend
We love the HTC Legend. It’s not only one of the best Android phones available now, but one of the best smartphones ever made: Sense and a beautiful metal frame merge to make one gorgeous, iPhone shaming handset. The HTC Wildfire is built to come in under this in HTC’s line up of Android phones, but if you really want to save, shop around. On Vodafone, both can be had free from £20 per month over a two year contract: the only difference is the Wildfire gets 300 minutes of calls, as opposed to 100. To get the exact same tariff, the HTC Legend only costs a fiver more. That’s more than £100 over time, true, but spread over two years, it makes the upsell extremely tempting. Find the HTC Wildfire for cheaper (There are £15 per month options online) or get the Legend – don’t settle for the middleground here.
Read the rest of our HTC Wildfire review now
HTC Wildfire review
HTC Wildfire review: Android 2.1
HTC Wildfire review: Build and touchscreen
HTC Wildfire review: Ultimate buyer’s guide
