Since T-Mobile was left out as the only major U.S. carrier to not carry the iPhone 4/4S, what is a carry to do? T-Mo decides to step up their Android inventory with two new and faster devices ‘capable’ of up to 42Mbps of HSPA+ speeds. One of these devices being the HTC Amaze 4G which we have been putting through our daily TechGuySmartBuy tests for review. Can T-Mobile truly retain its subscribers from running to another carrier to chase the iPhone 4/4S or even the up and coming LTE-enabled iPhone 5 with high-end Android devices? I promise to make no Amaze or Amazing puns or jokes here. Delve deeper past the break to see if the Amaze 4G from HTC is a good enough device to keep you from jumping ship.
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| The Amze 4G has an aluminum unibody design with a NFC chip built into the rear body |
On paper, the HTC Amaze doesn’t seem to be a huge difference between it and the Sensation (which was released not too long ago) but there is. The Amaze 4G is sporting Qualcomm’s latest 1.5GHz dual-core S3 Snapdragon processor coupled with a HSPA+ radio to give it the ability to achieve up to 42Mbps of download speeds. This makes for a truly fast 4G experience for T-Mobile for once. I was able to reach download speeds of up to 16Mbps and only about over 1Mbps on the upload side of things. Finally giving T-Mo a device to rival Verizon’s 4G LTE network. Of course this was tested in a coverage area where the new faster network was available. the processor combined with the 1GB of RAM provided me with near-flawless Android experience. I have not yet seen an app force close or even stutter during my time using the Amaze. The only other Android device that I have had no problems with is the Galaxy S II.
Of course being armed with the newest S3 processor and pulling those kind of speeds, you suffer are subject to sacrificing battery life in the process just like VZW’s LTE devices. I was hoping for a great range of juice since it is armed with 1730 mAh battery but instead we got only decent. With sparring usage gave me almost 10 hours, moderate usage gave me almost 6 hours, and heavy usage gave me a little over 3 hours. My usage consisted of reading/sending tweets, reading/sending emails, heavy web browsing, light gaming, and a few phone calls. Like any other high-end Android device, keep your charger handy for those of you interested in picking up the Amaze.
The screen specs on the Amaze 4G sounds like a sight we all have seen before on an Android device. It is better than what you may think. The Amaze offers users a rich and crisp display with a 4.3inch Super LCD display w/ qHD resolution (960 x 540) for all of your viewing/media needs. The screen definitely gets the job done in regards to viewing high-quality photos/videos, vibrant colors, and great viewing angles in direct light. I mean its no Retina Display or Super AMOLED Plus but this would definitely get the bronze award in great displays in my book.
On camera side of things, the Amaze is armed with the now standard dual cameras: a 2MP in the front & a 8MP in the back. The front cam works for your grainy video chat needs and using the Mirror app to check for things in your nose or teeth. Nothing more to say about that. The real highlight of this device of other than the speed is the rear camera. The 8MP camera is armed with a f/2.2 aperture lens for better performance in low-light situations and zero shutter lag making this a great camera for point-and-shoot purposes. It was absolutely one of the best cameras I have handled on an Android device along with the Galaxy S II.
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| Amaze 4G sample pics |
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| Amaze 4G sample pics 2 |
The 8MP lens is furthermore capable of panoramic & HDR shots w/ face & shake detection coupled with a bright dual LED flash as an added bonus. Making it capable of taking great photos on the go that doesn’t look like something from a smartphone w/ dedicated camera & camcorder buttons. Speaking of the camcorder button, the Amaze can record video in full 1080p HD which by the way looks outstanding. Screenshots can be taken by holding the Power button while hitting the Home button as well so no more trying to root it to accomplish such a feat. In case you were wondering, it is the same lens equipped within the myTouch 4G Slide.
Say what you want about it, the Amaze is definitely one of the best Android offerings for T-Mobile. Running Android 2.3.4 along with the latest of HTC’s Sense UI gives subscribers Android alternatives by acting as the big brother to the HTC Sensation. HTC made sure to offer premium materials within the manufacturing of the Amaze as it won’t win the thinnest phone award but still not a huge brick of a phone. We did however had one little thing about the Amaze 4G that will definitely become a gripe for some is that it is not a pocketable device. Why you may ask? Not because of the phone’s size due to there being plenty of 4.3inch devices in the market now. But the fact that the earpiece acts as a lint trap and for those always denim jeans, the dye will effortlessly stain the nice White rear backing of the device. This only applies for those who don’t use a case on their phone. Additionally there could have been some more usefulness for the NFC chip within the aluminum unibody casing other than the Tags app (which you can scan/share URLs, photos, map location, contacts, etc.) but I guess we we’ll have to wait until the Google Wallet app to make its way to this device and same goes for Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich). Interested buyers can pick up the HTC Amaze 4G for T-Mobile at Amazon for $199.99 w/ two year contract instead of paying the $259.99 at T-Mobile as well. If this isn’t your cup of tea, you still have the Galaxy S II for T-Mobile to choose from but don’t expect a better battery life on it though.
