HTC Diamond 2

HTC certainly made quite an impression amongst smartphone users when the company released the Diamond, and later the Diamond Pro. The minimalist front draws the eyes to the beautiful TouchFLO 3D interface, while the quirky bevelled rear reinforces the device's namesake - a diamond. It may be a little pretentious, but it worked. The HTC Diamond with its luxurious and user-focused design, a touch-friendly interface that hides the flaw that is Windows Mobile's GUI, was a hit among discerning users. Can HTC trump the Diamond with the Diamond 2? Read on to find out.


It's so pretty that my photographs don't do it justice.

The Diamond 2 got even more minimalist, with the circular touch sensitive button removed and replaced with a horizontal strip that HTC calls the Zoom Bar. This allows HTC to further widen the display and it now boasts a 480 x 800 WGA resolution in a 3.2-inch screen. The increase in resolution on such a small screen really makes text and images pop.


The Zoom Bar.

I've not bought into the idea of the Zoom Bar. At most, it's a workaround by HTC because of Windows Mobile's current inability to support multi-touch. Perhaps HTC should have developed a software interface for the Zoom Bar rather than implementing it on the hardware. Then again, it could be an aesthetic decision to balance the display position against the top portion that is occupied by the earpiece, light sensor, LED notification and the second camera.


Minimalism... only the bare minimum of buttons.


5 megapixels worth of camera.


Earpiece, light sensor, secondary camera and LED blinkers.

In the looks department, it's hard to find fault with the Diamond 2. The front fascia is mainly dominated by the screen, accented by a rich dark silver/grey matt surface. At the rear, it's now plain black, with a lacquer-like finish. The glossy surface is broken by a diamond shaped, brushed metal embellishment where the camera resides. And yes, both surfaces attract fingerprints.

The primary camera is capable of 5 megapixel image capture with auto focus. The auto focus point is selected by touching the screen, and the image is captured by touching an on-screen shutter release button. I have a complaint about the position of the camera, which is too close to the top edge. This makes it tricky to hold the Diamond 2 steady when horizontal because your fingers tend to stray in front of the camera.

Below the Zoom Bar are three buttons, with the middle button acting like a rocker switch. From the left is the Talk/Send button, the middle button being the Start and Back button, and the End button on the right. The minimalist treatment continues on the sides, with a solitary rocker button for Volume on the left side, while the Power button is on the top side. And that's it. No more buttons to confuse the user and distract from the beauty that is the HTC Diamond 2.


That's the HTC ExtUSB - charge/sync/audio port all in one.


Speakers on the side.


Volume button on the other side.


Power button on top.

The HTC Diamond 2 is powered by a Qualcomm MSM72000A processor running at 528MHz, with 512 MB ROM and 288 MB RAM. The processor isn't exactly stellar, but TouchFLO 3D is snappy and the general operation of Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional is acceptably brisk on a fresh device. I didn't have time to test the device under heavy load.

The 1100 mAh removable Lithium-ion battery provides a talk time of up to 340 minutes for GSM, and a standby time of up to 360 hours. If you frequently use video conferencing, you can expect up to 150 minutes to video calls. Video calls require 3G capabilities, and the HTC Diamond 2 supports HSPA up to 2Mbps up-link and 7.2Mbps down-link speeds, and is Quad-band GSM capable with support for GPRS and EDGE.

In terms of connectivity, the HTC Diamond 2 comes complete with Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g, Bluetooth 2.0 with EDR (Enhanced Data Rate) and supports A2DP for wireless stereo headsets, GPS, FM Radio and a G-Sensor. The G-sensor detects the screen orientation, something like the iPhone's accelerometer. However, it only works for certain applications. Flaws aside, check out the calibration screen for the G-Sensor. I was quite amused.

Any smartphone worth its salt has to have multimedia capabilities, and the HTC Diamond 2 doesn't lack in this area. It offers a microSD slot so you can have extra storage for all your multimedia files. Right out of the box, it supports all the common audio and video formats, and if you're missing any, there are many third party applications that you can download and install. However, you may be disappointed to know that the HTC Diamond 2 comes with a proprietary HTC ExtUSB, which is an 11-pin mini-USB 2.0 and audio jack combined. It's about finding a balance of minimalism and functionality, and perhaps HTC found the mini-USB port to be the best compromise. Bundled in the box is a stereo headset, and if you want to use your own headsets, HTC has accessories all ready for you to purchase. There's one that lets you charge and listen to audio at the same time, an adapter so you can plug in your 3.5 mm headset, another similar adapter but with music controls built-in, and if you want to listen on your speakers, there are two accessories for that - one with gold plated RC connectors and another with a 3.5 mm audio jack. A little disappointing is that there's no video-out capability. Maybe for Diamond 3?

I've said it before - accessories make or break a device. HTC's gotten the ball rolling with its own Diamond-centric designed accessories, and hopefully others will follow. Speaking about accessories, HTC includes a wall charger and a wired stereo headset in the box. The plastic used for the wall charger feels a little cheap, but its design matches well with the Diamond 2. Rummaging further in the box reveals a screen protector with cutouts for the earpiece and second camera. That's very thoughtful of HTC. There's also a Quick Start Guide booklet so you can quickly get acquainted with the Diamond 2, and if you need detailed information, there's a PDF manual in one of the CDs. The packaging this time around is smaller and with the green movement that's the trend nowadays, it is a good thing. Still, I think with such a premium device, one can be green yet still have beautiful packaging. Just take a look at Apple. I'm not saying HTC's packaging is ugly, it's just that it has some rough edges.


The box is much smaller now.


Packaging is a little rough for such a luxury item.

Since the HTC Diamond 2 is only on loan, I only had a brief time of putting it into actual use. Most of the time when I'm out in a busy mall, I only realise I have a phone call when I feel the phone vibrate, and not by the ringtone. I did note that the speaker on the Diamond 2 is acceptably loud, but the vibration feature is very weak.


See the stylus? It's still there.


Take out the stylus... see the red dot? That's the reset button.

The user interface is greatly improved by TouchFLO 3D, and is very touch-friendly. If you're a casual user, you probably won't ever leave the TouchFLO 3D interface, but if you want to do more with your smartphone, you'll still need to get into the Windows Mobile interface, and that's not very pretty. Maybe that's why HTC has decided to include a stylus as well as a spare stylus in the box. I personally think a stylus has no place in a smartphone. If an OS is meant for a smartphone, it should be designed for finger interaction. Otherwise, it just feels out of place.


Shiny...


Minimalism... only the bare minimum of buttons.

HTC's Diamond 2 certainly has upped the ante among smartphone makers. It clearly looks like the successor to the HTC Diamond, and is certainly a worthy one. I expect HTC to sell many Diamond 2's to people who value good product design and functional software in a smartphone.

Review sample courtesy of Gadza World. So contact them for details.

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