HTC Touch Diamond2 review: Director’s cut

HTC Touch Diamond2 is next on our roll call of MWC debuts but this time it's less about the brand spanking novelty and more about balanced and sensible upgrades. People tend to have second thoughts about sequels but this one here is signed by HTC and may as well be the director's cut of a blockbuster.

It is only recently that Windows Mobile fans are receiving the treatment they deserve after years of undeserved exile. The WinMo devices are no longer stigmatized as ugly bricks with awkward handling and HTC are one of the main agents of this change. The HTC Touch Diamond was one of the most complete devices and its stand-out styling earned it well deserved popularity.

HTC Touch Diamond2 official photos

We now welcome its successor, somewhat insipidly named HTC Touch Diamond2. Improving the functionality of the original Diamond, the Diamond2 comes with rather different design that is certain to raise some degree of discussion. But it's the performance that will make the difference between a mere Number 2 and a real gem.

Key features:

• 3.2" 65K-color WVGA display
• Latest TouchFLO 3D
• Qualcomm MSM7200A 528 Mhz CPU and 288 MB RAM
• Dedicated graphics chip (64MB RAM reserved for graphics)
• Quad-band GSM support
• 3G with HSDPA 7.2Mbps and HSUPA 2Mbps
• Wi-Fi and built-in GPS receiver
• Stereo FM radio with RDS
• 5 MP auto focus camera with excellent image quality
• microSD card slot
• Touch-sensitive zoom bar
• MS Office Mobile document editor
• Opera 9.5 web browser
• Standard miniUSB slot and Bluetooth v2.0 with A2DP
• Teeter game
• Great audio quality
• YouTube client
• Excellent video playback

Main disadvantages:

• Fingerprint nightmare
• Average sunlight legibility
• Questionable build quality
• No TV out port
• No standard 3.5mm audio jack
• No magnetic stylus

The HTC Touch Diamond2 outdoes its predecessor with a larger and higher-res screen, a vastly superior camera and more RAM. The TouchFLO 3D UI has also been improved and now covers the underlying Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional OS from tip to toe. Sounds like a decent update with a keen eye on the competition too, which is getting stiffer by the day.

HTC Touch Diamond2 views

While the original Diamond had only the Samsung i900 Omnia to tackle, the HTC Touch Diamond2 faces a tougher battle. With a few new arrivals on the touchscreen market (Symbian S60, Android and BlackBerry OS have all jumped in) the Diamond2 will need spotless performance to match its predecessor's success.

There is quite a lot to test so let's not waste any more time. On the next page we open the box and meet the contender. Will it be diamond hard or will it crumble under the lightest of touches?