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Home > Android Phone Reviews > HTC Wildfire S

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HTC Wildfire S (video review)

Editor's rating (1-5): rating starrating starrating star
Carrier: T-Mobile
Manufacturer: HTC
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What's hot: Compact, affordable entry level Android smartphone.

What's not: No 4G, no Adobe Flash, relatively low res display.

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Reviewed August 23, 2011 by Lisa Gade, Editor in Chief (twitter: @lisagade)

The HTC Wildfire S is for those of you who are just getting your first touchscreen smartphone, and for those who prefer small phones. It's very affordable (free on T-Mobile's website and $79 in T-Mobile stores) but features HTC's usual excellent industrial design and solid core features.

HTC Wildfire S

The smartphone's specs are basic, and the HVGA 320 x 480 display and 600MHz Qualcomm CPU seem like a blast from Android's past (going back about 2 years). Despite that, the phone is responsive and the UI doesn't lag. It's not up to the demands of Adobe Flash video playback and hence doesn't ship with Flash, but you do get the usual capable Android Webkit full HTML web browser and mobile YouTube player. If you're looking for a phone to play demanding 3D games, Flash and HD video, the Wildfire S isn't your phone; look at the Samsung Exhibit 4G on T-Mobile for an entry to mid-level affordable Android phone that can do more.

HTC Wildfire S

The Wildfire S has the usual amenities: WiFi 802.11b/g/n, Bluetooth 3.0, a GPS and a 5 megapixel rear camera with LED flash. It has 512 megs of RAM and 512 megs of flash storage plus a microSD card slot (a 2 gig card is included). It's available in white and dark gray.

HTC Wildfire S

HTC Wildfire S

 

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HTC Wildfire S Video Review

Conclusion

If you just want to browse the web, do email, send texts and take some surprisingly decent photos and video, the Wildfire S does it in a stylish package. The display is sharp and colorful, though at 3.2", men with large hands will probably find the on-screen keyboard (HTC's and Swype) too small. Call quality is good and reception is average on T-Mobile. The phone has 3G HSDPA 5.76Mbps rather than the HSPA+ 4G 14.4Mpbs found on T-Mobile's higher end smartphones, but download speeds were perfectly acceptable on the Android Market and in the web browser.

Price: Free to $79 with 2 year contact, $279 without contract

Websites: www.t-mobile.com, www.htc.com/us/

 

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Specs:

Display: HVGA 320 x 480 capacitive multi-touch display. Screen size diagonally: 3.2". Supports both portrait and landscape modes via accelerometer. Has an ambient light sensor.

Battery: 1230 mAh Lithium Ion rechargeable. Battery is user replaceable.

Performance: 600MHz Qualcomm MSM7227 processor. 512 megs RAM, 512 megs flash storage.

Size: 4.1 x 2.34 x 0.49 inches. Weight: 3.7 ounces.

Phone: GSM quad band with 3G HSDPA 5.76Mbps on the 1700/2100MHz bands.

Camera: 5 megapixel autofocus camera with LED flash.

Audio: Built in speaker, mic and 3.5mm standard stereo headphone jack.

Networking: Integrated WiFi 802.11b/g/n and Bluetooth 3.0.

Software: Android OS 2.3.3 Gingerbread with HTC Sense 2.1 software.

Expansion: 1 SDHC microSD card slot, 2 gig card included.

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