[Quick Review] HTC Rezound

[WenWM]

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The HTC Rezound was released as the first phone in the world to come with Beats Audio software and headphones, but is it really top of the line? The Rezound was released just a few weeks ahead of the Galaxy Nexus, meaning that most of the press it could’ve received was over-shadowed by rumors of the Galaxy Nexus being released. The specs of the device are somewhat on-par with that of the Galaxy Nexus, but deserve a closer look. Let’s review the Rezound and see if it’s worth being priced in the same range as the new pure Android phone.

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Overview:
Before I received this phone, I already had some preconceived notions of how awesome it might be, but boy was I off—it was even better. Taking the phone out of the box, the device feels like great quality hardware. Unlike the Galaxy Nexus, it has a little weight to it and feels like it can handle a few drops, rather than something I won with my new box of Cheerios. The material it’s made of is a high grade plastic and shows off the black and red colors representing the Beats by Dre presence. When you turn the screen on, you’ll be instantly amazed by how vivid, clear, and high quality the screen looks. This is because the display is actually 720p with 361ppsi, which basically means the screen can produce better quality than your eyes can even see—amazing stuff.

[video=youtube;Lt17TP7XDBY]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lt17TP7XDBY[/video]
Watch in 1080p for full quality

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The camera on this device is even more impressive; consisting of an 8 megapixel back-lit camera with a dual led camera. The quality pictures it produces are "top of the line" and were used for my Galaxy Nexus review.

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For those of you curious about the Beats Audio software; try playing a song or a movie and you'll notice a difference. The software makes everything sound crystal clear and adds a little more bass to the content. If you like hip-hop music, the Beats by Dre headphones along with the software make the music sound amazing. You will not hear a huge difference in sound quality, but it will subtly make music playback even more enjoyable.

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The antenna used in this phone seems better than any other phones I’ve ever used; speed tests against other devices always ended with the Rezound showing at least 5MB/s better speeds. The only downside to the hardware is the thickness, but most people can overlook that—I sure did.

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When discussing the software, it’s not quite as impressive as the hardware, but still capable. The device comes with Android 2.3 Gingerbread software, so you’re getting last year’s software with next year’s hardware. The Rezound comes with great additional software, however. This is, of course, excluding the the bloatware Verizon pre-installed. The phone’s natural user interface is the current version of Sense, and comes with tons of animations to make the UI seem more amazing. Aside from the HTC overlay, this is basically Android 2.3 at its best. The dual-core processor makes everything run smoother than butter, including task switching, web browsing, picture taking, and just about all everyday tasks. The camera software is actually a nice touch. It makes the great pictures taken with the 8 megapixel camera look even more vibrant. The only thing that could make this phone better would be updating it to Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich.

Here's the breakdown:

Good:

• HD 720p resolution and 361 ppsi
• Blazing fast 1.5 Ghz Dual-core processor
• Amazing Camera Quality
• Fast LTE 4G
• Nice Beats By Dre Headphones and Software
• Great built quality
• Nice battery life (LTE Standard)

Bad:

• Not Android 4.0
• Camera quality could be improved
• No hard camera button
• Price

Ratings:

10/10: Speed and Multitasking
10/10: Camera Quality
10/10: Browsing Experience
10/10: Music Playback
9/10: Build Quality
7/10: Size
10/10: Network
7/10: Pricing
9/10: Overall Rating
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Would I buy it?
The Rezound certainly would’ve been perfect in my books if it had Android 4.0, but considering it doesn’t have it, that’s a markdown. I can say thanks to all the additional software and great hardware, it’s a great option, but I honestly wouldn’t buy it. The buttons, thickness, and overlays make the move to Android 4.0 a harder tasks than we might think.

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Recommend it?
Yes; for now it’s a great device to get, but if you put the future into perspective and the possibility of the same great hardware being put into a button-less Android 4.0 device, you might want to consider holding off for a bit.

Photos Taken With Galaxy Nexus

 

[loki993]

Hows the call quality?

 

[gthotie5]

I like this guy.
Many people seem to overlook the build quality of a device, why?
If i'm going to spend $300 on a phone it better feel like a $300 phone not a cheap toy.

 

[warped1987]

I effing love HTC phones over all other. I like me a nice thick, heavier than normal phones. Why would people want something like the Moto Razr? It's ridic. I love my little HTC Dinc2 but I'm in dire need of the newer technology, 4G and Dual Core are driving me crazy not having it.

 

[BenRx]

Hows the call quality?

Excellent

 

[RETG]

"The buttons, thickness, and overlays make the move to Android 4.0 a harder tasks than we might think."


If the 'overlays' are in reference to HTC Sense, I understand. However, I fail to see how thickness would have anything to do with 4.0, and even the buttons should not be an issue since 4.0 will run on phones with buttons.
So, what exactly do you mean?

 

[Malkavian]

Rezound and Loving it.

I got the Rezound after having a Droid 1 for almost 2 years. I got it about 6 months after it came out, old news.

This phone basically kicked my Droid 1 out into the snow.

I went with the Rezound over the Nexus because of a few things. The nexus is lite. I personally like a phone with a bit of substance and feel to it. The Nexus also didn't have a removable memory card where the Rezound does. And the memory card is upgradable from 16 to 32 GB. With the Nexus you have 1GB Ram and either a 16GB or 32GB internal. With the Rezound you have 1GB Ram, 16GB internal and 16 or 32 GB external. I can pull the card, slide it into my laptop, transfer a movie and put it back in the phone. Simple as that. You can't do that with the Nexus.

About Ice Cream Sandwich. I never like to be the first to have a new operating system. I can write software and trust me when you start running it in the real world, all kinds of bugs start popping up that you just can't really replicate in testing. Not saying there is anything wrong with ICS or it's programmers, I'm just saying nothing is perfect fresh out of the box. Plus rumors state that HTC is suppose to release ICS for the Rezound sometime in the first half of 2012. I can wait a few months.

As for the bloatware from Verizon. Yes I agree it sucks. I have certain programs that run that I don't use and have no intention of using...ever, I try to keep them off. I wish Verizon would either allow you to remove them or allow you to take the phone back to Verizon and have them remove the programs after you have owned the phone for say 30 days. You already own the phone and it is out of the return period, it's yours now. The only time you could get a new phone is if something were to happen to your current phone. Have the person sign a waiver or something stating that they have requested to have these programs removed from their phone.

You know people keep saying people should be allowed to choose what they want, I believe that should be able to extend to a phone. PC manufacturers have been doing it for years, but at least you can remove the crap. <Off soap box>

A friend of mine has the ThunderBolt and he suggested I get the extended battery. I'm glad I did. 4G will suck the life out of your battery. I personally leave mine in 3G for day to day operation and Wifi when I'm at home. I can go for about 14 hours from unplug to plugin. Power is usually at about 20% or below when I plug it in before bed. My D1 was up to 3 charges a day. The extended battery does add some weight to the phone and is only a few millimeters thicker than my D1. This I can live with.

The processor is faster than the Nexus. 1.5 Ghz on the Rezound compared to 1.2 Ghz on the Nexus isn't really a lot and most would not see the 300 Mhz difference. Funny thing is I have an old computer in my garage that runs slower than my phone.

The Beats Audio, is really cool except it only works in the native music app. I like to listen to Pandora so I downloaded an equalizer and have pretty much made the same adjustments to make the bass that Beats does. The headset is good quality. I have dropped them on the desk a few time. Haven't determine how they will do when I'm out riding my bike with them in. Searching for a good bluetooth headset for riding.

The phone is so much better than my D1. I was going to go with the Bionic or the TB, but when I heard this was coming out I narrowed the choices to the Rezound or the Nexus, Rezound won.

I have really found no major faults with this phone, everything is better than what I had. A few things are annoying, but I can work around certain things.

Later
Michael

 

[gbt]

Rezound owner here

I did a ton of research. Picked up the Rezound because it seemed top dog outside of the (then) yet to be released Galaxy Nexus, knowing Verizon allows exchange of holiday purchases through Jan 15, 2012. Been VERY happy with the Rezound. Battery life better than I expected, camera rivals my wife's iPhone 4S, screen is excellent and speed of both OS and LTE is over-the-top good. Having both read about and talked to people with the GN as well as playing with it in person, I'm sticking with the Rezound unless Samsung/Verizon finds a magic bullet to fix the many GN issues before Jan 15. My Rezound has exceeded my expectations, which is not easy to do. IMO, the Rezound is the most undermarketed and underrated phone out right now. Much preferred to my wife's work issued 4S in both of our opinions.

 

[sn2hotty]

I got the Rezound after having a Droid 1 for almost 2 years. I got it about 6 months after it came out, old news.

This phone basically kicked my Droid 1 out into the snow.

I went with the Rezound over the Nexus because of a few things. The nexus is lite. I personally like a phone with a bit of substance and feel to it. The Nexus also didn't have a removable memory card where the Rezound does. And the memory card is upgradable from 16 to 32 GB. With the Nexus you have 1GB Ram and either a 16GB or 32GB internal. With the Rezound you have 1GB Ram, 16GB internal and 16 or 32 GB external. I can pull the card, slide it into my laptop, transfer a movie and put it back in the phone. Simple as that. You can't do that with the Nexus.

About Ice Cream Sandwich. I never like to be the first to have a new operating system. I can write software and trust me when you start running it in the real world, all kinds of bugs start popping up that you just can't really replicate in testing. Not saying there is anything wrong with ICS or it's programmers, I'm just saying nothing is perfect fresh out of the box. Plus rumors state that HTC is suppose to release ICS for the Rezound sometime in the first half of 2012. I can wait a few months.

As for the bloatware from Verizon. Yes I agree it sucks. I have certain programs that run that I don't use and have no intention of using...ever, I try to keep them off. I wish Verizon would either allow you to remove them or allow you to take the phone back to Verizon and have them remove the programs after you have owned the phone for say 30 days. You already own the phone and it is out of the return period, it's yours now. The only time you could get a new phone is if something were to happen to your current phone. Have the person sign a waiver or something stating that they have requested to have these programs removed from their phone.

You know people keep saying people should be allowed to choose what they want, I believe that should be able to extend to a phone. PC manufacturers have been doing it for years, but at least you can remove the crap.

A friend of mine has the ThunderBolt and he suggested I get the extended battery. I'm glad I did. 4G will suck the life out of your battery. I personally leave mine in 3G for day to day operation and Wifi when I'm at home. I can go for about 14 hours from unplug to plugin. Power is usually at about 20% or below when I plug it in before bed. My D1 was up to 3 charges a day. The extended battery does add some weight to the phone and is only a few millimeters thicker than my D1. This I can live with.

The processor is faster than the Nexus. 1.5 Ghz on the Rezound compared to 1.2 Ghz on the Nexus isn't really a lot and most would not see the 300 Mhz difference. Funny thing is I have an old computer in my garage that runs slower than my phone.

The Beats Audio, is really cool except it only works in the native music app. I like to listen to Pandora so I downloaded an equalizer and have pretty much made the same adjustments to make the bass that Beats does. The headset is good quality. I have dropped them on the desk a few time. Haven't determine how they will do when I'm out riding my bike with them in. Searching for a good bluetooth headset for riding.

The phone is so much better than my D1. I was going to go with the Bionic or the TB, but when I heard this was coming out I narrowed the choices to the Rezound or the Nexus, Rezound won.

I have really found no major faults with this phone, everything is better than what I had. A few things are annoying, but I can work around certain things.

Later
Michael

I agree 100%. I also came from a rooted Droid 1, and I have owned a Rezound for about a month. This phone is amazing. People are SO caught up in the G-Nex having ICS, that they overlook the fact that THIS phone has BETTER hardware. OK, so it's not vanilla, and can't be rooted (yet), but right now, I don't NEED root. As stated previously, this phone *will* get ICS, and when it does, it will be a better phone than the Galaxy Nexus. In fact, another reviewer on another site (I think I read it on Cnet?), stated that without Ice Cream Sandwich, the Galaxy Nexus is "just another phone". If I remember where I read it, I will post it here.

In my opinion, this is the most under-rated, under-hyped, overlooked phone in Verizon's current lineup! I have no regrets going with this phone. I see the commercials on TV for the Rezound, and sometimes I wish they would stop putting all the emphasis on Beats (OK, it's nice, but it's not everything!), and focus more on the phone's other features that make it awesome (1.5 dual-core, 720p screen, awesome camera, etc).

Well said, Michael!

Sent from my ADR6425LVW using DroidForums

 

[bazar6]

I like it's battery picked up a spare and put it in my Thunderbolt :icon_ banana:
Great write up! If I were in the market I would really look at this phone. But since that's not going to happen for another year and a half, I'll have to take your word on how awesome it is.

Despite the Nexus being out, VZW is still advertising this pretty heavy alongside the Razr, and the GNex is slowly picking up (saw a commercial of it with G+ for the first time yesterday).

 

[jhev1]

The Good: Amazing Camera Quality
The Bad: Camera quality could be improved
Camera 10/10

??? Not to be a stickler, but either the camera is amazing or it could be improved. If it needs improvement, then really it shouldn't be a 10/10 since that implies perfection. I'm only asking because I want to replace my Droid Charge and use the camera a lot.

 

[sn2hotty]

The Good: Amazing Camera Quality
The Bad: Camera quality could be improved
Camera 10/10

??? Not to be a stickler, but either the camera is amazing or it could be improved. If it needs improvement, then really it shouldn't be a 10/10 since that implies perfection. I'm only asking because I want to replace my Droid Charge and use the camera a lot.

I thought the same thing when I read that. Contradicts itself. Well, I can attest to the camera being awesome. This thing takes amazing pictures. No worries there. Check it out in the store if you have reservations, though. However I think you will be happy with the results. Personally I would rate the camera at 10.

Sent from my ADR6425LVW using DroidForums

 

[bigsnack]

Maybe it is good for a camera phone, but the reviewer wants it to be more along the quality of the Nokia N8.