A Mini Touch Pro (1/3)
HTC S743 with Windows Mobile 6.1 Standard
INTRODUCTION
The non-touchscreen variety of Windows Mobile is becoming scarce these days, which is a shame because these class of devices are notorious for fantastic one-handed usability and top-notch performance. When we first learned about the HTC S740 and the US-destined S743, we were excited to see HTC take the design cues and some features from their flagship Touch Pro and bring it to a less-expensive, non-touchscreen device. In this review, we'll cover the HTC S743 in detail. Read on for more!
WHAT'S HOT
Let's talk specs. The S743 is running with a Qualcomm MSM7225 CPU clocking in at 528MHz. It has 256MB ROM and RAM, with microSD expansion behind the SIM card. It's an unlocked device with quadband GSM (850/900/1800/1900) and dualband UMTS (850/1900) with HSDPA and HSUPA. It has Bluetooth 2.0 +EDR, WiFi (b & g) and aGPS. On the back is a 3.1MP camera with no flash. Powering everything is a modest-sized 1000mAh battery. For even more specs, check out PDAdb.net.
(all images link to larger versions)
Here is the unboxing video in case you missed it. Like I mentioned in the video, the final packaging will be different than what you see here.
THE DEVICE
The S743 is a very shiny device with hard corners.
Though the device is relatively thick, it's narrow, so in-hand, it feels petite and nice.
Like the Touch Pro, the keyboard on the S743 slides to the left. When you open the keyboard, you get this quick launcher, which we'll cover later.
And here is a close up of the keys, which are wider than those of the Touch Pro, and have a similar feel. Because this is a smaller device, we don't get a dedicated number row up top - so they're embedded in the letters.
On the top of the device, we see the speaker and the light sensor.
Closer in on the keypad, we can see the tiny call start and call end keys. Also, we can get a sense for the beautiful symmetry that HTC has designed into the S743. Like the Touch Pro and Diamond, the area around the D-Pad is the system status light. If you have a new message, it will blink in white. If you're charging your device, the light will fade from top to bottom, and once it's charged, it will become solid. Nice touch!
This profile shot lets us see that the number keys are completely flat, which sadly makes them difficult to feel for without looking. The D-Pad is raised and thus easy to feel for.
On the top we have the on/off button. Since this is Windows Mobile Standard phone, pressing the power button doesn't put the device into standby - it brings up the Quick List that allows you to change phone profiles or lock the device.
On the bottom we have HTC's hybrid port for syncing and charging. It will work with all of your miniUSB connectors.
On the right side we have a camera button.
And on the other side, we have volume up/down rocker.
We get the same faceted rubbery backing on the S743 from the Touch Pro.
And we even get the sleek piece of brushed metal that surrounds the camera sensor. The camera takes images at 3.1MP, and doesn't have a flash. More on photo quality on the next page.
Taking off the easy-to-remove battery cover, we reveal the 1000mAh battery.
Yikes - to access the SIM card and microSD slot, you have to slide out the keyboard, and finagle with an annoying trap door. This means you'll have to turn off your device to swap microSD cards.
The keyboard is fully backlit...
...and so is the number pad.
Here is our hardware tour of the S743.
COMPARISONS
Here we have a shot comparing (from left to right) the Samsung BlackJack II, SE XPRIA X1, HTC S743, HTC Touch Pro, and Apple iPhone.
And here they are again in the reversed order, stacked.
Click onto page 2, where we'll cover software for the S743, plus gauge camera quality.
