HTC Incredible S - Review

“An old edition of Android and a single-core processer mean the Incredible S isn’t incredible, yet the device still embodies everything that’s great about HTC smartphones”

Google Android overlaid with HTC Sense

The touchscreen is very responsive

You probably already expect your smartphone to be ‘smart’ in numerous ways, so buy a new one called the “Incredible” and you’d probably expect it to be pretty darn incredible, right?

Well the HTC Incredible S instantly blew me away with its incredible looks - a funky ridged battery cover coated in a palm-friendly rubbery coating.

The phone only has two buttons - a power button and a volume rocker - because Home, Menu, Back and Search are touch-sensitive icons rather than physical keys.

I loved how these icons, which normally point upwards, flipped to point left when I turned the phone anti-clockwise. I only wish they did the same when twisting the phone clockwise.

The Incredible S doesn’t have one unique killer feature, it’s more an amalgamation of all the best features of HTC smartphones.

While this means that Incredible S is an excellent smartphone, it doesn’t mean it’s an incredible one.

Incredible S(black) £0.00

500 min 1500 texts

£25.00

This is because HTC stupidly has left off three features with the potential to help this smartphone truly live up to its name.

Firstly, HTC has installed an old version of Google’s Android operating system (OS) on the Incredible S.

Running “Froyo” rather than the more recent “Gingerbread” Android OS isn’t the end of the world, yet does mean the phone misses out on Gingerbread’s refined user interface, improved on-screen keypad and copy/paste feature.

Flash support

An odd but funky backcover

It’s worth remembering, though, that HTC may push Gingerbread - or even its rumoured “Ice-cream sandwich” successor - onto the smartphone as a free update in the future.

My second gripe with Incredible S is that it doesn’t have a dual-core processor to help it better handle multiple apps, high-resolution videos, games and so on.

The Samsung Galaxy S II and LG Optimus 3D both do though, so are more worthy of an incredible accolade in my view.

My third and final gripe with the Incredible S is that it doesn’t have an “AMOLED” screen. The Samsung Omnia 7 does and on-screen content looks all the better for it.

Though videos and pictures looked bright and colourful on the Incredible S, they lacked the pizzazz that an AMOLED screen could have delivered.

Speaking of pictures, the 8Mp camera on the Incredible S took decent images. Dual LEDs make the phone ideal for shooting friends in pubs, if you’ll pardon the pun, while in everyday situations the camera also performed well.

HTC has installed some useful everyday features on the Incredible S. For example, I loved being able to silence incoming calls by turning the phone face down and having it ring louder when in my pocket - incredible!

Web access is as good as you’d expect of a top-end smartphone. Though I must express my fondness for the phone’s “Quick Lookup” tool that let me highlight words and then, with a single click, search for related content across Google, You Tube and Wikipedia.

Wireless DLNA streaming

Image quality was good in all situations

The HTC Incredible S isn’t as email orientated as its HTC Desire Z cousin - which has a physical keypad - it still does a good job by merging multiple email accounts into one colour-coded folder. Its touchscreen keypad is also easy to type on.

If reading is more your thing then you’ll like HTC’s pre-loaded selection of classic novels, which include Jack London’s White Fang and Lewis Caroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland.

The phone’s admirable screen size - 4in - means reading the novels wasn’t too difficult. But unlike the specially designed screens of e-readers, such as Amazon’s Kindle, the glare and brightness of the phone’s screen hurt my eyes after long reading periods.

Prolonged reading, surfing and Facebooking also quickly drains the battery. Otherwise the Incredible S was able to see the day out without a recharge.

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