HTC Radar review

So HTC has pipped Nokia to the post here with not one, but two Windows Phone 7.5 smartphones up for grabs first. And although Android may have been HTC's bread and butter for the last few years, it's clear that it wants to keep its fingers in both pies.

The HTC Radar certainly looks pretty, and right now it's a straight tie between the Titan and the Radar from HTC's offerings. Which sells best depends on how much you value the camera and/or screen size, because that's all that really separates them. That and the £100+ price difference

We liked

The HTC Radar is a good, solid business handset with media offerings on top. It's more budget than the Titan but the software is 99.9% identical. Great Exchange integration, a not-too-shabby camera and top-notch battery life give it a big thumbs up.

We disliked

But it's also a contradiction in itself. How can you create a phone with great media potential that has such paltry storage space? Why would you make it so that the battery can't be removed and replaced? It's like HTC is deliberately trying to cripple its own product here. And while Exchange and Live users are OK, we find it difficult to excuse the obvious disregard for Google Mail and Calendar users.

Final verdict

We would love it if we could divide this review into two parts: one for the HTC Radar's build and calls and one for the operating system. Unfortunately we can't, so this all has to be mixed in together, which is why we're only able to give the HTC Radar 3.5 stars out of 5.

The build is top notch, and it feels like a good, solid device. But HTC's rubbish memory allowance and lack of battery is just too much for us. And the operating system is full of issues that should have been ironed out yet still rear their heads (Facebook chat still not working properly, Watch not working and so on).

If it's a straight choice between the HTC Titan and the HTC Radar, we'd recommend the HTC Radar every time, because it's so much better in terms of value for money.

But it still feels like a work in progress and, despite the fact we know this will upset Windows fans, we can't help feeling that it'd be better to wait for the next crop of handsets or updates before committing. After all, two years is a long time to be tied into a contract and Windows Phone is not a new platform any more, by any stretch of the imagination.