HTC Aria Review Online

HTC Aria, You Want It All, You Want It Small

The HTC Aria is compact, feature rich smartphone that runs on Android version 2.1 . Android is now live on AT&T with the new HTC Aria! OK, that may not be completely true since Motorola launched the Backflip on AT&Ts network a few months ago, but if any of you have actually played with that phone, you know that's it's likely the worst Android phone ever released in the U.S. market. Yes, you can get the Nexus One from Google that works with AT&T's 3G bands, but since you can't actually get the phone from AT&T, we're not going to count that one. The HTC Aria is the smallest Android phone from HTC to launch on this side of the pond, but that doesn't mean this phone is a slouch in any way.

So look, it's pretty obvious at first blush -- this is essentially an Android-infused HD Mini with a few chrome accents, a yellow interior (that no one will ever see, sadly) and a reworked button panel. While we certainly appreciated the HD Mini back at Mobile World Congress, we're going to hand the overall design award to the Aria; the silver faux screws on the rear, power strip at the top and volume rocker on the side are pure class, and the vivacious innards tickle us far more than they truly should. In a world where it's practically guaranteed that the next great smartphone will also be the most humongous smartphone, it's actually a breath of fresh air to see someone going in the opposite direction. The Aria is as cute and nimble as it is sexy, a lovely combination that we weren't sure existed prior to writing this review.

The 3.2 inch 320 X 480 HVGA capacitive screen on the HTC Aria is the same size and resolution as what many are used to from the Dream, Magic, and Hero, but the smaller body of the phone makes the screen look and feel deceptively smaller. The phone itself measures in at 11.7 x 57.7 x 103.8mm and weighs only 115 grams. While numbers don't seem too impressive, the Aria's length is nearly 10mm less than the HTC Magic.

Spesification

Network

Phone Network   3G, EDGE, GPRS, GSM, HSDPA (3G)

Service   850, 900, 1800, 1900

Connectivity

Bluetooth   v2.1 with A2DP

Infrared   No

Wi-Fi (WLAN)   Yes

USB   YesMicroUSB v2.0

Fax / Data  Yes

Display

Main display   Color TFT capacitive touchscreen

Color display   256.000 colors

Dimensions   3.2 in.

Resolution   320 x 480 pixels

External display No

Memory

Internal memory   384MB

External memory   32GB

Memory slots   1

Storage types   MicroSD, MicroSDHC

Basic

Battery   Standard battery, Li-Ion 1200 mAh

Standby time   372 hours

Talk time   6 hours

Camera

Camera   Yes

Megapixels   5 megapixels

Maximum photo  resolution 2592x1944 pixels

Digital zoom   Yesx

Optical zoom   No

Auto focus   Yes

Flash   No

Recording video   Yes

Second (front) camera  No

Messaging

SMS   Yes

MMS   Yes

T9 text function   Yes

E-mail   Yes

Internet browsing  Yes

Entertainment

FM radio   N/A

Java   Yes

Audio player   AAC, MP3, WAV

Video player   H264, MP4

Features

Add ringtones Yes

Organiser   Organiser, Voice memo

Video call   No

Other features  Android OS, v2.1 (Eclair), Qualcomm MSM 7227 600MHz, Dedicated search key, A-GPS support, 3.5 mm audio jack, Accelerometer sensor auto rotation, Proximity sensor, Optical trackpad, Touch sensitive controls, HTC Sense UI, Geo-tagging