Of all the Windows Phone 7 smartphones that were released during 2011, the HTC Titan stood out the most thanks to its huge 4.7 inch touch screen, which is the biggest there is on any phone running Microsoft’s operating system. But while the display was certainly impressive, the internal hardware specs leave a lot to be desired, with the Titan using a pretty mediocre (when compared to the other flagships on the market) single core 1.4 GHz Snapdragon processor, 512 MB of RAM and pretty much all the other normal hardware you’d expect from a mid-range smartphone – the Titan is not exactly flagship material, is what I’m saying.
Not wasting any time, HTC has announced the successor to the Titan, aptly named the Titan II, at CES 2012, and we should expect it to appear in stores in the following two months. So, does the newcomer improve upon its predecessor and introduce all the features that are missing, making for the perfect Windows Phone 7 smartphone? Sadly, that’s not really the case – the improvements are minor at best, so current Titan owners can rest easy knowing that their device is pretty much just as good as the new one.
Let’s start with the exterior – it’s safe to say that it hasn’t changed much, if at all. The Titan II still has the same overall design and finish as the first model, which isn’t bad per say (after all, it’s hard to make a slab smartphone more unique these days), but for the new year, HTC could’ve come up with something more unique for their flagship WP7 handset.
The main (and only) changes are on the inside – HTC has added an LTE radio for AT&T’s new 4G LTE network, obviously, and a huge 16 megapixels camera with a f/2.6 autofocus lens, backside illuminated sensor and dual LED flash. The latter is surprising, actually, since the second generation single core 1.5 GHz Snapdragon that powers the handset (the same one that’s in the first Titan) can only support up to 12 megapixels, so HTC must’ve used some of their own tech solution.
The 1600 mAh battery pack got an upgrade to a 1730 mAh one, and with the huge LCD display and 4G LTE radio, it’s going to need it, but as the Droid RAZR has shown, that will most likely not be enough to keep the phone running for more than 7-8 hours.
The other specs remain pretty much the same – 512 MB of DDR2 RAM, 16 GB of inbuilt storage space, the usual Wifi, Bluetooth, GPS, a sleuth of sensors, a front facing 1.3 megapixels camera and other standard stuff – except for the glaring omission of a HDMI out port – Windows Phone 7 doesn’t support that, either.
Speaking of which, the Windows Phone 7.5 Mango OS is exactly the same as on the previous Titan, with the same interface (which still looks and works great), features, apps and everything in between. It’s also highly likely that both Titans will receive the same exact updates, as well (unless AT&T pulls something off), so there’s no reason to switch to the new model because of the software.
Overall, while the 4G LTE and 16 megapixels camera are good improvements, they’re not enough to make people switch from the first Titan or any other Windows Phone 7 for that matter. If you’re just buying a new phone and want to go with one of the best handsets Windows Phone 7 has to offer, I suppose the Titan II would make a good purchase – just be aware that you will be getting a pretty abysmal battery life on 4G!
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