Verizon Customers may say, "It's about time" with regards to the release of the HTC Trophy but I think they will be very pleased with their first Windows Phone 7 device. The Trophy completes the Windows Phone coverage for the major U.S. Wireless Carriers and isn't a shabby addition to the Windows Phone line up.
We had the opportunity to get our hands on an HTC Trophy for a few days and the Windows Phone made a nice first impression. The phone felt good in the hand, had a nice design to it, and the 3.8" screen looked good. To see if our first impression was changed much after using the Trophy for a few days, make the jump past the break.
Design
While the HTC Trophy has a solid feel to it, there's not much flash to the phone's design. The phone has a black matte finish with just a hint of chrome accent around the screen. While it may be conservative in appearance, I think the phone looks really nice.
The tell of the tape has the Trophy coming in at 4.67 x 2.42 x .47 inches and weighing 4.9 ounces. The Trophy compares closest to the HTC Surround that comes in at 4.71 x 2.42 x .51 and 5.82 ounces.
Controls are laid out with the volume button resting on the left side along with the microUSB port. The camera button is the sole control resting on the right side with the power button and 3.5mm jack at the top of the phone.
To the rear of the phone is the 5mp camera, LED light and speaker.
With regards to fit and feel, the Trophy gets good marks. The phone is compact and light enough to make pocket carry comfortable. The control layout is a little on the unique side but more so something to get used to than something that is an issue. Volume, power, and camera buttons were responsive and didn't feel soft.
Screen
The Trophy sports a 3.8" 480x800 WVGA screen. It is very receptive to the touch and looks nice. At first, the screen appeared to have a touch more contrast than other WVGA screens. It's not as vibrant as the Super AMOLED screens but I'm discovering that some color schemes pop out better on the LCD screens, such as the Verizon red.
Regardless, the Trophy has a very good screen with respect to image quality and video playback.
Software
The one nice thing about Windows Phone 7 is the consistency with respect to the software running on these phones. The Trophy has your typical HTC Windows Phone 7 setup with the HTC Hub. For the record, the Trophy is running OS version 7.0.7389.0 and firmware version 2305.06.10322.605.
The HTC Sound Enhancer and Photo Enhancer are pre-installed and there is also a My Verizon Mobile app installed. The My Verizon app appears to be similar to the AT&T MyWireless App that gives you access to your wireless account information (minutes use, data usage, billing information, etc.). As with the AT&T apps, the Verizon app can be uninstalled.
One pleasant surprise was the presence of a pre-installed versions of Slacker Radio and Netflix. Granted it doesn't take much effort to download either from the Marketplace but having them preloaded saves you a little time in setting up the phone.
Under the Hood
The HTC Trophy is fitted with the customary 1ghz Snapdragon processor that moves things alone nicely. Easily on par with other Windows Phones.
The Trophy has 16gb of storage on board with 576mb RAM and 512mb ROM. The 16gb's of storage is well buried under the hood to prevent temptation.
A 1300mah battery powers the Trophy and gets respectable mileage. With moderate usage (email, web browsing, games, voice calls) the phone makes it through the day with about 15ish percent of the power left. Should this not be enough, there is an 2150mah extended battery available for the Trophy.
Camera
The Trophy is fitted with a 5mp camera that has both video and still image capability. For the most part, the camera software is similar to camera software on any other Windows Phone camera. You've got a handful of scenes (portrait, landscapes, sports, beach, etc.), effects/filters (grayscale, negative, sepia and solarize), resolution, metering mode and flicker adjustment.
There isn't an anti-shaking or image stabilization setting. The LED is your typical camera light that is good for a focus assist lamp and for flash light apps. It's really not great for photos.
The one stand out with regards to the camera function is the Trophy's camera button. The button is oversized which makes it easy to access. It's not too large to accidentally activate the camera but large enough that the camera is more comfortable/easier to use.
Still Images
The HTC Trophy produces nice snapshots that are on par with other phone cameras with regards to quality. I did get a little haze and color cast with some of the photos but nothing to be concerned about. You can generate decent "straight from the phone" pictures and nice photos with the help of a photo editor.
Note: Only editing performed on images was to resize them for publication.
Video Performance
The Trophy can record video in three formats, blah, VGA and 720p HD. Video quality, as with still images, was good and on par with other phone cameras.
Overall, the Trophy has a decent camera. Nothing to jump up and down about but nice enough to satisfy your basic snapshot needs.
Phone Performance
As far as a phone goes, the Trophy performed nicely. Call quality receives all around good marks. The speaker was the weakest performer with regards to call quality. Using the speaker phone option, call volume was a little on the muffled side.
One nice thing I found about the Trophy was the vibrating alarm is distinctive. I've commented on this before but with Windows Phone 7, the vibrating alarm has taken a step back from the Windows Mobile days. I'm in situations all day when I don't need the AT&T jingle disturbing things. With the HTC HD7S and Trophy, the Windows Phone vibrating alarms is getting there.
As a phone, the HTC Trophy is a good choice. I wouldn't rely on it too much for a speaker phone but as a handset, it gets good marks. Oh... Bluetooth performance through the Jabra Cruiser II was good and on par with other Windows Phones I've used.
Overall Impression
The easiest way to describe the Trophy is that it's the HTC Surround without the slide out speaker. It's a very nice Windows Phone that Verizon customers will be pleased with.
Sure, it lacks a 4" screen but the 3.8" screen isn't too shabby. The design of the Trophy looks good and the phone is comfortable in the hand. The curved corners and sides help not only make the phone feel good, but helps with the phone's pocketability.
Battery life is respectable and call quality good. The camera will do and I really like the larger camera button. It's a refreshing change from the thin, hard to press buttons on other Windows Phones. The Trophy could benefit from an improved back speaker. What's in place will do but you're going to have to turn off the car stereo, get the kids to be quiet and roll up the windows to hear it.
While I'm partial to the larger screened Windows Phones (Samsung Focus, HTC HD7s) if the Trophy was the only game in town, I wouldn't hesitate to snatch one up.
Last we saw, the phone was going for $199.99 through Verizon after discounts but there are other deals out there (AmazonWireless lists it for a penny). If you're a Verizon customer looking to make the move to a Windows Phone or a Windows Phone fanatic moving to Verizon, the HTC Trophy might be a pleasant surprise.
