It’s a little hard to size up a smartphone like the HTC Wildfire when you’ve been using its better sibling (HTC Desire) and given it good marks. Check out our full review of the HTC Wildfire after the jump.
However, if you take into consideration the price point at which the Wildfire has been set, it would definitely be a good contender for an entry-level Android phone.
Then again, when you compare the specs of the HTC Hero against the Wildfire, you’d realize they’re like fraternal twins, separated only by wide gap in the retail price (~Php15k vs. Php22k) and an odd form factor.
The Wildfire follows the same great design and construction as most of HTC’s Android smartphones to date — thin, sleek with a combination of matte and glossy finish all around. The plastic back panel also has a band of brushed-metal finish on the middle part to give it an elegant design accent.
The bottom section has a bit of a subtly curved end — not as much as the Legend or Hero but more like that of the Desire. The circular optical trackpad is smack in the center at the bottom end with a row of touchpad-engraved buttons just above it — similar to the ones we’ve seen on the Google Nexus One.
The display is bright but not too crisp and while that LCD screen does the job well, I missed the AMOLED display quality of the Desire or even the resolution of the Legend or the Hero. Still, the brightness level of the screen looks better than any of the units in the Xperia X10 line we’ve tried.
The Wildfire is HTC’s comes with Android 2.1 Eclair pre-installed and despite the conservative processing power, the handset seems snappy and fairly responsive. You get 7 panels or homescreens on the HTC Sense UI. Check the short video clip below and how it looks like.
The smaller screen real estate did have an impact on the on-screen virtual keyboard — looks a bit cramp so texting could be a challenge if you’re used to bigger screens. You get used to it in time though so it’s not a big issue.
HTC Wildfire specs:
Qualcomm MSM 7225 528MHz processor
3.2″ TFT display @ 240×320 pixels
384MB RAM, 512MB ROM
up to 32GB via microSD
WiFi 802.11 b/g
Bluetooth 2.1 w/ A2DP
3G/HSDPA 7.2 Mbps
5MP autofocus camera w/ LED flash
FM Radio with RDS
GPS w/ aGPS support
1300mAh Li-Ion battery
The specs on the Wildfire is actually decent and complete with all the necessary connectivity options. There’s not much internal storage here (384MB) but expansion via microSD up to 32GB is possible (card sold separately).
The HTC Wildfire comes in a variety of colors — black, brown, red and white. We especially liked the red one.
The built-in 5MP camera isn’t impressive but somewhat decent. The AF works but has a hard time to focus on subjects especially on low light conditions. Video capture didn’t perform as well too. It’s got the same over-all performance as the HTC Desire we tested here.
Battery life is also not impressive. The unit barely lasts 2 days on a single charge with light internet use and normal voice/SMS use.
What really made the HTC Wildfire and attractive smartphone, aside from the solid construction and design, is the price-point of the handset. The introductory price is almost half that of it’s better sibling, the HTC Desire. Even the similarly spec-ed HTC Hero was first sold at Php33,999 back in December.
The Wildfire’s suggested retail price of Php17,500 (with some stores selling it for as low as Php15,000) makes it an attractive buy for an entry-level Android handset. It’s not the cheapest in its category but the combination of a good set of specs and solid design puts it near the top of the heap for an affordable Android smartphone.
hi yuga. im considering buying an htc desire. but having second thoughts on waiting na lng for iphone4. any enlightenment?
i just want to know if i can make video calls using the htc wildfire im planning to buy it sana? if you purchase it on cash basis you can get it at 15990 at htc booth in sm fairview if installment at 16990 0 interest for 6 months via bdo credit card. while some sell it at 15500 cash
i juST wanna i f i can make video calls using htcwild fire?
hi, jst wondering, do u know wer can i purchase a red one?! the ones in d store are mostly black.
thanks. i’ll appreciate an immediate reponse. thanks thanks
where can i buy htc wildfire? but not online. thanks!
@john ray – sorry didn’t get one. will try to post something.
@patricia – so far, there’s no problem with the weather app.
Sir yuga! do you have problems with the htc sense weather detecting your current location? mine says im in china even if im in mindanao ;(
do you have a pic of how crampy the onscreen keyboard is?
@bench – if you’re planning to get a new phone in March of next year pa (almost 6 months away).. you probably won’t be looking at the Wildfire or the Desire.. by then something else would have come down the pipe to have boys drooling for new toys..
Just like laptops, 6 months in this industry is old and new models would have come to take center stage..
@HTC Fan – Like Abe said, if its just a couple of thousand pesos it’s a no brainer.. the Legend is a much better phone.. but correct me if I’m mistaken, the Legend currently costs much more than the 15k they’re asking for the Wildfire. If you found one brand-new under 20k then I think it’s a steal and that you should get it.. now.. now na..
@Manong – well not many Android phones have a front facing camera so you essentially narrowed down your local choices na to the Galaxy S. Personally, it’s not a big deal for me since I never used the smaller camera in my last two phones.
and oh.. If I turn the wifi off when there isn’t one in the area, I can get over 2 days on my Android.
this is the phone i wanted to buy…happy nko sa tattoo ko but i needed a bigger screen..so by next year march nko bili ng new htc…either wildfire or desire…either way both of them are nice options..
Just got the Galaxy 5 for 10,400 for my Mom. Has 7 homescreens, as opposed to the 3 of the Spica at 2.1 (will have to check if it can be added, though)
Snappy phone, indeed. It’s got the feel of a Corby phone, but pretty easy to use. It also has Swype. But the screen is pretty small.
If I’d buy another phone after losing my Spica, I’d choose my Spica again, then root it to multitouch. ;)
Are there really that many apps that won’t/can’t run on the wildfire due to the resolution of its screen? I’ve been thinking about getting this or the desire, and among the biggest points is not just the screen size but the compatibility of apps because of the screen resolution. I know it’s weird to be comparing the two but if i can get away with spending 10 thousand less on an android phone with not too great a dip in the performance then why not?
On a side note, does anyone know how much the open line galaxy s will cost?
On
Hmmm according to the htc website: http://www.htc.com/www/press.aspx?id=137414&lang=1033
[HTC Wildfire is the first Telstra smartphone to feature Swypeâ„¢ text input technology. Swype allows customers to glide their finger across a virtual keyboard to spell words, rather than tapping out each letter. This can make it even faster to compose emails, text messages and to search the web.]
It appears, only units coming from Australia have this feature.
SE XPERIA X10 mini/pro looks cute….now I’m having a hard time choosing a mid-range android phone. Maybe yuga can make a comparison between HTC wildfire, Samsung galaxy spica and SE xperia x10 mini pro? They’re pretty much in the same price range, though I’m not sure if all can be upgraded?
Thanks, Abe. That’s good news. I was beginning to wonder already if they’ll ever sell it because it was originally reported that the open-line ones will be available at the end of July. Thanks again.
Hi Abe,
Off-topic. Any news of the open-line Galaxy S? Thanks.
@cebuano – read on the newspaper earlier that Samsung has released open-line Galaxy S today. Maybe the device is selling like hotcakes over at Globe they ran out of units.
@otrebzki – nope, no update yet.
@ErickZ – nope, only saw that on the Galaxy S.
@HTC Fan – if it’s just a couple thousand pesos, I’d go for the Legend.
@NonesenseLife – if you have a laptop or a PC already, go for a smartphone.
@islacom, what 2 shops has the best HTC desire price? And how much. Thanks.
Hi Abe,
Is the Swypeâ„¢ text input technology feature comes pre-installed?