HTC vs HTC

With confidence brimming, Taiwanese phone manufacturer HTC has released not one, but two budget smartphones onto the Thai market recently - the Wildfire and the Aria. But has the company continued the strong work with the Android platform it established with the popular Hero and Legend releases?

Let's put the two new models up against each other to flesh out the differences between them, as well as the direction HTC might be heading in with future releases.

APPEARANCE

Most HTC models of the past have been praised for their simple and clean designs, and the Aria and Wildfire both continue this tradition. The Wildfire looks like a small version of the Desire, the Aria like a mini HD.

The Aria is lighter and smaller, but more plasticky, and while the dimensions of both are similar, the Wildfire is slightly bigger and 10g heavier at 120g. But its brushed metallic finish, seen on other HTC models, puts it ahead here.

A smartphone that weighs any less than this feels more of a toy walkie-talkie than a serious device.

FEATURES

Both models offer similar connectivity with 3G/HSPDA (7.2Mbps), Bluetooth 2.1 and Wi-Fi b/g - now standard for smartphones.

Both also feature a 3.2-inch TFT capacitive touch-screen, the Aria with a superior HVGA resolution, 256K colours at 320x480, which outshines the Wildfire with its QVGA screen, with 16 million colours at a resolution of 240x320.

Both feature a five megapixel camera with auto-focus, geotagging and video recording, but the Wildfire boasts a few more features such as smile detection and an LED flash, so edges ahead in the multimedia stakes.

PERFORMANCE

With not a lot separating the two phones at this stage, performance becomes a potential point of divergence. The Wildfire is driven by a Qualcomm MSM 7225 processor, clocked at 528MHz, which handles the Android 2.1 operating system without lag, while the Aria's superior 600MHz Qualcomm MSM 7227 chip splits the phones here.

Both models run the Android 2.1 operating system comfortably enough, but the Aria presents it better with its superior screen resolution.

Android 2.2, or Froyo, has only been rolled out in the Nexus One and Desire models at this stage, but has been rumoured to be heading the way of other HTC phones, and the Aria is better positioned for an upgrade with its superior spec.

Another point of divergence is the battery performance of the phones. The Wildfire is claimed to achieve eight hours of battery life with its 1,300mAh battery, two more than the Aria's 1,300 mAh unit offers - a difference that will be pivotal for active users who spend much of their day between charge points.

VERDICT

Price should and does come into any consumer buying decision, and the 3,000 baht difference between the two phones is not insubstantial. As the pricier model, the Aria should shine over the Wildfire in most aspects, and it does. But is it worth the extra?

The Aria offers superior screen resolution, CPU power and potential for software updates, but it loses in the battery life, price and external design stakes.

I'm not a heavy multimedia smartphone user, so the Wildfire emerged for me as the better choice between the two, but both models can hold their own at the budget end of the smartphone market.

And both phones offer promising signs for HTC as an Android-leaning smartphone player. The company seems committed to delivering reasonably priced, well-performing units and plays an important role in keeping the big players honest.