Sliding Into Home Base: The T-Mobile myTouch 4G Slide Reviewed

Sliding Into Home Base: The T-Mobile myTouch 4G Slide Reviewed
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Sliding Through 4G

The myTouch series has always had a Slide version that follows up shortly after the original, and the myTouch 4G is no exception. The myTouch 4G Slide is the keyboard carrying follow up to the myTouch 4G released through T-Mobile. It takes on the design from the original myTouch 4G and adds on the Slide flairs found on the myTouch 3G slide.

T-Mobile myTouch 4G Slide Specifications

  • Dimensions: 4.8 inches x 2.4 inches x 0.52 inches (122 x 61 x 13.2 mm)
  • Weight: 6.5 oz (184 g)
  • Display: 3.7 inch LCD capacitive touchscreen display, 480 x 800 pixels
  • Memory: 1 GB and expandable up to 32 GB via MicroSD slot
  • OS: Android OS 2.3
  • Processor: Dual core 1.2 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon MSM8260
  • Camera: 8 megapixel camera (2 Cameras, 1 front facing)
  • Connectivity: GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900
  • Data: EDGE, HSPA+
  • Bluetooth: Bluetooth 3.0+HS
  • GPS: GPS with A-GPS
  • Battery: Li-Ion 1520 mAh

Design and Display (4 out of 5)

myTouch 4G Slide Reviewed

The myTouch 4G Slide carries over many of the design characteristics from the original myTouch 4G. Dominating the front of the phone is a 3.7 inch LCD display that is vibrant and colorful. The viewing angles on the display aren’t as wide as the Super AMOLED Plus screens found on the Samsung Galaxy S2, but it’s still decent. Beneath the display are the four Android shortcut keys for home, menu, back and a Genius button. Below that is a small trackpad that is a rare instance in newer Android smartphones, but originally existed on the G1.

Along the left edge resides the volume rocker and microUSB. Opposite, along the right edge, resides a dedicated camera button. Up top resides the 3.5 mm headphone jack and the power / lock button. Above the display is a small front facing camera for video chatting. Rounding out the back is an 8 megapixel camera with dual LED flash. Once the display is slid to the side, a full physical keyboard in landscape reveals itself.

Performance (5 out of 5)

The Slide comes with a dual core processor clocking in at 1.2 GHz each which powers a preloaded version of Android 2.3. HTC’s Sense UI is overlayed on top of Android 2.3. The speeds on the 4G Slide are fantastic, with touch gestures shifting from screen to screen with no noticeable lag. Applications, even processor heavy applications, load and close quickly on the myTouch 4G Slide.

Call quality is also fantastic, with no echo or distortion for incoming calls and outgoing calls. The data speeds found on the smartphone are also impressive, thanks to the phone being able to connect to T-Mobile’s HSPA+ 4G network. One thing to note however, is that 4G coverage largely depends upon location and T-Mobile is known to have lesser coverage in more rural areas. The battery performance was decent, able to last a little under 2 days with regular usage, including calls, browsing and watching videos.

User Interface (4 out of 5)

The phone is very easy to use as it utilizes Android as the operating system.

myTouch 4G Slide Reviewed - Keyboard

On top of Android, HTC has enhanced the user experience with Sense UI, which helps to add color and a more friendly and unique user interface on top. While there are people who prefer stock Android for the ability to gain the next update faster, Sense UI is actually not a bad overlay. It will however cause the next update of Android to come out slower.

The great part of the user interface is the physical keyboard. It’s actually a very nicely design keyboard that is responsive, tactile and has quite a bit of room between the keys. Compared to the keyboard found on the Samsung Epic 4G, the keyboard on the myTouch 4G Slide is actually a touch better.

Features (5 out of 5)

myTouch 4G Slide Reviewed - Features

The 4G Slide comes equipped with a great 8 megapixel camera with dual LED flash that takes high quality pictures and fantastic video. The picture quality is sharp with nice contrast and brightness, and there are many options included in the camera application, such as HDR, macro and panoramic modes. The video comes off crisp and clear with no choppiness, though, like most cameras, there is a slight delay with color matching when the video goes from bright to dark colors and vice versa.

Another fantastic feature is the 4G connectivity. The speeds are amazingly fast, though Verizon’s new 4G LTE speeds do beat the ones found on T-Mobile’s 4G HSPA+ network currently. These 4G speeds can be shared through the hotspot abilities, and T-Mobile doesn’t actually charge more to enable mobile hotspots. The front facing camera is also great for video chatting and the 4G speeds help to ensure that the video chats are smooth and clear.

The Final Verdict (4 out of 5)

Overall the myTouch 4G Slide ranks in as a ‘Good’ smartphone, though it is on the higher end of that spectrum. The powerful specs are great and the 4G network speeds only help to enhance the smartphone. The camera is also very nicely added and can easily replace a separate digital camera. The 4G Slide is a great all in one device, not just a good smartphone.

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