Design
The Rezound has rounded corners, and a face just barely set into the unit. HTC has long delivered on excellent phone craftsmanship, as the Amaze 4G and Sensation 4G phones have demonstrated.
The Rezound has rounded corners, and a face just barely set into the unit. HTC has long delivered on excellent phone craftsmanship, as the Amaze 4G and Sensation 4G phones have demonstrated.
The Rezound has a matte back cover surrounding an island of ridges on its backing, to help with grip. The camera and LED flash are on the back cover, with the volume rocker on the right spine. The Micro-USB charging hub is on the left, and the 3.5mm headset jack is up top.
It's not as flashy-looking a phone to my eyes as the all-white HTC Radar 4G or even the purple HTC Rhyme but HTC phones are solidly built and that interesting patterning on the back does give it a little extra character. I wish it had Gorilla Glass to better protect the goods.
Features
The features are where the Rezound can soar. Of course it's off to a good start with Verizon's 4G LTE network, which offers currently unbeatable speeds. The big deal is the set of Beats by Dr. Dre earbuds that come with each phone--I cover those in the following section.
The features are where the Rezound can soar. Of course it's off to a good start with Verizon's 4G LTE network, which offers currently unbeatable speeds. The big deal is the set of Beats by Dr. Dre earbuds that come with each phone--I cover those in the following section.
Another ballyhooed trait is the phone's 4.3-inch 720p HD touch display. While it certainly sounds impressive, we won't really be able to judge clarity, color, sharpness, and all the rest until we sit
It's also equipped with a 1.5GHz dual-core Qualcomm MDM9600 processor, 1GB RAM, 16GB of internal storage, and a 16GB preinstalled microSD card. It'll carry HTC Sense 3.5, the absolute latest version of HTC's custom Android interface. Sense 3.5 will feature a customizable and interactive lock screen from which you can do things like check the weather, stocks, and social network updates.
For multimedia, there's a rear-facing 8-megapixel camera with support for 1080p HD video capture and fun effects like slow-motion recording. There's a front-facing 2-megapixel camera as well. These are the top-notch specs we'd hope for in the Rezound, but of course camera quality isn't about megapixels alone. The Rezound has a low-light sensor to help improve night shots.
Price and availability
The HTC Rezound will cost $299.99 with a new, two-year Verizon service agreement and will be available beginning November 14 at Verizon, Best Buy, and Best Buy Mobile stores. You'll also need a $39.99 minimum Verizon Wireless Nationwide Talk plan and a minimum $30-per-month data plan. This is a costly bundle that makes the Rezound one of Verizon's priciest phones, and that's even without the prestige of Android Ice Cream Sandwich--for now. LTE is expensive, there's premium hardware on hand if you count the prestige headphones, and it has the hottest specs on the market, so the price, while high, is not a surprise. I suspect holiday deals will kick in once the phone hits shelves.
The HTC Rezound will cost $299.99 with a new, two-year Verizon service agreement and will be available beginning November 14 at Verizon, Best Buy, and Best Buy Mobile stores. You'll also need a $39.99 minimum Verizon Wireless Nationwide Talk plan and a minimum $30-per-month data plan. This is a costly bundle that makes the Rezound one of Verizon's priciest phones, and that's even without the prestige of Android Ice Cream Sandwich--for now. LTE is expensive, there's premium hardware on hand if you count the prestige headphones, and it has the hottest specs on the market, so the price, while high, is not a surprise. I suspect holiday deals will kick in once the phone hits shelves.
In sum
The HTC Rezound did not disappoint. The screen quality, camera, and speed all promise to be top-of-the-line, and the phone also comes with a pair of celebrity-branded in-ear headphones that are worth quite a bit on their own. At $300 and data requirements, the Rezound may be one of Verizon's priciest phones, but it also promises to be one of its most powerful. It'll be a hot contender against Verizon's other forthcoming handset powerhouses: the Samsung Galaxy Nexus and the Motorola Droid Razr.
The HTC Rezound did not disappoint. The screen quality, camera, and speed all promise to be top-of-the-line, and the phone also comes with a pair of celebrity-branded in-ear headphones that are worth quite a bit on their own. At $300 and data requirements, the Rezound may be one of Verizon's priciest phones, but it also promises to be one of its most powerful. It'll be a hot contender against Verizon's other forthcoming handset powerhouses: the Samsung Galaxy Nexus and the Motorola Droid Razr.
