HTC Touch Pro 2, HTC Hero, or Samsung Moment?
Last Updated on Monday, 29 December 2014 10:53 Written by DarkKnightH20 Friday, 6 November 2009 11:00
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Author: DarkKnightH20
Whether your contract has recently expired or you just are plain and simple bored with your current cellphone, then you may be looking to upgrade soon. The problem most people seem to be having though, is that they are not really sure about which of the latest cellphones or smartphones they should buy. For Sprint, many smartphone buffs right now have their sights set on only three different phones: HTC Touch Pro 2, HTC Hero, and the Samsung Moment. Each of these phones offers something new and exciting to the cellphone world, and each dominates in a certain area. But which is really the best? Let’s compare these–
Note: ‘HTC Tilt 2‘ is AT&T’s version of the HTC Touch Pro 2. ‘Droid Eris‘ is the Verizon version of the HTC Hero. Both of these are nearly identical to their counter parts here.
Specifications for HTC Touch Pro 2 (HTC Tilt 2)
Adjustable tilt screen
Specifications for HTC Hero (Droid Eris)
Specifications for Samsung Moment
Let’s Get Down To It
So we now have an overview of the hardware from these three phones. The HTC phones are almost identicial in hardware, which isn’t too surprising. Let’s see a couple fields where some of these phones reign supreme over the others…
Winner for RAM
HTC Hero & HTC Touch Pro 2 — 288 MB
Winner for Processor
Samsung Moment — 800 MHz
Winner for Screen Size
HTC Touch Pro 2 — 3.6-inch
Winner for Battery Life
HTC Touch Pro 2
What really amazes me here is the difference in processor speed. The Samsung Moment’s 800 MHz really helps it compete against the 528
MHz processors that HTC is using. HTC will be delivering their faster processors in their next release of phones, but for now, Samsung takes the lead. Now, do not think that the Moment is ridiculously faster than either of these two HTC phones…because it’s not. It *feels* equally fast. One of the key components that effects actual speeds is the operating system.Operating Systems
The HTC Hero and Samsung Moment both use Google’s Android. The Hero uses SenseUI (a graphical interface designed by HTC) whereas the Samsung Moment uses just plain, old, vanila Android 1.5. What does this mean to consumers? Well, it means that users of the HTC Hero will have to wait for updates pertaining to both SenseUI and Android, whereas users of the Samsung Moment will simply upgrade Android alone. This means you can expect slightly faster updates with the Moment. In fact, Android 2.0 is an upgrade coming soon (hopefully) to the Moment. This update will enable multi-touch capability, as well as additional functions. The HTC Touch Pro 2 uses Windows Mobile 6.1. Users will receive a free upgrade to 6.5, which makes the operating system more finger-friendly. Many have already flashed their phones to 6.5 and I personally have done so on my old HTC Mogul (this was released BEFORE the HTC Touch Pro 1…so it’s a bit old). That’s a different story though! On Windows Mobile, HTC’s TouchFlow software is there to try to make life easier, similarly to the SenseUI for Android.
A common complaint about all three of these phones is battery life. Primarily, this complaint is moreso seen by users of the Samsung Moment and HTC Hero. The problem is obvious: Android. Now, I’m not saying it is Android itself, but moreso the widgets that many use. When too many widgets are enabled, the phone’s battery will drain faster. The same applies to any Windows Mobile phone. Too many applications and so forth will result in the battery draining heavily. Battery depletes even faster if users have bluetooth and Wi-Fi enabled.
Unique Features
Some unique features that make these three phones special…Where to begin? The HTC Touch Pro 2 is aimed at the corporate world. HTC implemented a special speakerphone that automatically operates the speakerphone when the phone is flipped over. This allows for people in meetings to quickly turn a normal, private phone call into a public discussion within seconds. Joined with conferencing capabilities and other goodies, this phone will allow for business productivity to increase. Another worthy mention here is that the HTC Touch Pro 2 is a WORLD PHONE. This means it works on majority of the cellular bands out there — from GSM to CDMA. This makes the HTC Touch Pro 2 an AMAZING travel phone.
The HTC Hero is an amazing device. Unlike most smartphones you see today, this one has a trackball to allow for navigating and playing games. This trackball changes colors to alert the user about different things as well. Another neat feature is that there are light sensors in this phone. This allows the phone to change its lighting depending on whether or not you’re inside or outside. Very cool! Also, depending on whether or not you purchase a European version of this phone, it will have a chin that sticks out. That’s definitely unique! The chin version–
The Samsung Moment has a very high quality, OLED, capacitive screen. It’s very bright and beautiful because of this, though still can give you trouble in sun light. As mentioned earlier, this phone also has an 800 MHz processor, which makes it one of the fastest phones out there hardware-wise. Nice job Samsung!
To Keyboard or Not to Keyboard
Both the Samsung Moment and HTC Touch Pro 2 come with a slide-out keyboard. Which reigns supreme? Well, in my opinion, the Touch Pro 2’s keyboard is better. The Samsung Moment’s can be a bit iffy at times, though is still nice. Regardless, typing is done fast and easy on these two keyboards. They add a bit of girth to both of the phones, but that’s to be expected. Anyone who has to use a Palm Pre keyboard would be jealous. The HTC Hero has no keyboard. This means that you must use an on-screen, virtual keyboard. Despite being virtual, it works well. In the end, it depends on whether you are a tactile person who needs to touch a real keyboard or not.
Build Quality
Build quality is important when choosing a phone. Luckily, each of these phones feels solid and strong. You do not have to worry about breaking these bad boys, though that doesn’t mean throw your phone around. You must protect your phone like it’s your baby!
Camera
A lot of people enjoy having a powerful camera with their phone. These often don’t work well so expectations should not be too high. Still, it’s worth having. The HTC Hero wins for having the largest megapixel. It sports a 5.0 megapixel camera instead of the 3.2 megapixel camera that comes with the HTC Touch Pro 2. The Samsung Moment, however, sports a LED flash with its 3.0 megapixel camera. Having a good flash can be important when taking quality photos. It’s a mixed bag here.
Multimedia Friendly?
All three of these phones are multimedia-friendly. They work well at surfing the internet, streaming videos, and listening to music. In fact, assuming that we’re talking about the Sprint version of the HTC Touch Pro 2, then all three of these phones sport a 3.5 mm (or 1/8th) audio/headphone jack. The non-Sprint version of the HTC Touch Pro 2 does not come with this connection though so keep that in mind.
Price and Plan Requirements
These phones are not that cheap. The Touch Pro 2 is $349.99 AFTER a $100 mail-in rebate. There’s really no excuse for this. Sprint has dropped the ball by making it so expensive here. You can purchase this phone for a lot less from Verizon or T-Mobile, though their hardware will be a bit different than the Sprint version. The HTC Hero is $179.99 after a $100 mail-in rebate. That price isn’t bad, but you can find this phone on sale at places like Best Buy if you want it even cheaper (and possibly minus the mail-in rebate). The Samsung Moment is also $179.99 after $100 mail-in rebate. also a fair price.
Each of these phones…Requires a data plan from Sprint. This is absolutely ANNOYING for some people since everywhere they go has Wi-Fi and each of these phones has the ability to use Wi-Fi. I feel their pain, as they’re pretty much just paying the additional monthly fee to keep the phone and that’s it. Too bad.
Final Words
There’s not much more to say here. Each one of these phones works very well. It’s just personal choice. If you want to follow user reviews though check out Sprint’s website. Both of the HTC phones are tied, but ahead of the Samsung Moment. If you want to follow CNET’s ratings though, each has a 4.0 making for a 3-way tie.
Update (February 8th, 2010): So I thought I’d update the article with some more information/news that’s been collecting on these awesome smartphones.
Samsung Moment ATSC TV Tuner
Also, Windows Mobile 6.5 will be officially available to download for the HTC Touch Pro 2 around the end of the first 2010 year quarter. This is going to be a very welcomed upgrade to many and will cause many changes in the graphical user interface of the phone itself. It’ll make the phone all the more…sexy 😉
Speaking of upgrades, the Samsung Moment also has a large upgrade available that unfortunately requires a visit to the Sprint store. It provides some fixes for phone glitches that some experience, updates to third-party apps, and more. It really is disappointing to see that users must go to Sprint stores in order to update their phone, but life is life. If you’re patient, however, you can get this update through other means. It’s a fairly large update so grabbing it over-the-air has been put on hold for now, but that doesn’t mean it’s not coming soon! Look out for the over-the-air update if you don’t feel like going to the Sprint store!
Update: The CL14 Update is available online for the Samsung Moment! Thanks Zcarman.
Update: I recommend putting cases on these expensive phones as soon as you get them. Here are some well-rated ones from Amazon–
Update (May 9th, 2010): You can now dual boot between two different operating systems on the HTC Hero! Instructions can be seen HERE at the VillainROM forums to do so. This will allow you to switch between Android 2.1 and Android 1.5. The reason you’d want to have 1.5 as a fallback, is that it is much more stable in comparison to the 2.1 release, as the 2.1 release is not a native OS for the HTC Hero as of right now. Do know that if you mess up when attempting to put multiple operating systems on your phone, it could no longer work. However, the creator has stated that the chances of bricking your phone (aka making it no longer work) are very low since only the lesser important aspects of the phone are being modified (meaning that the spl, radio, and recovery areas are not touched). Such a modification to your phone can also possibly void the warranty.
Tags: Android, Hero, HTC, Moment, Phones, Samsung, Smartphones, Touch Pro 2
[…] Touch Pro 2, the HTC Hero, and the Samsung Moment. The Palm Pre didn’t make my list, sorry. Compare these phones! Hopefully it’ll help some of those who need to make a decision on what phone to upgrade to. […]
I’ve owned the Samsung Moment for 5 days and have found the phone to be a bit buggy (I’ve had phone crashing while on browser with low battery as well as apps force closing). Importantly it is AWFUL with Pandora (many people’s favorite music service). It’s slightly better using wi-fi but still is pretty bad (stutters, skips, repeats, jumps to next song seemingly randomly). Many have complained about this. Perhaps in the future they will come out with fixes for all these bugs. I’d go with the HTC Touch Pro 2 were it not so expensive. The Moment does have it’s advantages…do thorough research, read user reviews.
I believe the Sanyo Incognito will beat them all!!!!!!!!
I fortunately didn’t have any issues when I used the Samsung Moment 🙂 Though I was much happier with the HTC phones.
I bought 2 Samsung Moments for my college kids and I bought the HTC Touch Pro 2 for myself, I travel internationally every week. I prefer the Samsung over the HTC. The phone book is easier to navigate on the Samsung, the screen is much brighter on the Samsung. You can not program separate ring tones for non-caller ID calls, which is a must when overseas. My list goes on and on, my best solution is getting the Samsung and using an old unlocked GSM in Europe with caller ID and non-ID tones.
Glad to hear you like the Samsung Moment 🙂 The OLED screen is definitely beautiful and it shows. If you upgrade the operating system on the HTC Touch Pro 2 you can solve some of the issues that you experienced, but not everyone enjoys Windows Mobile 6.5. I personally liked it, but that’s just me.
We got the Moment from Best Buy for $99 (the Touch Pro 2 was $349) – so for 28% of the price it was an easy decision (we didn’t consider the hero because we wanted a keyboard). I haven’t experienced any bugginess, but I wish the battery life were longer. My only other (very minor) complaint is that the camera has a very long delay (but I don’t know if the Touch Pro does, too). Overall, a great phone for the price.
i ordered the samsung moment from a guy on ebay and he sent me the htc touch pro2 by “accident” and now im debating on which phone is better. i dont know if i should just send the htc back to him for the moment or keep it… help me asap!!
What I recommend doing is visiting a store where you can try the Samsung Moment. I personally like both, but prefer the HTC Touch Pro 2 since I’m a big HTC fan. What you mainly will need to decide is if your wanting Android OS or Windows Mobile. I guarantee you though you’ll be happy with either one you end up with.
A few of my colleagues have the touch pro 2 and they love it… although one of them dropped theirs into a cup of water, but that’s another story.
i just bought a HTC Touch Pro 2 and love it. There are so many apps that can make this phone even faster! I debated over the moment and this one and I decided on HTC because of the out port for video. This feature makes it nice for power points and videos. You will love this phone! Yes it expensive up front, but for all the old sprint plan holders that don’t want to change to a simply everything data plan this phone works with the old ones. I will save way more than what this phone cost me from the get go. I have a data pack for 15.00 that’s on my plan and it all works beautifully! I pay 50.00 for a free and clear family plan and then the extra 15.00. totalling 65.00 a month! no plan can beat this one! keep in mind the family data plan now is over $120.00’s for a family.
The HTC Touch Pro 2 is an amazing phone 🙂 Congratulations on your purchase. It’s good to hear that you have a good plan to go with it too! HTC makes some amazing phones. Makes me wonder what the next version will be like.
[…] Touch Pro 2 and Samsung Moment – ATSC Tuner Antenna The review / comparison / vs article: HTC Touch Pro 2, HTC Hero, or Samsung Moment? has been updated with more information! It has a info and a picture about an ATSC tuner for the […]
UPDATE: The CL14 update is also available online – this is not noted at the end of the updates…
Thanks for noting that Zcarman!
[…] just updated the article Review / Comparison: HTC Touch Pro 2, HTC Hero, or Samsung Moment? to add information about dual booting the HTC Hero’s Android OS. This means having both […]
So I notice all the comments are about Moment and Pro2, but how about Hero?? I’m currently debating on which phone to purchase from Sprint–HTC Touch Pro2 or HTC Hero. I first compared the HTC Hero to the Samsung Moment and found that navigating thru Hero was so much easier–or intuitive, I should say. With the HTC Sense UI on the Hero, the navigation flow just made sense; it’s no wonder how HTC came up with the UI name! I tried and tried again and agagin with the Moment, but just couldn’t get into the groove of it. Now I’m torn between the HTC’s Hero and Pro2 because while I really prefer HTC’s Sense UI on the Hero, it’s not the Pro2, but the Pro2 has a camera flash and I am a photo-oriented type of person. I can deal with adjusting to the Hero’s touchscreen keyboard, but I don’t know if the Hero itself would satisfy me enough to go without a camera flash for 2yrs. I know that Sprint has rolled out an upgraded Windows OS 6.5 version for the Pro2 which has “Sense UI enhancements” (per Sprint), but what exactly does this mean????? Is the Sense UI actually on the Pro2 or have they merely upgraded the existing TouchFlo UI with the upgraded WM OS 6.5, creating a feel of Sense UI? And if Sense UI has actually been integrated into the upgraded Pro2’s, how much of a downgraded version is it in comparison to the Sense UI version on the Hero? I’ve looked EVERYWHERE for answers, even directly with Sprint and HTC and have yet to hear back anything definitive. (And I know about the HTC Evo coming out–I have considered it and for the price, it’s just not an option for me.) The Sprint location by me did NOT have the Pro2 hooked up on display to check out, so I am at a loss for which to go for–a Pro(2) or a Hero?
The HTC Hero is a REALLY nice phone, especially the Sprint version. Android runs amazingly on it and, as you said, navigation is easy! Anyway, I’ll see if I can help you with your questions:
Even though you’re photo oriented, keep in mind that it’s still going to not be the best pictures in the world necessarily since it is in fact a cell phone camera. However, both phones have an advantage in one area when it comes to their photo taking capabilities.
The HTC Touch Pro 2 has a FLASH, but only a 3.2 megapixel camera.
The HTC Hero has NO flash, but a 5.0 megapixel camera.
So in that regard, do you value higher resolution photos or increased brightness more? A flash is always nice, but depending on where you are and when you take it, you may not necessarily need the flash or you’ll be able to control the lighting if you’re inside (a flash would still be nice though).
The “Sense UI” that is used on their HTC Hero is actually created from the development of the TouchFlo UI throughout the years. I haven’t used the HTC Touch Pro 2 with Windows Mobile 6.5 + Sense UI since I did my review awhile back, but I can safely say that yes, it is an upgraded version of the existing TouchFlo UI. It will run smoothly so don’t worry about that.
If you haven’t used Windows Mobile 6.5, then do know that it is a nice upgrade from 6.1, but is nothing impressive, so the TouchFlo / Sense is very much welcomed.
Trying before you buy something is always key. Sprint allows people a grace period to switch between phones. I haven’t done this in awhile, so I don’t remember the exact amount of time you have to swap phones, but that would more than likely be the best course of action for you. This way you not only get to try each phone out, but you get to do so for a decent period of time.
If you don’t want to do that though, try visiting another store that may carry the phone, such as a Radio Shack.
Hope that helped. If you have any other questions feel free to ask! Any comments are welcomed!
ibe been having the touch pro 2 for about 2 1/2 weeks now. its a cool phone but I’m not as satisfied as i thought I’d be. dont really kike the windows mobile. Sprint gives you 30 days to exchange the phone so once again im on the market for a new phone and im actually considering the samsung moment…any other suggestions?
I’d recommend also giving the HTC Hero a try. See if there is one available for demo and check it out. HTC’s intuitive user interface changes usually make people very satisfied after all and you would still get the opportunity of using an Android OS instead of Windows Mobile.
I’ve also heard that you can boot Android on the Touch Pro 2. I don’t know anyone personally that has done it, so I’m not sure how well Android works or if it’s buggy at all. I’m debating between the Hero and the TP2 myself, but if Android works relatively well with it, I think I’d rather have the Touch.
There have been a lot of attempted ports, but in the end the HTC Touch Pro 2 will never run Android as well as well as a native Android phone like the Hero 🙂
Probably not, I saw a posting about the latest boot and people saying how good it is…. but then I scrolled down and saw that the sound doesn’t work! Ummm…. fail. lol
So I’ve been debating between the Moment and the TouchPro2. What I am curious to know is if the Moment has Flash player or not. Im pretty sure the TouchPro does.
Thanks for the comment! So unfortunately the Samsung Moment is looking a bit iffy on flash support since the support will be tailored more-so around Android 2.2 rather than 2.1. However, applications such as Skyfire (http://www.skyfire.com/product/skyfire-2-0-for-android/) can be used on not only the Samsung Moment and HTC Hero, but also the Touch Pro 2 — and these support Flash pretty well. Skyfire is an internet browser and has been around for ages. It supports versions 1.5 – 2.2. Though I haven’t personally used Skyfire on the Samsung Moment, I did get to use it on the old HTC Mogul, and it ran well even with flash. It won’t run everything perfectly, but that’s to be expected.
Everyone has such good comments, lol. I have been debating on buying a new phone, and I was really hoping to snatch up a Droid X or an EVO 4G, but money issues have knocked me back down into the second grade of phones. I’m leaning toward the moment, I’m interested in the TP2 and the Hero, and I am also considering the Motorola i1 since I currently have service through Boost and that will allow me to keep the same number and not have to worry about signing a 2yr contract or having a data plan. I really would still like to have the closest thing to a Droid X or EVO 4g though, but cost is still a concern. I figure sense you have such great advice, and everyone has really informed questions, maybe you guys can lead me in the right direction on this one.
Also what are the thoughts of the original Motorola Droid, since it’s only $99 do you think it is better than any of these other phones considering the price?
Is there a reason you happen to be getting a new phone? Or is it just that you happen to want a new phone instead? My recommendation would be if possible to try and hold out until you have enough money for the EVO 4G. I’m a HTC fan which is why that’s my recommendation 🙂 The Droid X is very nice as well so you’ll be fine either way.
However, if you can’t wait or don’t want to wait (can’t blame ya! :P) then np! The Motorola Droid is a great phone. You can’t go wrong with it. The i1, on the other hand, seems to be a bit of a mixed bag. While the phone itself is actually infamous for being built strong, it doesn’t boast much more than that. It isn’t good for texting and it uses Android 1.5 when the standard is 2.1. While that may not be a problem for some people, it may be for you depending on what you’re looking for. Also, the screen is 3.1″ compared to the Droid’s at 3.7″. You get a bit more touch screen space on the Droid, which is nice, but at the cost of the Droid being bigger. The Motorola i1 just isn’t really a multimedia’ish phone in comparison. It isn’t terrible though. A good bit of people are more than happy with it.
The Droid is the way to go if you want all the extras. It is also Android 2.1 compatible. Definitely would need a screen protector or case though. It’s too pretty to let it get scratched 🙂
Thanks for the speedy reply. Well right now I have a Motorola i860 that I have had for ages, I’ve had a couple other phones throughout the time I’ve had it but it has always been my fallback phone and I hate to say it but it is on its last leg and its falling to pieces. I was originally going to get a new phone a couple months ago when finances were better then I had a bunch of unforeseen expenses come about. I currently have a few other things on my plate but with this crappy phone in the condition that it is in i can’t go on with it. Since I am forced to get a new phone I really want to get my first smartphone, and thats why I was originally looking at the Evo and the Droid X. I would really like to be able to watch and stream video on my phone, as well as be able to utilize web features and email. I like the Hero, but having a keyboard is a must, i really dont like typing on touch screens. So I guess I’m going to narrow the search to the Samsung Moment, the Motorola Droid, and the Motorola i1, they all have strong suits that appeal to me and on the price side they are attainable, I really wish the i1 did more though because I really don’t want another contract but that may be the price to pay, lol. Thanks a lot, you we’re a really big help. I’ll probably hold off a couple days while I weigh the options and look for factors that may push the decision one way the other.
So, what is the best phone I can get without getting the more expensive Sprint plan if I only need it for text messaging, not email, no web needs? What carrier do you recommend besides Sprint?
I’d recommend using http://www.phonescoop.com/phones/finder.php
To narrow down the results of the type of non-smartphone you would like.
Thank you Maple Tree
[…] Touch Pro, Hero, Moment Review that is lengthier and contains images is available at my site. It is updated every time more […]