Review: HTC Droid DNA is easily the best phone on Verizon Wireless

My first smartphone was the HTC G1. About a year later I moved on to the HTC Nexus One. If you had asked me the day after I opened my Nexus One which phone to buy, I would have pointed to anything made by HTC. After the Nexus, I moved to Verizon Wireless and got an HTC Thunderbolt. It was at this point (around Spring 2011) that I realized something was terribly wrong, and I no longer recommended HTC products. I didnt like their software, I didnt like their hardware, and as their market share dwindles in the Android ecosystem it is clear that I was not the only one who thought so.

On paper the HTC Droid DNA looked like an impressive phone, but I remained unconvinced until I opened the box and looked for myself.

Some might say that HTC is a little late to the 5-inch phone game, which is funny when you think about the ruckus they caused with the clown-sized 4.3-inch Evo. What the Evo lacked had nothing to do with the ability to hold the phone, rather it was missing screen quality. The resolution was far too low to enjoy the larger screen which made everything about the phone look bad. The 5-inch Droid DNAs 19201080 screen delivers quite the opposite experience, but more on that later.

Considering the designs that have sported the Droid moniker in the past, youll have a hard time finding anything but curves on the DNA. The glass on the front of the phone tapers smoothly to the sides and top, while the whole back arches to meet your hand. Despite being a larger phone, the sides are thin enough to allow a firm grip and still be able to reach the entire screen with your thumb. In fact, the phone is exactly as wide as the Samsung Galaxy S3, though noticeably taller. If youve got small hands, this phone will require both of them.

A staple in an HTC handset is the textured backing. Sometimes it is a soft touch material, sometimes it is a rough rubbery feel, and sometimes it is a special oxidized coating. The end result is the same: the back of the phone has grip. The matte finish makes it easy to hold the phone, and all it asks for in return is any oils you may have on your fingers. Be prepared to spend time wiping down the back of the phone any time the finger smudges bother you.

The Droid DNA is not only comfortable to hold, but feels plenty durable. This feels like a well-built phone.

Much as they did back with the release of the Nexus One, HTC has filled the DNA with hardware you wont see in other phones for a little while. A 5-inch 1080p Gorilla Glass 2 coated screen sits on top of a quad-core Snapdragon S4 Pro clocked at 1.5GHz and 2GB of RAM. Basically, you would be hard-pressed to find a more powerful smartphone right now. Add in the separate 2.5W amp for audio, an inductive charger, a partially water resistant design, and a 2050mAh battery to power it all, youll have a pretty good idea of what is going on under the hood.

HTCs camera is just as good as it has been for the last few models. The backlit sensor and ImageSense chip that HTC has been using for a little while now deliver great photos without a lot of work on behalf of the user. As always, you need to turn off the widescreen setting on the phone in order to actually take 8MP photos, but once you do the shots you get are really great. The Droid DNA is the first phone where HTC has made changes to the typical front-facing camera (FFC) as well. The 2.1MP FFC is set in the bezel to take in a wider frame, which makes for a much better video chat experience when it comes to how you hold the phone when chatting.

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Review: HTC Droid DNA is easily the best phone on Verizon Wireless