HTC Status Pro Reviews

The HTC Status is, for all intents and purposes, a phone made for teenagers and young adults. Between the tiny screen that demands perfect vision, the excellent Facebook integration, and the low pricetag, it's well suited to that market... and, admittedly, not many others. The specs are surprisingly good given it's extremely low suggested retail price, but the tiny screen limits it's potential customers. It's not a low end phone that you'd give to your parents, and I wouldn't recommend it for someone looking to learn the Android platform. It is, in essence, the replacement to the high-end messaging phone of the old days: it's geared to do one thing well, to the exclusion of all else. It's not impossible to use it for other things, but going outside of it's specialty is going to be a much less satisfying experience than with almost any other device.

The Status is certainly an interesting device. It offers an appealing mix of features and capabilities at a low price point ($50 at launch). The hardware's only real failing is the somewhat small display. I wish HTC had sacrificed some space on the keyboard and other controls in order to squeeze in a bit more display. Signal performance was great, but that didn't translate to good call quality. If you're not that much of a talker and use your smarpthone mostly for messaging, this won't matter much. The Facebook integration is top-notch, and I really like what HTC has done to make sharing thoughts, photos, links, and videos as simple as possible. Right now, I don't see how HTC could have done a better job. If you live and die by your Facebook account, the Status's features will probably help you become an over-sharing fiend. The Status handles everything else -- music, camera, browsing -- about as well as most other Android phones and nothing here really stands out. Bottom line? The Status is a good entry point for many feature phone users who would like to upgrade to a smartphone for the improved social networking experience. If the HTC Status were posted to Facebook, I'd surely "Like" it.

By now it should be obvious that the HTC Status fails to achieve its full potential. Given that it's a device for communication, typing should be flawless, but the software makes it a consistent pain. We hated the battery cover, the battery life is borderline insulting, and there's room for a larger display with greater pixel density, but -- believe it or not -- we'd be willing to forgive these elements if the phone's software felt more polished. We believe HTC will go a long way by simply improving the typing experience, but in order for this form factor to thrive on Android, developers must also rally to support landscape displays in a portrait enclosure. If you're considering the Status as the perfect complement to your Facebook lifestyle, at just $50 on contract, there's still a lot to appreciate. For our part, we're hoping that a better phone is just a software update away.

While the HTC Status might not have the most cutting-edge specs, it gets the job done, letting you easily stay connected to all of your social networks. The hardware integration, in the form of the Share button, is especially useful; the special Facebook widgets are unique, as well. You also get an attractive messaging phone with the latest version of Android for an unbeatable price, which makes the Status appealing to many different types of users.

Heavy Facebook users will appreciate the ease with which they can text and post to the Social Network using the HTC Status. Shoppers will also like the phone's low $49 price, making the device a solid BlackBerry alternative for the younger crowd. However, tweens will no doubt appreciate the larger display and keyboard on the Sidekick 4G, not to mention its faster 4G speeds. The enhanced integration of Facebook on the HTC Status is innovative, but you'll want to try this phone's small screen on for size before you buy.

When it comes right down to it, the HTC Status is a good choice and at the right price for those who like to stay connected to Facebook, but being an Android device, you have all the extra benefits that come along with it. The QWERTY keyboard is very useful, though it can feel a bit cramped with large hands, and the 2.6” display is about as small as you get on a smartphone without being too small, though it does work well – we just wish it were a bit larger.

The Android-based HTC Status, America's first "Facebook phone," opens up a big social world through too tiny a window.

Don't think of this as a Facebook phone, and you've got a sturdy, serviceable Gingerbread phone for fifty bucks. My iPhone is a Facebook phone after all—I can share photos, write on my mom's wall, and share annoying articles with my annoying friends. The Facebook Phone isn't a Facebook Phone—it's a cheap, decent Android phone with some good Facebook shortcuts.

The HTC Status offers stellar hardware and a fantastic Facebook experience, but it's hampered by a tiny landscape-oriented screen.