HTC Gratia

HTC Gratia

The HTC Gratia sets out to fulfil one key objective: to give mid-range users access to Android 2.2, the most advanced version of Android at the time of this review. As such, the HTC Gratia is designed to offer mid-range users the power of a top-end phone, at a much lower price.

Design - 8/10

The HTC Gratia is styled after HTC's earlier phone, the HD Mini, and as such, it features a more 'squared off' look than its predecessor, the HTC Wildfire. So, while it is a good-looking phone, the HTC Gratia is perhaps not as distinctive as that earlier phone, although it has lost nothing in terms of sleekness.

Operating System - 10/10

The HTC Gratia runs on Android, and unlike other mid-range smartphones on the market, it runs on Version 2.2 of Google's famous operating system. This means that the HTC Gratia is, quite simply, the most advanced mid-range smartphone you can buy. Coupled with the HTC Sense interface, it is therefore hard to find fault at all with the HTC Gratia's software.

Hardware - 9/10

As it's a mid-range phone, the HTC Gratia, by definition, is designed to have hardware which is unlikely to bother the top-end phones on the market. However, despite that, HTC have filled the HTC Gratia with technology you'd expect to see in higher-spec phones, such as a raft of accelerometers to detect motion, and features such as WiFi. In fact, the only thing marking out the HTC Gratia are the processor, which comes in at 600MHz, and the screen (more on that later). Other than that, its hardware could arguably compete with its higher-spec equivalents, such as the HTC Desire. That is an incredible achievement.

Camera and media - 9/10

Of late, HTC have been putting some great cameras in their phones, and the HTC Gratia is no exception. Although it 'only' has a 5MP camera, which may seem low by modern smartphone standards, but remember that the HTC Gratia is a mid-range phone. Thus, within this price bracket, the HTC Gratia is undoubtedly one of the best camera phones available.

Screen - 6/10

Being a mid-range phone is what defines the HTC Gratia, and that means there are some trade-offs to get the lower price. Other than the processor mentioned earlier, the big one is the screen, as it measures 3.2 inches, and has a resolution of 320x480 pixels. This is really the only area where the HTC Gratia really shows its mid-range roots, but it's a shame it is the part of the phone you will interact with the most.

Social - 9/10

The HTC Gratia uses the HTC Sense interface, and this front-end interface has social features built in as part of the HTC FriendStream application. This places a widget on the home screen of the HTC Gratia, which aggregates your Twitter, Facebook and Flickr feeds, making the HTC Gratia a very socially aware phone.

Overall - 8/10

The HTC Gratia is a very accomplished mid-range phone, and although it loses points for the lower screen resolution and slightly slower processor, neither of these things will ruin your enjoyment of the phone. For those who want smartphone power on a budget, the HTC Gratia is near perfect.

Specifications for the HTC Gratia

The HTC Gratia features

Bluetooth Voice
Bluetooth Voice & Data
MP3 Player
FM Radio
MSN Messenger
Internet Access
Email
3G
5 megapixel camera
Wi Fi
Push Email
Sat Nav
Touch Screen
GPS
Edge
HSDPA
Google Android
Geo-tagging
Accelerometer

HTC Gratia specifications

Weight (g)	115.0
Height (mm)	103.8
Width (mm)	57.7
Depth (mm)	11.7
Band	Quad
Battery Stand By (Hours)	-
Battery Talk Time (Hours)	-
Screen	3.2-inch TFT capacitive touchscreen; 320 x 480 pixels; accel
Ringtones	MP3; vibration
Memory	512 MB ROM; 384 MB RAM; upto 32GB with MicroSD card
Connectivity	GPRS; 3G - HSDPA; Wi-Fi; Bluetooth 2.1

HTC Gratia Reviews