SpecEagle review · HTC

HTC HD2 review: The Windows Mobile phone that became the ultimate ROM-flashing legend.

SpecEagle Editorial·Nov 2009·$600
Overall
46/100
Class rank
#19 of 35
Tier
Flagship
Buy?
Look elsewhere
The verdict, up front

The ultimate community ROM phone.

The HTC HD2 shipped with Windows Mobile 6.5 but became immortal in the modding community — its hardware was so capable that enthusiasts ported Android, Windows Phone 7, even WP8 onto it for years. Few phones have had such a long, hacked afterlife.

01Display

60/100

60/100 — right at the average for flagship phones of 2009.

TypeCapacitive LCD
Size4.3 inches
Resolution800 × 480 px (WVGA)

02Camera

50/100

50/100 trails the 55-point cohort average for flagship phones of 2009.

Main5 MP, autofocus, dual-LED
VideoVGA
FrontNone

03Performance

56/100

At 56/100 this is one of the strongest performance showings among flagship phones of 2009 — 10 points above the cohort average.

ChipsetSnapdragon QSD8250 1 GHz
RAM448 MB
Storage512 MB · microSD

04Battery

50/100

50/100 is one of the weaker battery results among flagship phones of 2009 — 7 points under the average. Check the rows below before buying for this.

Capacity1,230 mAh (removable)
Standby~ 490 hours

05Build

66/100

At 66/100 this is one of the strongest build showings among flagship phones of 2009 — 8 points above the cohort average.

06Value

60/100

At 60/100 this is one of the strongest value showings among flagship phones of 2009 — 16 points above the cohort average.

What works
  • First 1 GHz Snapdragon, capacitive 4.3" screen.
  • Legendary ROM-flashing community support.
  • Ran Android, WP7 and more via ports.
  • microSD + jack.
What doesn't
  • Shipped with dated Windows Mobile 6.5.
  • No official Android.
  • No front camera.
  • Small battery for the screen.
Cross-shop it against
Nexus One (HTC)
$529 · score 74/100

How this review is built: every section score, spec row and comparison on this page comes from SpecEagle's tracked catalogue — scores weight measured specs against the 35-phone cohort of flagship devices released around the same time. We don't publish invented lab anecdotes. Spot an error? .