HTC Raider 4G

The key element of the HTC Velocity is obviously 4G. The 4G network the phone uses is best described as Telstra's LTE enablement of its Next G network: it runs on the LTE 1800MHz network band but "switches across" to the Next G network when 4G coverage is not available. The Velocity 4G is just the next product to work on this network: Telstra released the 4G USB modem in October last year.

If you're wondering how fast 4G is, the answer is quick as a flash. Officially, Telstra says the Velocity 4G will provide typical download speeds of between 2 megabits per second (Mbps) and 40Mbps, and typical upload speeds of between 1Mbps and 10Mbps. Using the Speedtest app in a 4G coverage zone, we commonly achieved speeds of almost 40Mbps. However, 3G speeds are also impressive: in a full 3G coverage zone we regularly managed speeds of between 13Mbps and 19Mbps, which is much faster than you'll get on most other  handsets including Apple's iPhone 4S, and Samsung's Galaxy Nexus.

HTC Velocity 4G: Design and display:

Putting its 4G capabilities aside, the HTC Velocity 4G looks like just another HTC Android phone. Admittedly, this is not a bad thing: the Velocity 4G has an beautiful gloss black bezel, tapering edges and an aluminum rear battery cover that screams premium. HTC phones are well renowned for brilliant  quality and the Velocity 4G is definitely not an exception. There is a little more plastic on the Velocity 4G than many of HTC's previous handset, but this in no way cheapens the look or feel of the device, even if it does make fingerprints not possible to ignore.

The HTC Velocity 4G has a large 4.5in qHD touchscreen with a resolution of 540x960. Admittedly it's not as high res as the iPhone 4S or the Galaxy Nexus but the screen is brilliant and clear and displays crisp text. It's definitely no slump and is one of the better displays currently available on the market.