HTC Vivid

Looking to the top of the Vivid, there is a standard headphone jack and power button which sits almost blush with angle of the plastic casing. one time you are used to the location, it’s no problem at all, but starting out, it took some effort to place without fumbling. There is also a small ATT brand symbol near the top of the screen, along with the proximity sensor, a long mesh and chrome ear speaker plus the 1.3MP front facing camera.

On the left side of the device is the microUSB cable which can also supply HDMI out with the appropriate cable. Interestingly enough, the jack is upside down in contrast to the other devices I own (prongs on the cable point up for this phone).

SOFTWARE:

The HTC Vivid still seems appealing snappy.There is the typical bloatware installed on the device, some of which can be removed, while others can’t. A custom ROM could easily fix those issues, and probably turn the HTC Vivid into a real powerhouse.

CAMERA:

The 8MP dual-flash rear camera can actually take some polite photos. Color representation is neutral, and the contrast is pretty first-class right out of the device. The f/2.2 lens allows for a honest amount of bokeh, but if you start looking too intimately, the .jpg artifacts and density are very obvious.

The HTC Vivid can also record 1080p video. 1080p does not necessarily denote quality, but rather the resolution. While it can capture 1080p, you probably won’t be by means of this for anything other than home video style captures. Volume levels are clear with a bit of unlucky clipping. Transition time from bright to dark areas is fairly smooth, but the device does have some difficulty with blown out areas if there is much of an not direct light source present and there is noticeable tearing during fast pans. Thankfully, the focus and metering point can be set on the fly by rhythm on the screen, allowing for more dynamic video.

PERFORMANCE:

unluckily, while the device does seem relatively snappy on the outside, the benchmarks show the device is performing far fewer optimally than it could compared to other Snapdragon devices on the market today. While benchmarks aren’t unavoidably a true sign of speed or efficiency, each test was run 3 times with the average posted below.

AnTuTu: 4811

Smartbench 2011: Productivity 2075, 1638 Games

CALL QUALITY/NETWORK SPEED:

The 3G (or faux-G) speeds are still consistently unbelievable, however – especially compared to Sprint or Verizon. Speeds averaged from the low 1200kpbs to as high as 5500kbps with under 100ms latency times. Upload speeds averaged 1000kps as well.

This came in very handy even as I wrote this review, tethering various devices in a somewhat remote location where there wasn’t standard internet contact and Sprint wasn’t providing sufficient bandwidth.

Call quality has been first-class, and if not for the low volume levels from the speakers, it might have been a highlight. If you purchase this device, plan on a Bluetooth headset.

BATTERY LIFE:

Battery life on the HTC Vivid is actually quite decent – and perhaps this is primarily due to the complete lack of 4G service in my home area. I could easily last an entire day of sensible use. Others have reported LTE devices from ATT do suffer from poor battery routine The AnTuTu battery test gives the Vivid a score of 458.

PROS

+ Crisp, easy to read qHD screen

+ Decent battery life (when 4G isn’t running)

+ 4G

+ 8MP f/2.2 camera

CONS

- Heat generated from back of device

- rough and heavy form factor

- Poor speaker volume

- Light leakage from top and bottom of screen