HTC Wildfire

The HTC Wildfire caused a lot of excitement when it was announced, because on paper, it appeared to be a budget version of the incredible HTC Desire complete with Android and HTC Sense. As soon as it was released, it became apparent that the HTC Wildfire was as good as everyone hoped with its integrated social networking and five-megapixel camera and HSDPA connectivity. Quite simply, the HTC Wildfire is one of the best mid-range phones money can buy.

Design - 9/10
The HTC Wildfire has been described as a budget version of the Desire, and so, the design is very much inspired by that phone. In other words, the HTC Wildfire is a very pretty phone, with looks that really set it apart from other mid-range phones on the market. The fact is that with the design, the HTC Wildfire doesn't look like a mid-range phone, and for that, it scores very highly.
Operating System - 9/10
The HTC Wildfire runs on Android, just like the top-end Desire, and like that phone, it runs on version 2.1 out of the box. For a mid-range phone, this is very impressive, and it gives the HTC Wildfire the same features set as would be expected in a top-end phone such as as access to all the apps in the Android Market. It also has HTC's intuitive Sense user interface so you can personalise the phone and add shortcuts to all your favourite mobile applications whether it's news widgets or blogs. Sense's Leap View allows you to view all your home screen panels at once with a tap or pinch of the screen. Thus, when viewed as a mid-rage phone, the HTC Wildfire has to get a very high mark for not coming across as a mid-range phone.
Hardware - 9/10
This is one of only two areas where the HTC Wildfire really shows its mid-range roots, and even then, it is only because the HTC Wildfire doesn't have a 1GHz processor. It does still have a 528MHz processor, though, which makes it reasonably fast, and the rest of the hardware is virtually indistinguishable from HTC's top-end phones, as the HTC Wildfire includes things such as WiFi, HSDPA and microSD card slot.
Camera and media - 8/10
The HTC Wildfire comes with a five-megapixel camera, and while this would be about average for a top-end phone, it is definitely above average for a mid-range phone. Media features such as the built-in Youtube app are a great addition to the HTC Wildfire, but they are somewhat let down by the smaller screen size. However, The camera's quality helps the HTC Wildfire pull back some marks . The Wildfire also has a music player that supports most digital formats including MP3 and AAC.
Screen - 7/10
This is the other area where the HTC Wildfire shows its mid-range roots, as the screen measures 3.2 inches. This is a decent size for a mid-range handset, but it is let down somewhat by the screen resolution, which comes in at a disappointingly low 240 x 320 pixels. This is a little disappointing, as everything else about the HTC Wildfire is so good.
Social and email - 9/10
The HTC Wildfire builds on the social features built into Android, by including the HTC Sense user interface, which adds in more features, including the FriendStream widget. This aggregates social feeds (from the likes of Twitter, Facebook and Flickr) on the front screen of the HTC Wildfire, putting social networking front and centre on the device. The smartphone's built-in Microsoft Exchange support synchs your email and calendar and allows you to look up anyone in your company's directory
Overall - 8/10
The HTC Wildfire is, without a doubt, the budget version of the HTC Desire, and as such it is one of the best mid-range phones on the market. There are a couple of things about the HTC Wildfire that disappoint, namely the low screen resolution and the slower processor, but neither of them are deal breakers. When viewed as cheap smartphone, the HTC Wildfire excels.