Getting a hint from its name, the HTC Surround carries a mini-Dolby Surround powered speaker bar. The speaker bar can be slid open from what you would suspect to be QWERTY keyboard underneath its screen. It has a kickstand to rest the phone in landscape position when placed on a table or any flat surface. Louder than any dedicated music phone on the market, the Surround produces sounds with superb clarity and little distortion.
Moving past the superb audio capabilities which give the HTC Surround its reputation, the phone runs on a fast 1GHz Snapdragon processor and Adreno 200 GPU that allows the decoding of HD videos in 720p resolution. Paired with a 448 MB of RAM, users can run even the latest mobile applications without any lags. It has a storage capacity of 16 GB that lets you store many MP3 and movie files.
On the downside, the Windows Phone 7's user interface does not rotate to landscape mode despite the built-in accelerometer unless watching movies. For music and other functionality, you'll have to tilt your head or pick up the phone in portrait mode in order to change tracks, volume, etc. The phone's 3.8-inch capacitive touchscreen is large enough for web browsing, viewing MS Office files or PDF files. In addition, its 800 x 480 display is a viewfinder for its 5-megapixel camera that allows you to view your photos with vividly accurate colors. As a multimedia phone, the battery is long enough to sustain 275 hours of standby time and 4 hours of talk time.
With its unique Dolby powered speaker bar and powerful system under its hood, the HTC Surround will appeal to anyone who wants to enjoy superb audio quality while having the benefit of using your phone casually for business applications.
Need to know: HTC Surround
1. Windows Phone 7 OS is growing fast and there are already many great apps and games designed for the OS. (The Good)
2. Its speaker bar can fill a small room with clear sound. (The Good)
3. The battery does not last enough for a multimedia phone. (The Bad)
4. The phone is a little bulky to carry. (The Bad)
What the Critics Are Saying...
- Top Ten Reviews Team, Top Ten ReviewsIf you are looking for a cellular device that offers astounding audio, this is the music cell phone for you. The HTC Surround not only offers a vast selection of multimedia features, but it has strong memory capabilities as well. If the short battery life isn’t a problem for you, take a look at this...
- Mike Temporale, Mobile SyrupI think the HTC Surround is a great phone, especially for someone who is looking for the best possible music and video experience on their mobile device.
- Ian Hardy, Mobile SyrupOne of the main features of the Surround is that this phone comes with a slide-out speaker. We took a quick video of this and will go more into detail in our next review with music. For now I just played some ringtones to capture what the sound quality is like. In addition, you’ll notice o...
- Nilay Patel, EngadgetWell, what can we say? The HTC Surround does a fine job running Windows Phone 7, and if that's the only criteria by which you're going to measure it chances are you'll be quite happy. But Microsoft is launching 10 devices this month, and there are two other choices on AT&T alone which do an...
- Eric M. Zeman, Phone ScoopThe HTC Surround is a solid device, but more importantly, Windows Phone 7 is a solid new operating system. The Surround is large and heavy, but offers excellent music and video playback powers. The stereo speakers are a great compliment to the beautiful display, but don't translate to an awesome...
Prices (Where to Buy)
Common Questions
We've got you covered! Download a free PDF copy of the HTC Surround user manual here.
HTC backs up the Surround with a 1 Year parts & labour warranty.
If your Surround has problems and is still within its warranty period, you could contact HTC support or the retailer you purchased the phone from. You'll find HTC's contact information here. If your phone is off warranty and needs repair for a physical problem such as a broken screen or bad battery, you should visit an authorized service centre or a local phone repair shop. You can also connect with others in The Informr Community Forum to find and share answers to questions.
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Resources
Manuals / User Guides
- HTC Surround Manual (PDF)
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