Desire Z durability

[francesdi]

Hi everyone! I've been lurking aroung this forum for some time now hoping to get some answers regarding the Desire Z. Now I want to ask those who have been users for several months now, is anyone encountering problems with the hardware? like loose hinges, broken keyboards.. or if you have dropped your Z and is it still working? I've been looking on buying the Z but am bothered that it's not durable enough so now i'm getting confused with the Desire HD (bigger screen) but i like Z's physical keyboard. but if it isn't durable enough, would probably go for the HD. TIA

 

[francesdi]

i did some searching and saw that Desire Z's display is better than the Desire HD's. +1 for Z

 

[Stuntman]

I've had mine since November. Never had an issue with the hinge. It's still good and hasn't shown any degradation at all. I even dropped the phone once from a height of 4 feet onto hardwood floor and it still works.

 

[Slug]

No issues with the hinge here either. Mine is still caseless and so far shows no sign of wear on the body.

 

[thunder9111]

my hinge has been loose since the beginning, (i can flick open the screen easily with my thumb)
but other than that no complaints

 

[Slug]

i can flick open the screen easily with my thumb

Mine has been like that since I got it. As it never opens accidentally I presume it's by design. It makes it quick and easy to use and looks very cool....

 

[Stuntman]

my hinge has been loose since the beginning, (i can flick open the screen easily with my thumb)
but other than that no complaints

It is loose this way by design, so that you can flick it open easily. The loose spring tension has been criticized because people expect a tighter spring. I recall that an HTC representative did state that this is the intent to allow you to open the keyboard with one hand.

 

[premiump]

Mine has been like that since I got it. As it never opens accidentally I presume it's by design. It makes it quick and easy to use and looks very cool....

I LOVE the way my Desire Z "snaps" open

Pete

 

[Ollyhw45]

Aha I have dropped mibe countles times on loads of different serfices, got it a bit wet, got it freezing cold (left it out side while i was shooting In the snow) got it very hot (left it on a turned on oven) its been sat on, thrown scratches all over it and i lost my T from the HTC on the back plate lol but the screen somehow has not got a scratch on it lol

 

[OBG]

No problems here. Mine is great.

 

[malikons]

this is very good to know. i am using DHD for 2 months now and wanted a phone with physical keyboard. I bought Z a few days ago but was reluctant to open it and swap with DHD because of the durability concerns. I know what I'll be doing after going back home today . Thanks everyone for the feedback.

 

[Quercus]

It is loose this way by design, so that you can flick it open easily. The loose spring tension has been criticized because people expect a tighter spring. I recall that an HTC representative did state that this is the intent to allow you to open the keyboard with one hand.

Yes it is by design, but the design is rubbish. The phone feels both heavy and insecure (the two parts move slightly) when you pick it up and make calls on it, which is a bad thing.

The entire justification for this is so that you can open the keyboard with one hand. Really? And then what? Has anyone actually tried typing with one hand? If you want to use one hand surely you will use the touch screen and not bother with the keyboard at all? Using the keyboard only makes sense when you are using both hands, which completely invalidates the one-handed opening mechanism idea. It just doesn't feel as if HTC thought this through.
I would much rather have had a more traditional (and more stable) slide out keyboard as seen in the Motorola Milestone and other HTC keyboard phones.

the phone itself is good and would be great without the silly "z" hinge. It may look cool briefly when you flick the keyboard out, but it looks a lot less cool when you pick it up and the bottom half the phone gradually drops down to hang loosely underneath it.

 

[Slug]

Yes it is by design, but the design is rubbish.

In your opinion. Others, myself included, differ.

The phone feels both heavy and insecure

The extra weight is the inevitable penalty for the keyboard. It surely wasn't a surprise to you?

The entire justification for this is so that you can open the keyboard with one hand. Really? And then what?

It's immediately ready for use. Pull from pocket, open keyboard, start typing - no fumbling around.

I would much rather have had a more traditional (and more stable) slide out keyboard as seen in the Motorola Milestone and other HTC keyboard phones.

Then you bought the wrong handset. It happens. Probably best try to sell the Z on and replace it with something you can live with.

 

[Stuntman]

Yes it is by design, but the design is rubbish. The phone feels both heavy and insecure (the two parts move slightly) when you pick it up and make calls on it, which is a bad thing.

I've never noticed the parts moving whenever I use the phone. It is heavier than many other phones as there appears to be more metal parts to it than other phones. I do hear people complaining about phones that are made of plastic feeling cheap. It's more personal preference. I noticed the weight when I first go the phone, but have gotten used to the weight now.

The entire justification for this is so that you can open the keyboard with one hand. Really? And then what? Has anyone actually tried typing with one hand? If you want to use one hand surely you will use the touch screen and not bother with the keyboard at all? Using the keyboard only makes sense when you are using both hands, which completely invalidates the one-handed opening mechanism idea. It just doesn't feel as if HTC thought this through.

By contrast, I also own a Nokia N97. This phone also has a physical keyboard that flips out. The N97 has a much tighter spring and thus requires more force to open and close. When you do open it, it will snap in place which I personally find annoying. I end up carefully supporting the keyboard/screen as it opens and closes to prevent this hard snap into place.

The Desire Z is designed to be opened and closed easily. I don't really open and close it with one hand. I mentioned this so as to demonstrate that the keyboard is easy to open and close. I personally like the looser spring for this reason. I understand that not everyone likes the loose tension on the spring. Whether you want a higher or lower tension on the spring mechanism, there are going to be aspect if each that you may or may not like.

I would much rather have had a more traditional (and more stable) slide out keyboard as seen in the Motorola Milestone and other HTC keyboard phones.

HTC has a phone called the Merge. I do not believe it is out yet. It has a slide out keyboard that is more traditional slide mechanism. Perhaps that is more to your liking.

the phone itself is good and would be great without the silly "z" hinge. It may look cool briefly when you flick the keyboard out, but it looks a lot less cool when you pick it up and the bottom half the phone gradually drops down to hang loosely underneath it.

The only way that you can hold it so that half of the phone droops is if you do not hold it in a normal way. When people normally pick up a phone, they apply pressure to the entire side of the phone to grip it. This side pressure should keep the phone from opening. The only way you can hold the phone to cause half to droop is if you purposely only grab at half the side of the phone. I do not believe most people hold or pick up phones this way regardless of whether it has a slide out keyboard or not. When the phone is resting with the screen up, the bottom is curved so that when you pick it up, your fingers can easily slide underneath the phone as well. This makes picking up the phone causes you to cradle the phone from underneath and then scoop the phone up by supporting the bottom of the phone.

I've seen many videos of people holding the phone by the screen half only with the keyboard drooping down. My feeling is that most people do not hold the phone that way normally. Even if you do, I don't think it is much of a stretch to adjust how you hold the phone so that the phone doesn't droop like that.

 

[Deleted User]

My z has been great! Dropped it a few time from various heights and it springs open but doesn't break.
Looser springs are something that I like about it, very easy to flip it open and you're away.
Best phone I've had by far.

 

[Quercus]

The extra weight is the inevitable penalty for the keyboard. It surely wasn't a surprise to you?

To be honest, yes the weight was a surprise for me. It is one thing reading about a handset and another thing entirely to hold one. I don't know about where you live, but where I am (at the time I was looking for a new phone last year), you couldn't physically get hold of the Desire Z anywhere.
The additional weight and chunkiness of the phone were a bit of a shock, but I could live with those aspects if it wasn't for the hinge which does make it feel unstable and that is not a good combination.

When I pick up the phone, it frequently gives a little as the hinge moves, even if I am only answering a phone call or moving it around. And contrary to what Stuntman suggested it is very easy to pick it up only by one half of the phone and have it pop open by accident due to the fact it is quite a chunky phone. In fact I would have thought that it takes greater effort to deliberately hold it by both halves every time you pick it up to avoid this.

While it is true that some prefer the easier opening, I would rather have something that more rigid and stable, or at least was fixed in place until you reached a certain point after which it became easier to move.

Then you bought the wrong handset. It happens. Probably best try to sell the Z on and replace it with something you can live with.

Unfortunately I'm probably stuck with the phone and the contract for a while now, so that isn't really an option unless I can sell it close to the price of a new handset - which seems unlikely quite frankly.
Don't get me wrong, I do like the keyboard and the battery life is pretty good for a smart phone ... but I don't like the hinge.
If I had the option (and I have asked) I would swap it for the new HTC Desire S - it doesn't have a keyboard (which is a drawback) but does have battery life similar to the Z.

(Stuntman - yes HTC Merge does look a lot better and I would love to replace the Desire Z with that).

 

[fastwing76]

it is durable and solid, but the only issue that is really bothering me is the discoloration over time, in the grey area where your hand come in contact with the phone.

 

[Slug]

I don't know about where you live, but where I am (at the time I was looking for a new phone last year), you couldn't physically get hold of the Desire Z anywhere.

I'm fortunate in that there's both CPW and P4U stores in town. The weight was my one doubt, so I made sure that I spent some time with one before making the decision.

contrary to what Stuntman suggested it is very easy to pick it up only by one half of the phone and have it pop open by accident due to the fact it is quite a chunky phone.

I've not found that either, but that certainly doesn't mean you're wrong. Perhaps we handle ours differently, or hand size makes a difference?

A suggestion: try offering to trade in the Classifieds - Non-US Listings section. It costs nothing and you may strike lucky.