HTC Touch Diamond2 Review
Phone rating: 
In a nutshell: The HTC Touch Diamond2 is an upgraded version
of the original Touch Diamond, with a larger screen, and improved camera
and battery life. In short, it's an outstanding touchscreen smartphone
running the very powerful Windows Mobile operating system. Features
include a 5 megapixel camera plus secondary video camera, 3.2 inch ultra-high
resolution display, music player, FM radio and GPS receiver. With a
huge 288 MB of RAM, HSDPA and WLAN support, the Touch Diamond2 really
is an excellent phone.
Review: May 2009. Last updated November 2009.
The original HTC Touch Diamond was the phone that launched HTC as a major player
in the world of smartphones, and the HTC Touch Diamond2 is (obviously) its replacement.
The Touch Diamond2 is a bigger phone, with a larger, higher resolution screen,
an upgraded camera and longer battery life. So it's an obvious upgrade path
for owners of the original Touch Diamond. Like the Diamond, it uses the same
TouchFLO™ 3D user interface with a full touchscreen, and runs Windows Mobile®
6.1 Professional, so everything is very familiar. If you don't mind the extra
size and weight, then the Diamond2 is definitely an improvement. The larger
screen makes the touchscreen UI easier to use and the HD is absolutely brilliant
for viewing photos or watching videos. There's no doubt about it: the Touch
Diamond2 is a brilliant device.
The Touch Diamond2 isn't lacking anything. Built on the extremely powerful
and flexible Windows Mobile® 6.1 Professional operating system, this is a phone
that will appeal to tech-heads who love to customise and tweak their phone to
perfection. Whilst the learning curve for new users is steep, ultimately there
are few limitations to how you use the phone. The TouchFLO™ 3D user interface
rivals the iPhone in ease of use, and the huge screen makes the UI come to life.
Photography has perhaps been HTC's biggest weakness, and whilst the Touch Diamond2's
5 megapixel camera is certainly an improvement on the original Diamond's camera,
it's only average for this class of phone. Still, with autofocus enabled, and
5 megs of pixels, you can take excellent print quality photos in good lighting
conditions. The device has a secondary video camera too.
Musically, the phone holds its own. With 288 MB RAM plus microSD memory card
support, there's no shortage of space for storing music and videos. The phone
can handle all popular digital music formats, and there's an FM radio built
in too. Headphones connect via the HTC ExtUSB connector, which combines USB
and audio connectivity in one.
In addition to USB, the phone supports WiFi and Bluetooth connectivity. The
Bluetooth supports A2DP for wireless stereo headsets. As well as using WiFi,
you can make use of the 7.2 Mbps HSDPA capability for fast data downloads. Web
browsing is excellent on the Diamond2, with fast data access and the large touchscreen.
Other features include GPS satnav, and a G-sensor, or accelerometer, which
detects motion and orientation, for example switching automatically between
portrait and landscape modes when you rotate the display.
The battery life has been improved too, with HTC claiming up to 5 hours of
talktime in 3G (under optimum conditions.) In practice, we think that most users
will want to charge the phone every one or two days, depending on how much use
is made of the various functions. Powering a screen this big takes a fair bit
of juice, so it's not just the number of calls you make that matters.
In summary, the Touch Diamond2 is a worthy successor to the original Touch
Diamond, and is a superb phone. You might also consider the HTC
Touch HD, which has an even larger screen, but at the price of increased
weight and bulk. Both are excellent phones.
Features of the HTC Touch Diamond2 include:
- Windows Mobile® 6.1 Professional operating system
- 5 megapixel camera with autofocus
- Video recording / second camera for video calling
- Display: TFT, 480 x 800 pixels (3.2 inches) with auto-rotation
- GPS receiver
- Music player (MP3, AAC, AAC+, eAAC+, WMA formats)
- Stereo FM radio
- Messaging: SMS, EMS, MMS, Email
- Ringtones: MP3 ringtones
- Wallpaper
- Java
- Internet: GPRS, EDGE, HSDPA (7.2 Mbps)
- Connectivity: Wi-Fi IEEE 802.11 b/g, Bluetooth 2.0 with Enhanced Data Rate,
mini-USB 2.0
- Memory: 288 MB RAM plus microSD memory card
- Vibration alert
- Quadband GSM (850/900/1800/1900 MHz) plus HSDPA/WCDMA (900/2100 MHz)
- Size: 108 x 53 x 14 mm
- Weight: 118g
- Talktime: 300 - 340 minutes
- Battery standby: 360 - 500 hours
HTC Touch Diamond 2 User Reviews
Love your mobile? Hate it? Please share your experiences to help other
people choose the phone that's best for them. Please do not review this
phone if you have not used it. This is a review site, not a forum, so
please don't just ask questions. Please do not use swear words or offensive
language, and please, no advertising!
Average rating from 42 reviews:
Reviewed by Titusz from Hungary on 22nd Dec 2011
no native music alarm (only nervous RRRIIINNNGGGS!), lame & old OS,
lame & slow touch screen, no incoming call filter.
Rating: 
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Reviewed by aseeb from united kindom on 25th Apr
2011
coooooooooooooooooooool
Rating: 
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Reviewed by Amalia from GREECE on 3rd Dec 2010
AVOID HTC MOBILES!!!! The worst customer service, the worst mobiles!
burn pixels on new mobiles from the first day I opened the box, big
delays in everything you want to do with the mobile, after 3 months
the mobile stuck and it couldn't get the signal from my provider no
one could call me and I couldn't call at the end after 8 months the
whole screen stuck and I couldn't even see my calls and contacts or
send a message! The service in Greece is not take over the responsibility
the only thing they are doing is to fix the damage and send me back
the same mobile after 2 times service, 1 hard reset and 2 soft resets!
No one from the company could help me to solve the problem! I lost all
my contacts and emails 3 times! I charge my account several times for
hours trying to speak with their service and no one was able to help!!!!
The only the can do again is to fix the damage and send me back the
same device after 3 huge problems I faced with it in less than a year!
It is like I put 460 euros in the garbage!!! Do not hesitate to contact
me for any further info! PLEASE DO NOT TRUST THIS COMPANY! My mobile
was the HTC DIAMOND 2.
Rating:  Reply
Reviewed by mj from philippines on 26th Oct 2010
this phone is brilliant,. the touchflo 3d was great..although its a
resistive touchscreen but you will feel like a capacitive same as apple
touchscreen..The good about this phone is all the contacts are intact
very intuitive..Fast browsing also in internet..Battery life is fair
with a high resolution like this..Call quality is also good..sometimes
distorted if you use loudspeaker with a high volume but tolerable not
too much problem..the phone looks simple but very powerful..GPS is outstanding
and fast..You Tube application also which is built in.. You can use
or download third party cab files Core player so that you can watch
Hi definition DVD rip movies..excellent phone..im doubtful to upgrade
it to windows 6.5 coz maybe it can slow my phone..but in 6.1 no laggy
and sluggish at all..
Rating:
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Reviewed by TD2_Rubbish from UK on 7th Sep 2010
This phone is abolutely useless. I have had it for 6 months. Nothing
but problems, slow to respond camerea is a joke, you need to keep your
hand perfectly still to take a half decent pic. Battery is dead by the
middle of your day. Calls always dropping then phone completely loses
reception. Do you want one...buy mine...no...actually you can have if
for free after I smash it on the floor!
Rating: Reply
Reviewed by AB from UK on 13th Jul 2010
I dont get it. Its has a good camera, good video, useful as a GPS, download
games etc but as a phone its completely rubbish , cuts out, no one can
tell what your saying, battrey life very poor, difficult to use, so
whats the point and whats its primary use? Everyone in the office was
given one a few months ago but no one uses them now as they have all
reverted back to their basic Nokias. In a word: Rubbish
Rating: Reply
Reviewed by Ert from UK on 19th Mar 2010
I have had this one for 9 months now, I like everything about the phone,
The battery is ok, good spec, nice looking etc, etc. I am just not impressed
with the durability. A new screen which is dented again after a month
or so and I look after my phones. My wife is still using the first Diamond
phone which gets knocked about much more and is going well.
Rating:
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Reviewed by Imran from UAE on 16th Mar 2010
I am using this phone for almost 4 months now. It is a great phone in
all aspects. People who are giving it 1 or 0 star should get their brains
checked by a doctor. Battery life should not be compared with normal
phones. You must realize that it has big high resolution screen and
high speed processor. I recharge my phone every 2 days but I use my
phone moderately. If you watch movie or something on it and then expect
battery life to be more that 2 hours, it is utter non sense. In the
beginning when I told my friend that its battery finishes very fast
and I am recharging it every 2 days, He was surprised and told me he
has to charge his blackberry every day, 2 days are more than enough.
Rating:
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Reviewed by David from United Kingdom on 9th Mar
2010
It's interesting that a lot of people are complaining about the battery
life. I've had mine for 6 months now (granted, plenty of time left for
things to go wrong!) but my battery lasts for at least a day, usually
2, with moderate use (up to 2 hours of calls, push email turned on,
a little bit of GPS, and a couple of hours of music). My one complaint,
though, is that since I downloaded the upgrade to WinMo 6.5 the phone
has really slowed down. If it weren't for the improved UI, my own silly
patience, and the hassle of down-grading, I'd have switched back to
WinMo 6.1 many months ago...
Rating:
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Reviewed by Kev from Norway on 4th Mar 2010
Great phone.... PROVIDED your attached to the socket in the wall.....
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! If the battery would last more than 2 hrs it wouldnt
be a bad phone at all...... Good job nobody buys a htc to use as a telephone
or an mp3 player let alone a gps... because unless your connected to
a seperate power supply its useless
Rating: Reply
Reviewed by soha from lebanon on 7th Feb 2010
love your mobile
Rating:
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Reviewed by Lici from UK on 31st Jan 2010
Further to my review last year, this phone has developed faults too
numerous to mention. I hate it so much. If there was an option to give
it no stars then it would have no stars.
Rating: Reply
Reviewed by lee from UK on 6th Dec 2009
Great phone but not much use if my battery only lasts for about 5-6
hours of my working day and that is when I use my blackberry for other
calls just in case the batter does run out....and guess what it does!!
Rating: Reply
Reviewed by John from UK on 4th Nov 2009
I bought my phone from Handtec in May. The screen is fantastic and I
rarely have to reset it - a big improvement over older phones. Video
streaming works a treat and the built in YouTube app is great. Sound
quality is fine and it is handy to be able to pull the micro SD storage
card in and out without resetting the phone. So far, I haven't had a
problem with software running off the storage card locking up after
the phone has been in standby mode - a big irritation with WM5. A few
gripes and 1 major ISSUE: - Touch Flo looks great but irritates as it
takes more steps to get to all the detail of a contact, diary, etc.
I end up working around Touch Flo rather than using it much - The HTC
browser looks great but doesn't seem to work that well. Big delays and
oversensitive zoom slider. I end up using Internet Explorer - much better
than earlier versions but still nothing like as good as iphone browser
- Touchflo has a nice feature on contacts where commonly used contacts
can be selected and listed on the top Contacts screen. Unfortunately
the PC sync software regularly loses its mind and does a complete re-sync,
overwriting these selections on the phone. Looks nice but I have lost
patience reinstating them every couple of weeks and now just ignore
it. - Typing with the stylus is quite slow as you need quite a lot of
pressure to get the phone to register your key presses - The headphone
socket is combined with the mini USB sync/charge socket is a HTC variation
of the mini USB plug. You need to use HTC headphones or buy an adapter
- cheap on Ebay but a little annoying - The casing and screen are very
sensitive to finger prints – I end up wiping it constantly. The
screen is pretty useless in sunlight. - MAJOR WATCHOUT: The reset button
is under the back cover. Right next to this is a recessed casing screw
with an anti-tamper 'void' sticker. It is very easy to stick the stylus
into the screw instead of the button by mistake. I found out the very
expensive consequence (£70) when the touch screen developed a fault
after only a few weeks. I then spend many more weeks arguing with Handtec
and HTC to no avail - I had to pay up. HTC even emailed a photo of the
damaged 'void' sticker which had pretty clearly never had a screwdriver
in it. There is very little clearance inside the casing to put tape
over the screw hole and if you block the hole with something you would
again risk damaging the sticker in some way. All this would be avoided
if the 'void' sticker were simply put on a different screw. If I were
cynical I might think this was deliberate to avoid paying out for warranty
claims! - The phone Handtec provided is apparently an Eastern European
model. I found this out when I tried to download the Win 6.5 upgrade
and was refused. A support call to HTC clarified why. Apparently the
E European version will be released later in Nov.
Rating:
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Reviewed by Keith from Hartlepool on 3rd Oct 2009
Once I'd decided to ditch my Dell Axim PDA and Nokia N95 8gb in favour
of a single device I started my search considering the Hero, Omnia HD
Nokia N9and Touch Pro 2 trying demoing each one before finally deciding
on the Diamond 2. To say I'm pleased with the phone is an understatement
my only foray into touch screen territory was with a Viewty when they
first came out and I was dubious to say the least, (the Viewty last
3 months). I was worried about letting go of my trusty N95 its outstanding
camera and beautiful screen but I needn't have been. OK there no 3.5mm
phone socket, deal breaker I think not (only a £2-3 to buy), no flash
-ok but then I've took a number of indoor shots in poor light and they've
been ok outdoors the camera is excellent and for my purposes as good
as the N95. Using the screen is a joy and despite its knockers WM6.1
with TF3D a joy to use. Having had a PDA then the transition was straightforward
and terms of useabilty the interface excellent. The sound quality from
the single speaker is fine and loud enough for most situations, call
quality on par with the N95 and build quality top class and the phone
looks good too. Yes it has got some issues but the good points far outweigh
the bad and show me a phone that is perfect. If you're thinking of this
phone then go for it you won't regret it - its by far the best I've
ever owned and I've had a few.
Rating:
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Reviewed by janet from australia on 20th Sep 2009
This phone is not as great as I expected it would be. It takes a while
to get used to with the windows software on it, the simple phone use
such as sms, mms and calling are good functions but other than that,
it is very frustrating to use as the functions are not combined together,
so it's very hard to change the settings.
Rating:
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Reviewed by Richard Davis from UK on 19th Sep
2009
On a scale of 1-10 I would give this phone 0! The on screen keyboard
is rubbish making typing at speed nigh on impossible and rendering mobile
office virtually unusable.Would HTC also like to tell us why you can
only view Excel and Word in vertical and not horizontal? Smartphone?
I think not! I cant wait to get rid of this piece of junk and get a
decent phone.
Rating: Reply
Reviewed by jacob from uk on 12th Sep 2009
personally i think this phone is outstanding i love the way all the
keys on the keyboard are just the right size for me and the battery
life lasts for ages.
Rating:
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Reviewed by Mark from England on 11th Sep 2009
This is one of the best phones I have ever had, Upgraded form a Nokia
n95 which was possible the worst phone Ive ever had (except the camera
which was the best ive ever used) any way this phone is a bit hard to
get use to and you need to put some time into it but once you do boy
does it reward you. The screen is very good I find the touch screen
a bit difficult to use but this is my first touch screen phone and I
have only had this phone 3 days and Im already getting better at using
it. I think the big plus point is the fact you can use a stylus which
makes the transistion much easier there are so many free apps for this
phone. a lot of them are no use but there are a lot of little gems out
there you just need to dearch for them. I have not had any problems
with the UI so far it seems to work well if you open to many apps at
the same time yes the phone does slow but what do you expect try doing
that with your PC the same will happen. The only grip I have is the
fact that i use my mobile as my alarm clock and all other phones I ever
had you can switch them off and the will auto power on and sound the
alarm to wake you up. But this phone does not do this. So I have to
leave my phone on all of the time. This is a small sacrifice to make
for what is a very good phone. And to all the Iphone lovers out there
who feel the need to slag off other hand sets. I would like to say not
only is this phone as good as an IPhone (may not be better but it is
as good) but it also cheaper and if you look hard enough you can get
almost all of the apps you could ever want and need for free. Also you
can put your own music on it from where ever you got it quickly and
easily not just Itunes. All in all I would recomend this phone to anyone.
PS HTC please sort out this alarm problem.
Rating:
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Reviewed by KT from UK on 3rd Sep 2009
Have been using this phone for a month. I love the Wifi function. What
I hate? No flash function, pretty frustrating. The fact that SMS does
not ring, unless we look at the phone itself. The touch-flo is quite
buggy sometimes laggy. The phone is also quite bulky.
Rating: 
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Reviewed by elia kumwenda from zambia .africa on
1st Sep 2009
to ve a mobile phone on its kind what can i say nothings but thank god
Rating:
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Reviewed by beckybo from uk on 28th Aug 2009
i love this phone i got last week the touch screen is brill!!!!
Rating:
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Reviewed by Azal2 from Serbia on 14th Aug 2009
Shine on me2
Rating:
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Reviewed by mohan from india on 13th Aug 2009
it is a good mobile
Rating:
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Reviewed by Adrian from UK on 21st Jul 2009
A nice phone but HTC need to ditch the awful Touchflo interface in favour
of something a lot more friendly. Battery life is also nowhere near
as good as it could be, although it is apparently better than the original.
I would have preferred a smaller phone (like the touch 3G or even the
size of the original) as the screen size isn't so important to me as
compactness. Lots of features and programs that can be added but the
Windows interface seriously needs upgrading (roll on WM 6.5)
Rating:
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Reviewed by adam from uk on 4th Jul 2009
this phone looks great and potentially has great functionality, but
the touchflow software is quite buggy. the worst aspect being that sometimes,
even with the right profile setting, the phone doesn't sound when you
recieve an sms, or the alarm fails to sound at all - completely unreliable.
htc have released a hotfix for this problem, but it doesn't work. until
the bugs are fixed, i'd avoid purchasing, or look at one of the more
reliable alternatives - i certainly wish i had.
Rating:
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Reviewed by lee from uk manchester on 26th Jun
2009
this phone is without doubt the best phone ive ever used my previous
phones have been nokia 8800 arte s/e c905 blackberry 8320 and i had
the use of the iphone 3g this phone lacks nothing its so smooth and
the screen is fantastic cant fault it one little bit
Rating:
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Reviewed by Derek from UK on 17th Jun 2009
This phone is fantastic great improvement on the Touch HD
Rating:
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Reviewed by Peter from Scotland on 16th Jun 2009
Just bought this phone and am very happy with it. The windows mobile
6.1 is going to be upgraded to 6.5 for free with this phone (officially
not available for the Touch HD) so it's an investment in future technology
as well. Very pleased, and i am a graphic designing apple user of 15
years!
Rating:
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Reviewed by Matheus from US on 24th May 2009
I have one HTC Diamond and I hates my phone. I am very frustated. I
can says that HTC Diamond was the worst phone that I had in all my life.
The main problem is the Windows Mobile, it consumes all phone resurces
and the Radio with the 3G is very weak. Before buying this phone, I
recommends you to talk who has one. I paid $960 USD for a new HTC Diamond...
I am so stupid...
Rating: Reply
Reviewed by Ian from UK on 20th May 2009
SONY! SONY!. It's all about sony. Well it used to be now its all about
HTC baby!
Rating:
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Reviewed by Sameh Gad from Egypt on 18th May 2009
Awesome Phone, My old mobile phone HTC Touch first edition and I didn’t
want to buy any HTC anymore, but after I use the new HTC Diamond2 it’s
simply a revolution in the 3G mobile phone and GPS system with Windows
Mobile 6.1, Great battery, good speed the software need more experience
with touch mobile phones. I Recommend this phone for every one
Rating:
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Reviewed by Joe from Wales on 17th May 2009
this is a great all round smartphone with good features and nice ui,
even if it does take some geting used to. i recommend it thouroughly
Rating:
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Reviewed by Joey Mado from UK on 15th May 2009
I had the original HTC Diamond and what can i say!?! This phone kicks
arse its so sensitive and the camera is alot better. The only downside
is the camera isnt the best in terms of use aka its not as good as the
Samsung pixon or N95. I have no regrets getting this phone and would
highly recommend it!
Rating:
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Reviewed by Abdus from UK on 13th May 2009
Had this phone just over a week and it's really a great device. Great
for surfing the web and email plus with Windows Mobile 6.1 (Word, Excel,
Powerpoint, OnNote) it's perfect as a business phone. It's really packed
with everything - heard that HTC might offer an upgrade to Windows Mobile
6.5 - hope they do! Highly recommend in any case.
Rating:
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Reviewed by Lici from UK on 6th May 2009
I love this phone! Yes, it does take a little getting used to, but it's
totally worth taking the time to familiarise yourself with it. I've
mostly had Samsung phones in the past and was reluctant to try any other
sort, but I'm so glad I did. It looks fantastic too!
Rating:
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Reviewed by Sam from UK on 4th May 2009
HTC are rubbish, slow to respond, stupid little touch buttons in the
corners to change screens and generally a pain to use. Do yourself a
favor and get something more user friendly!
Rating: Reply
Reviewed by blueeg from UK on 30th Apr 2009
The HTC Touch diamond 2 is a Good phone it is user and newbie friendly
and a joy to wield and utilize
Rating:
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Reviewed by OLI from BRAZIL on 28th Apr 2009
I H8 HTC PHONES THEY R ALL SOO COMPLECATED MAKE THEM MORE USER FRIENDLY
AND MAKE BATTERY LAST LEAST MORE THAN 2 HOURS PLZ XXXXXXX
Rating: Reply
Reviewed by gogote from Diego on 28th Apr 2009
Good phone i like it..........
Rating:
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Reviewed by SANUR ALI from LONDON on 27th Apr
2009
Got this phone today after a bad experiance with Sony Ericsson W705.
This phone is perfect for all round. It is the next version of Apple
3G from Asia. Everything an Apple 3G could do, this phone could do it.
Anyone thinking of buying a touchscreen phone, give HTC Touch Diamond
2 a try, you won't regret it. The future of mobile phone technology
will be changing to touchscreen from keypad buttons, this phone give
the story.
Rating:
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Reviewed by ZADE from UK on 17th Mar 2009
THE BEST LOOKING PHONE AND FAR BETTER THAN THE DIAMOND 1 AND MUCH CHEAPER
THAN TOUCH HD BUT AT THE SAME TIME DOES WHAT EVER THE HD DOES. VERY
GOOD PHONE.
Rating:
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