Review: Huawei myTouch and myTouch Q for T-Mobile
The MyTouch and myTouch Q are essentially the same phone. The Q simply has a slide-out keyboard. Rather than review them separately, Phone Scoop is looking at them together.
From a distance you probably couldn't tell the two phones apart. They use the same design, colors, and materials. The front fascia is black and is rimmed in a grayish strip. The back surface has a matte black soft touch finish to it that I like both in terms of looks and how it feels.
The overall fit and finish of both devices is decent, but not quite top notch. Some of the seams don't line up perfectly, and there's a slight creakiness to the device that cheapens the perception of its quality. They aren't falling to pieces, mind you, but the manufacturing could have been a little bit cleaner.
The myTouch has a slim profile and rounded edges. It is comfortable to hold and use. The myTouch Q is only a bit thicker, but the added girth didn't make it any less comfortable to hold and use. It's noticeably heavier, though, and more of a brick in your pocket. Both devices are easy to carry about.
Since they run Android 2.3 Gingerbread, there are four capacitive buttons below the display: Menu, Home, Back, and the Genius button. The Genius button launches T-Mobile's voice-powered search app (more on that later). All four buttons are responsive and offer haptic feedback, should you wish it.
The volume toggle is on the left edge of both phones. I really like the feel of this toggle. It offers a good profile that's easy to find, and the travel and feedback is very satisfying. The same goes for the other two buttons — lock and camera — where are on the top and right edge, respectively. The buttons have a good shape and the perfect amount of feedback. The 3.5mm headset jack is on the top of both phones. Oddly, the microUSB port is on the left edge of the myTouch, but on the bottom of the Q.
The battery covers require some work to remove. The clips that hold them in place are extremely tight. I had to resort to using tools in order to save my fingernails from certain annihilation. Once removed, both phones offer access to the battery, SIM card, and microSD card slot. The microSD card can be installed/removed without pulling the battery.
So how 'bout that QWERTY slider on the Q? It's ok. The top half of the device pops up easily thanks to some strong spring assistance, but it's not a smooth action. It's a little rough, but the grating I felt doesn't affect the performance of the slider. It just feels off. The keyboard has four rows; three are reserved for letters, numbers, and other characters, and the fourth row is mostly controls, like arrow keys and the space bar. I am happy to see dedicated period, comma, and "@" buttons. The numbers run across the top of the keyboard and you have to use the ALT button to activate them. The keys themselves are tiny ovals. They have a wee bit of shape to them, which makes them a bit easier to find than if they were flat. Travel and feedback is fine, but I found typing on the Q to be very unsatisfying. I had trouble adjusting to the keyboard as a whole. I often pressed more than one key at a time, which meant I had to stop and edit the text. I'd rate the keyboard a "B" at best.
All in all, the myTouch and myTouch Q are decent little phones, hardware-wise. Not perfect, but certainly worthy of their middle-rung status.
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Huawei myTouch
Huawei myTouch Q
