HTC Flyer review

Like many modern smartphones, the Flyer is based around the Qualcomm Snapdragon “system-on-a-chip” – a combination of a 1.5GHz single-core ARM processor and an HD-ready graphics co-processor that can accelerate most multimedia including SVG graphics and Flash video. Backed up by 1GB of RAM, the Flyer scored 1890 in Quadrant – less than dual-core Snapdragon devices such as the Samsung Galaxy S2 or Motorola Xoom, but more than the single-core HTC Desire S or the Sony Ericsson Xperia arc.

In practice, we noticed very little lag in the interface or within apps. BBC iPlayer, YouTube (in HD) and our video test files all played smoothly, and even a large spreadsheet opened quickly in the pre-installed Polaris Office app (you also get a PDF Reader). It helps that there’s tons of memory, both for running apps and storage space; the advertised 32GB of internal memory is split into 8GB of app space and 20GB for general storage, plus there’s a microSDHC card slot that can accept 32GB cards.

The Flyer is available in two models: this model with 3G and 32GB of storage costs £600. It’s not much better on contract either, being currently only available from Three for £169 plus £31 a month for 24 months. A far better option is the Wi-Fi-only model with 16GB of internal storage for £480.

While this might seem a lot to pay for a smaller tablet, we found the 7in Flyer to be a great alternative to 10in models – it’s size makes it more practical to carry on a daily basis, or to hold for long periods, but it’s still large enough to make browsing the web a pleasure. The stylus is also a useful extra, and best of all, it feels great to use and looks brilliant.

However, you can buy either an Apple iPad 2 or the Asus Eee pad Transformer for under £400. That makes the Flyer around £80 too much, plus the ageing but capable 7in Samsung Galaxy Tab is now available for around £300. While you may miss some features, the price difference is too great to ignore.

The Flyer then is a great tablet, and it will appeal to those who want something really portable, or just to those who like to doodle, but it’s just too expensive to recommend outright to everyone, and so misses out on an award.