First impressions of the new Windows Phone 8 from Nokia and HTC

Yesterday we were at the presentation of Windows Phone 8 in Madrid and, in addition to monitoring live all the news that was presented, we were able to play for a while the new phones with Windows Phone 8, both from HTC and from Nokia. Let's see what our first impressions with them were.

Windows Phone 8 Quick Takeaways

In the short time we spent with the phones we couldn't get a complete idea of ​​how Windows Phone 8 works, but we can draw some quick conclusions about the most visible features .

First, the home screen. It's really useful, much more so than it already is in Windows Phone 7. It's not just about getting bigger or smaller tiles: it also changes the amount of information they display and the importance you give to each app. It's the best way ever to organize a mobile that's truly yours.

We also tested the new camera app, and the improvement is amazing. The interface is easier to use, with shortcuts more at hand, and best of all, we can now edit photos (crop, correct, rotate...) directly from the image application, without resorting to anything else.

In terms of system speed, I've noticed some performance improvement on all phones, though I feel like it's due to shorter animations more than anything else.I have tried some games and Internet browsing, and they work perfectly. But as I say, the performance of Windows Phone 7 is already almost perfect so any improvement is going to be practically psychological .

Lastly, I tried to take a quick look at the music app. It's too early to say, but it seems to me that they haven't improved practically anything at the level of library management, playlists... We'll have to test it further to find out what improvements it brings, but it doesn't look good. And personally, I think there's still a lot to improve in the Windows Phone music app.

Nokia Lumia 920 and 820: absolutely great

Let's start with the Lumia 920. I've only been able to hold it for a short time in my hands, but the sensations it transmits are great. Despite being larger than the Lumia 800, it feels quite a bit lighter (it's still a heavy phone, mind you).The finish is much more polished, and I've found the polymer on the case to be much nicer to the touch.

Despite being a large 4.5-inch phone, it is very comfortable and can be operated easily with one hand. The screen is very sharp, it's really nice to use.

We've tried testing the super-sensitive touch technology, and it's actually not too bad. It can be used perfectly with the fingernail, but we have quickly tried using it with the finger covered by a fine jersey fabric and it has not worked. Like the rest of the features, we will have to wait until we have it quietly to see how it really works.

We have also tested the camera, which the truth is that it has not produced particularly striking results. On the other hand, normal: the conditions weren't the best to test it, and we can't really compare the images on a mobile screen either.

The Lumia 820 has pleasantly surprised me. I was expecting a less careful phone with a slightly uglier design, but live and direct this terminal wins a lot. The removable casing is barely noticeable, and just like the 920 the screen is one of the best I've seen.

And despite being big, again it's still very comfortable and easy to use with one hand. We haven't been able to think too much about the camera either: for the moment it seems that it can give good results.

One thing that has caught my attention about the Lumia is the care they have put into the buttons this time. On the Lumia 800, the camera and volume buttons are a bit loose: they dance in the gaps. On the 820 and 920, the buttons are completely fixed, are more discreet and still not difficult to find and press.

In general, it is noted that Nokia is playing the guy with the Lumia range. The new terminals are very well designed, well cared for and work perfectly. The perfect bet to be the flagship of Windows Phone 8.

HTC 8X and 8S: Yes, they're good, but…

If I said before that it is noticeable that Nokia is playing the guy with the Lumia, it is also noted that the 8X and 8S are second-tier bets for HTC. They are very good phones, yes, but they lack something, they lack personality.

We'll start with the HTC 8X: a very light phone, almost as light as the iPhone 5. The polymer of the case is really comfortable, more pleasant to the touch than the Lumia 920. As for the size, It is a phone that seems too high to me: it is difficult to navigate the entire screen with one hand.

The screen looks very good, clear and with a very fast response. As for the camera, we can't say much: the camera seems quite good, but at the event we were not in the best conditions to evaluate it.

As with the Lumia, the exterior buttons are very discreet, fixed to the case and yet easy to find with one hand. Overall, the 8X is a very good phone, comfortable and quite well finished.

The HTC 8S, for its part, has not caught my attention so much. The size seems perfect to me: the screen makes perfect use of the phone's space, it fits in the hand without any problem and you don't have to make any effort to reach any part of the screen.

The casing is made of the same material as the 8X, also very pleasant to the touch.The screen didn't stand out especially, and in this case, as the mobile was in an anchorage, the only tests we've been able to do with the camera have been on the opposite wall (which hasn't gone bad, it must be said).

Unfortunately, we haven't had a chance to test the audio system with Beats either, which promises a lot. And finally, HTC's pre-installed apps are unchanged from Windows Phone 7: a central hub and a few small phone utilities.

I imagine that this is more a matter of taste, but personally the HTCs give me the feeling of being a phone with which they have not wanted to dedicate themselves fully. Yes, it's very good, but something is missing, a point of originality, of personality, something that makes it stand out and compete against Nokia.

Be that as it may, Windows Phone 8 has been going strong. The system is very good and the phones are really attractive: all that is missing is a good application ecosystem for Windows Phone to be one hundred percent complete.