Review: HTC HD2 Extended Battery and Stand

The HTC HD2 is an incredibly popular phone, and even though it’s been on sale for a while now, a lot of the genuine HTC accessories for it are only just making their way onto the shelves. Last month we saw the release of the long awaited HTC HD2 Car Upgrade Pack, and this month we’ve finally managed to get our hands on the HTC HD2 Extended battery.

HTC HD2 Extended Battery

HTC HD2 Extended Battery

If you’ve pre-ordered one from us, then it’s good news, yours is on it’s way and should be with you in the next day or two. If you haven’t, you’ll need to be quick as these are selling fast. I managed to get my hands on one very briefly in order to write this hands on review, but it wasn’t long before that was being reclaimed by the warehouse team!

Features

There’s not a lot you can say about a battery so I’m not going to. It’s a higher capacity battery – 2300mAh compared to 1230mAh in the standard battery, which should in theory almost double the battery life of your phone. It’s almost three times fatter than the standard one though which is why you get a replacement back cover included with the battery.

Extended battery gives your HD2 more power

Extended battery gives your HD2 more power

The back cover is what makes this bundle so interesting. Instead of just making it a bigger cover, HTC have built in to the back cover a fold away kickstand.

Design

The back cover is styled exactly the same as the standard one. It’s the same finish, with the exception of the kickstand which is has a brushed metal finish. The kickstand folds away flat into the back of the cover and is spring loaded to prevent it from coming out when it’s not needed.

Kickstand folds away when not needed

Kickstand folds away when not needed

The kickstand is perfect for watching videos or flicking through your photos in landscape mode. HTC do state that you can use the stand in portrait mode too, but I found it to be a little unstable and at the wrong angle for comfortable viewing – having said that, I can’t really see anyone settling down to watch a movie in portrait mode, so can’t see this being a problem.

Metal Kickstand is perfect for viewing videos

Metal Kickstand is perfect for viewing videos

What some people might have a problem with, is the increased size of the phone with the back cover fitted. It adds 7mm to the depth of the handset, taking it from a slim and sexy 11mm thin to a rather bulky 18mm thick. It’s worth pointing out that all of this extra depth is because of the battery and not the kickstand – the kickstand sits lower down the back of the phone, just above the sim card.

Side profile of the HTC HD2 with extended battery fitted

Side profile of the HTC HD2 with extended battery fitted

To give you a better idea on the differences between the two, here’s a quick size, weight and power comparison between the two.

Original Battery Extended Battery & Cover
Battery Capacity 1230mAh 2300mAh
Battery Thickness 4mm 11mm
Phone Size 120 x 67 x 11mm 120 x 67 x 18mm
Phone Weight 157g approx 200g

In the Box

No real surprises here, the box contains just the battery and back cover.

Why Buy

If you know you’re going to be away from a power supply for a couple or three days and need to use your phone, or spend a lot of time on trains/planes watching films, then the extra battery power is worth the increase in size. If you want to use this as your everyday battery, you may find it a little on the bulky side, and may prefer to use an external battery pack instead.

Genuine HTC HD2 Extended Battery

Genuine HTC HD2 Extended Battery

We like: Kickstand is great for movies, extra power is welcome on long flights or train journeys
We don’t like: Increased size renders most cases and car holders useless as they won’t accommodate the thick battery

My Rating: 7/10

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