The T-Mobile myTouch 3G was initially launched in August of 2009. It was T-Mobile’s second Android powered phone and came with T-Mobile’s “make it mine” promise. The idea was that customers could customize the handset to their heart’s content, making it unique the the users needs and style. Unfortunately, the original myTouch 3G suffered from low memory and lacked a dedicated 3.5mm headphone jack. Rather than ordering up a new handset from HTC, T-Mobile chose to keep the phone, but bumped up the specs a little. Before we get into it, I’d like to thank the team at WireFly.com for making this hand-on review possible.
Hardware
The new myTouch 3G 3.5mm features the same exterior look as the original. I spent a few minutes going over the details and the only real change is the addition of the 3.5mm headphone jack located at the top of the handset. Like the original, the new myTouch comes in white, black, and merlot. The front of the phone is covered in a shiny plastic casing, six hardware buttons (tops: home, menu, back, search; bottom: call, end) with a white trackball right in the middle. The back side of the myTouch 3G is coated with soft-touch rubber which allows for a solid grip on the handset. The left side features the volume rocker, while the bottom sports a mini USB port and microphone. Screen size and resolution also remains the same as the original (HVGA 480×320 3.2 inches) and well as dimensions (113×55.56×14.65 mm ) and weight (116 grams).
On the inside, the myTouch 3G 3.5 still has a 1350 mAh battery, 3.2MP camera, and 528 MHz Qualcomm® MSM7201a processor. The only difference in specs is the bump to 288MB of RAM from 128MB. It may not sound like much, but the extra memory gives customer more than double the memory for running and installing apps on their phone.
Software
Though the Nexus One, HTC Desire, and Legend feature the newest Android 2.1 update, the myTouch 3G 3.5mm still sports the Android 1.6 build that was released last fall. However, T-Mobile has given it a little boost by adding in the new Swype keyboard and swapping out the standard Android music player with the HTC Music app found on the HTC Hero and all their other HTC Sense equipped phones. Android 1.6 may not be the most up to date version of Android, but myTouch 3G owners will be able to take advantage of the new turn-by-turn navigation feature included in Google Maps.
Conclusion
It’s easy to say that the new myTouch 3G 3.5mm is not going to blow anyone’s minds. If you own the original, you’re not missing much. The addition of the 3.5mm headphone jack, new music app, additional RAM, and the Swype keyboard do give the phone a much needed boost, but many of these features should have been included when the myTouch was originally launched. However, the phone was a pleasure to use and the size of the handset seemed to be perfect for my daily routine. To be honest, I found myself using the myTouch 3G a lot more than the HTC HD2 I have sitting right next to it. The reason for this could be the difference in operating systems, but I can say the myTouch feels a lot more like a phone while the HD2’s monstrous 4.3 inch screen makes it feel like a tablet.
If you plan on picking up the new myTouch 3G 3.5mm, WireFly is currently featuring the handset for $87.99, much cheaper than the $149.99 asking price at T-Mobile stores.
