More details: HTC Diamond and Raphael = Touch Diamond & Touch Pro

By Phil Nickinson
last updated

Well, following up on our earlier post about those fancy-schmancy new HTC devices reportedly heading to Sprint, some much wanted specs have since come out.

Paul over at MoDaCo not only has the quite lovely features but also their launch names:

  • HTC Diamond = HTC Touch Diamond
  • HTC Raphael = HTC Touch Pro
  • HTC Titanium = HTC Touch Dual Pro

That latter one we haven’t heard much about but evidently it’s the updated version of the current Touch Dual, which makes sense if they are refreshing the regular Touch. The Titanium/Touch Dual Pro is speculated to have that current slider dial pad but otherwise keeps the Touch Pro’s specs.

And what are those specs for the Touch Pro (Raphael) and Touch Diamond? Lets just say please make sure you are currently sitting down before you click that "read more" link!

Now it's unclear if all of these specs will be in the CDMA versions, as features like FM radio can be disabled, etc. But here is what we know about the Touch Diamond & Raphael:

  • Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional
  • Qualcomm MSM 7201A @ 528MHz
  • 256MB ROM / 128MB RAM
  • 7.2MB HSDPA / HSUPA (rev A EVDO for Sprint versions)
  • 2.8" VGA screen
  • WiFi
  • Bluetooth 2.0 with EDR
  • eGPS
  • 3.1MP Camera with flash
  • Forward facing camera
  • 4GB internal flash storage (Diamond only) - Samsung MoviNAND (opens in new tab)
  • TV out (Raphael only)
  • Orientation sensor (a-la-iPhone)
  • FM Radio
  • microSD expansion
  • 900mAh battery (!!!)
  • Diamond: 51x99x10.7mm
  • Raphael: 51x99x17mm

What is eGPS you ask? Talk about cutting edge, this stuff was just officially announced by the UK company CSR in February. Basically it’s like aGPS but better. Way better. (In fairness, Qualcomm has their gpsOneXTRA to compete)

A typical eGPS push-to-fix will be available in less than 4 seconds, accurate to within 10 meters and require the equivalent power of less than 1 second of handset talk time.

It works indoors, when the device is powered down, uses less battery, acquires the sat signal faster and works globally. Holla! And did you see that mention of 4gb internal flash storage on the HTC Diamond (but not Raphael?)

We guess the only downside is possibly that wimpy 900mah (!) battery though with such new technology, it’s a bit premature to suggest that these will necessarily be battery hogs. Lets hope not!

Oh and yeah…there will be GSM versions of all of these too, in fact they may be coming out very soon ;-)

Phil Nickinson
Phil Nickinson

Phil is the father of two beautiful girls and is the Dad behind Modern Dad. Before that he spent seven years at the helm of Android Central. Before that he spent a decade in a newsroom of a two-time Pulitzer Prize-finalist newspaper. Before that — well, we don't talk much about those days. Subscribe to the Modern Dad newsletter!

17 Comments
  • DAYUM!!!
    Great--- now let me see, they need to make that 4gb of NAND flash standard on the Raphael too (why the heck wouldn't they put that on their "executive" model when that one most like likely will be pressed into enterprise service like the TYTN2 variants are today?? I know they wanna make the Touch into a iphone killer, but show some keyboard slidin' tweakers some love too-- some of us do hack the touch cruise roms onto the TYTN2 for a reason you know...
    So should I do this or the XPERIA... Both will be out at the same time (no doubt the HTC timetable got sped up because of the S-bomb that happened at the GSM and CTIA conferences) But I have Sprint already (I'd have left ages ago but I have a plan which makes SERO plans look expensive) and these will be CDMA enabled too... Sigh. guess my long-in-the-tooth Treo 700wx will still be around a bit longer while this plays out...
  • DAYUM!!!
    Great--- now let me see, they need to make that 4gb of NAND flash standard on the Raphael too (why the heck wouldn't they put that on their "executive" model when that one most like likely will be pressed into enterprise service like the TYTN2 variants are today??
    My thought? The HTC Touch Diamond is being aimed at prosumers and some business clients, so that 4gb of memory is for media and entertainment (for sure, lol) whereas the Raphael aka HTC Touch Pro is a "professional" device only i.e. not aimed at consumers, so less play.
    Same reason why the 800w won't have 4gb of internal memory--they're aiming strictly for enterprise, not consumer/prosumer. Companies tend to want devices for people to work on afterall...;)
    (This distinction for marketing and audience is often over-looked by many here, but it's critical for these device makers and carriers.)
    I also imagine they had thresholds for size, price and power consumption to meet for each form factor.
  • I find it a bit odd that all this "something's beautiful is coming" is for a couple of CDMA devices which even more suspicious is that it's being presented in the UK.
    Not sure I am feelin' the boxy designs though. Boxy devices can be a bit uncomfortable to hold for long amounts of time. I am surprised that HTC is not sticking with the more svelte looking Touch model forms.
  • My thought? The HTC Touch Diamond is being aimed at prosumers and some business clients, so that 4gb of memory is for media and entertainment (for sure, lol) whereas the Raphael aka HTC Touch Pro is a "professional" device only i.e. not aimed at consumers, so less play.
    If that were indeed true, FM radio wouldn't be included in the Raphael. Strange though why you feel the additional storage assumes "consumer" usage only for media and such. 4gb of memory could store lots of Excel and Powerpoint presentations. :) There's no reason why the inclusion of "storage" would tilt (no pun intended) the device toward one market or the other, since media can indeed be stored on some form of sd card.
  • If that were indeed true, FM radio wouldn't be included in the Raphael. Strange though why you feel the additional storage assumes "consumer" usage only for media and such. 4gb of memory could store lots of Excel and Powerpoint presentations. :) There's no reason why the inclusion of "storage" would tilt (no pun intended) the device toward one market or the other, since media can indeed be stored on some form of sd card.
    Hmmm...let me rephrase then (and from the original MoDaCo link):
    Sprint/HTC is definitely aiming the [COLOR="Red">Raphael/Touch Pro[/COLOR] for "business users"
    Whereas the [COLOR="Red">Touch Diamond[/COLOR] is for "high-end consumers and business users"
    So I guess if you have a better theory as to why there is no 4gb of memory in the Raphael (since mine is so "strange"...:rolleyes:) lets hear it...
    I'm also doubtful of inclusion of front-facing camera and FM on the CDMA versions, but we'll have to wait and see.I find it a bit odd that all this "something's beautiful is coming" is for a couple of CDMA devices which even more suspicious is that it's being presented in the UK.
    Which Dieter and I agree with as we discussed in this week's podcast. That's because it's probably for the GSM versions which will be out sooner than the CDMA. Once again, from MoDoCo (see, there's a reason I link to the stories, lol):It seems likely the devices will debut on GSM before appearing on Sprint, and Sprint is slating Q3 for the Diamond and Q4 for the Raphael. It seems likely that the Diamond could even hit before end of Q2 on GSM in Europe, with the Raphael to follow in Q3. Very little is known about the HTC Titanium currently.
  • The fact that the Diamond is going to be out in a couple months is great, and even better is that the Raphael is coming out a few months after that. Once I get bored with one I'll upgrade to the other LOL!
  • I understand Sprint's marketing ploys with the devices, but I have to point t to HTC for their wierd moves with the NAND flash on the Diamond and not the Touch Pro (already using their new names, natch)
    Check out the HTC p6500 and you'll note that this very aimed-for-the-enterprise device has a 1gb NAND flash unit onboard. If this device was more widespread in fact, I would have included it in a test I did for work-related mobile devices due to this additional capacity to hold things like pictures for our claims adjusters...
    HTC really needs to do what Eten did with the X800 and M800 on these devices-- the only difference should be the keyboard, and thats it.
  • great, I posted the wrong link above... here's a better link.
  • I would have included it in a test I did for work-related mobile devices due to this additional capacity to hold things like pictures for our claims adjusters...
    It's for reasons like the above why I questioned the logic that having included memory precludes a "consumer-only" device. HTC may be "pushing" one device over another in terms of its marketing, but the business consumer (whether it be an IT department or Insurance company will make the final determination based on need.
  • no one knows if one will have built-in memory and one wont or how much. these are leaks, not facts.
    starrwulfe, the soap box isn't necessary. If you don't like it, don't buy it- very easy answer. The p6500 is a poor example. Name one thing is does more "business" than the HTC Sprint Touch besides the 1gb memory? Its the same thing basically with 1gb built in, same windows, same features and close specs, no keyboard. hows that more "business"
    "Business" devices as mentioned here are ones with keyboards being the important factor. Not many business users carry a keyboard-less phone, Windows or otherwise. So the market a keyboard device to "business" customers and a non-keyboard one to "multimedia/high-end/business" users. Its simple marketing, not a "ploy"
  • The p6500 is a poor example. Name one thing is does more "business" than the HTC Sprint Touch besides the 1gb memory? Its the same thing basically with 1gb built in, same windows, same features and close specs, no keyboard. hows that more "business"
    "Business" devices as mentioned here are ones with keyboards being the important factor. Not many business users carry a keyboard-less phone, Windows or otherwise. So the market a keyboard device to "business" customers and a non-keyboard one to "multimedia/high-end/business" users. Its simple marketing, not a "ploy"
    While I dont disagree with your whole premise, the p6500 is clearly a business-class device. Its not meant for executives however, but delivery men. It has features like a finger print reader and large, rugged design. It also has dual SDIO card slots, so one can add things like barcode scanners easily. The fact that it has a large amount of built-in storage means the slots can be used for expansion without giving up software which needs a large amount of space to install.http://www.htc.com/uk/product.aspx?id=8566
    However the internal storage/ memory card issue is not really that big an issue, as WM features full storage card encryption, meaning storage cards are as secure an internal storage.
    BTW, did anyone notice the HTC site features the same design as their Manilla interface?
    BTW2: Enjoy celebrating with me WMExperts surpassing that god-awful iPhone-loving MobilityToday.com in Page Views, Reach and Traffic Rank, less than a year after it launched.http://www.alexa.com/data/details/traffic_details/wmexperts.com?site0=wmexperts.com&site1=mobilitytoday.com&y=r&z=3&h=400&w=700&u5D=wmexperts.com&u5D=mobilitytoday.com&x=2008-04-27T143A16.000Z&check=www.alexa.com&signature=nWhUQ8Xx7t1irSaXY1eacLxBSug%3D&range=max&size=Large
    Surur
  • BTW2: Enjoy celebrating with me WMExperts surpassing that god-awful iPhone-loving MobilityToday.com in Page Views, Reach and Traffic Rank, less than a year after it launched.
    Surur
    lol, had no idea about our site's stats...woooo!It's for reasons like the above why I questioned the logic that having included memory precludes a "consumer-only" device.
    Actually, no one said anything about "consumer only" devices or that internal memory "precludes" (?) them.
    But due to competition in enterprise (RIM, Palm), keeping your device within a reasonable pricing range is important. Having your device marked up $X for what I would think would be a feature low on enterprise priorities, would not be smart, imo. Who knows though. A lot of these specs can change.
  • lol, had no idea about our site's stats...woooo!
    WMExperts scores even higher than Pocketpcthoughts.com.
    Surur
  • Actually, no one said anything about "consumer only" devices or that internal memory "precludes" (?) them.
    Come again? Weren't these your words?My thought? The HTC Touch Diamond is being aimed at prosumers and some business clients, so that 4gb of memory is for media and entertainment (for sure, lol) whereas the Raphael aka HTC Touch Pro is a "professional" device only i.e. not aimed at consumers, so less play.
    Same reason why the 800w won't have 4gb of internal memory--they're aiming strictly for enterprise, not consumer/prosumer. Companies tend to want devices for people to work on afterall..
  • JGold, help me out here for a second...
    When you say "consumer-only" in quotes and then refer to my post where I never said (or implied) that, it's a straw man argument.
    Second, when I say they are aiming the device at prosumers AND some business users, I'm not sure how you read that as meaning otherwise.
    Finally, I don't understand what you mean by having more memory "precludes" (i.e. prevents) a consumer-only device...what is it do you exactly mean to say?
    This is a silly and confusing "debate" with no value.
  • My only point was to question why it was that you figured that having embedded 4gb of memory did not classify it as a "business" device. I was also confused as to why in the very next paragraph you state Palm won't include storage on the 800w because it's aimed "strictly for the enterprise" and that companies "tend to want devices for people to work on." As evidenced by posts above, there are companies (enterprise at that) that may require such storage in a device.
    These were your statements and not quotes from Palm or even HTC. I don't know why you got so defensive when I used the word "strange", as it was confusing why you felt having embedded storage would preclude a company from not marketing it as a "business device" as you stated Palm would not do for the 800w. I don't necessarily agree that having mass storage on a device means that it's relegated to media and games. That is all.
  • I was just looking at the HTC Diamond 100's specs on PDAdb.net which show it as a Quadband GSM device. If the specs hold up, the June release date is met, and the price isn't stratospheric, the release will mark the end of the original GSM Touch and Touch Cruise. Not quick enough for the Touch Cruise in my opinion.
    Obviously HTC is timing the features and release to coincide with the availability of the next generation iPhone, so I would expect the release date to be firm barring unforeseen problems.
    Two obvious features are missing from the Diamond's specs which would better position it to compete with the iPhone. First, a wider screen. Though a VGA screen will be a welcome improvement over the QVGA display of the original Touch, it's still 4:3 with a diagonal of 2.8". The current iPhone's screen isn't quite 16x9, but it's significantly better than 4:3. The second feature: come'on HTC, put a real audio jack in there! What Apples figured out and HTC hasn't quite is that a lot of people spend more time using these devices for multi-media playback than as phones.
    I'm not sure what all the eGPS fuss is about. Technically it looks like a marginally faster, marginally lower power version of aGPS; more of a marketing talking-point than a significant benefit to end users.
    Also, I'm not sure what all this consumer, pro-sumer, business classification discussion is about. When the subject is a highly customizable mobile device it's the end-user that determines what kind a device it is by how they use it. Being more specific than that is just more marketing hype. What we have in this case are the following flavors: a keyboard, a key pad, and a device with neither. A favored HTC pattern, by the way.
    I'm not sure what advantage 4GB of internal flash memory has, unless it removes a significant constraint to future OS upgrades. Maybe someone can enlighten me. I've considered removable flash memory, along with a user replaceable battery, a great advantage. With 8GB microSD cards becoming rather inexpensive, 4GB of internal flash memory seems tame.