As expected, the HTC Desire Z went live on Bell today. Pricing sits at $129.95 on a three-year contract, or $499.95 if you’re crazy enough to go off-contract. Known to you guys south of the border as T-Mobile’s G2, the HTC Desire Z promises to be an excellent Android handset for Bell, and will no doubt do well through the holidays.
The HTC Desire Z runs Android 2.2 (which includes mobile hotspot, Flash support, and Sense customizations) on an 800 MHz processor and 512 MB of RAM, comes with Wi-Fi b/g/n with DLNA home entertainment connectivity, HSPA+ 3G capable of up to 14.4 Mbps, GPS, 5 megapixel camera with flash and 720p video capture, and a nice 3.7″ 480 x 800 touchscreen alongside a slide-out physical QWERTY keyboard.
Personally, I find the Desire Z much more attractive than Bell’s last Android headliner, the Samsung Galaxy S Vibrant. Maybe it’s HTC’s excellent Android customizations, maybe it’s the real keyboard, but I just find it way classier of a device. As for the competition, Rogers has started shipping the Samsung Galaxy S Captivate and the Xperia X10 has a bit more of a fighting chance now that it has an Android 2.1 update, and Telus is keeping their touchscreen-only Desire fresh with 2.2. As it stands, the Desire Z is the top of the line Android phone with a physical keyboard in Canada.
If you’re thinking of nabbing one from Bell online, be sure to take a look at our review of the HTC Desire (a.k.a G2) first.