Pros and Cons of the HTC Aria Smartphone

AT&T's HTC Aria Smartphone is a bit-sized Android smartphone that's only recently hit retail stores and if you're considering giving the Aria a try, you might want to check out the following pros and cons.

Good: It's Compact

One of the biggest selling points of the HTC Aria Android smartphone is that it's ultraportable (at 4.6 oz), can easily fit in your pants pocket, won't slow you down when you're out and about, and still manages to pack lots of powerful features. If having a compact smartphone is at the top of your must-have feature list, you'll definitely want to give the HTC Aria a try.

Bad: It's Compacts

While having a compact smartphone can be a great thing, it can also pose several issues all on its own. Due to the small size of the HTC Aria phone's 3.2 inch screen, typing via the onscreen QWERTY screen can be a headache, browsing the web is fast but small, and the small screen makes the HTC Aria less desirable than other smartphones on the market.

Good: Speed

Although the HTC Aria is a bit small, you'll find it to be a quick and have very little loading time during regular use. The HTC Aria features a 600 MHz Qualcomm MSM7227 processor, 256MB of RAM, comes with a 2GB memory card, and features a 5 megapixel camera. The specs of the HTC Aria might sound a bit lacking when compared to other Android smartphones, but the spec combination under its hood seems to work very well for this phone.

Bad: No Third-party Apps

If you're excited about having an Android smartphone, don't be. With the HTC Aria you'll be able to download and use apps featured in the Android Marketplace, but AT&T limits the Aria to not be able to work with non-Market apps '" which really limits this smartphone.

Good: Awesome Camera

The HTC Aria is one portable smartphone, but it's packing a heavy duty camera. The Aria features a 5 megapixel camera with automatic focus adjustments, and supports 720p HD video recording. Due to the HTC Aria's small phone and HD camera, it'll be perfect for those moments when you want to quickly whip out your smartphones and take a pic '" and will make a great photography sidekick.

Bad: Battery Life

While the HTC Aria has a lot of things going for itself, it's battery life sucks. HTC advertises the Aria as having 360 minutes of talking time per recharge (6 hours), but if you're using apps, taking photos, browsing the web and using the other cool features of this smartphone, you'll more than likely get less than the promised 6 hours of battery life before a recharge is needed.