This is no ordinary device. It’s designed to break through the undeniable trend of each smartphone needing to have the greatest specs possible to present a device that’s one perfect package instead. Sound familiar? Will this device be able to compete with the iPhone? If you’re asking that question, you’re asking the wrong question. By the end of this review I’ll have answered this perplexing question answered anyway, just for fun.

Also because this device’s goal is to set itself aside from the rest of the Android pack, the way we’re reviewing it will be a bit different too. One cannot take the same broad approach to a smartphone for review when the market for said handset is so specific. Let’s have a look, right after you check out the original unboxing and hands-on video directly:

Form

This device will be looked back on as a classic HTC 2011 design – it looks very similar to the rest of the devices HTC has put out over the months leading up to it, and it certainly has many of the best points of high-quality comfort HTC has been learning about from consumers throughout their time in this 2011 Android timeframe. At the beginning of the year I was looking at the HTC Inspire 4G, since then things have gotten much softer in the plastic, there’s a metal bit on the back of the device that makes the entire package feel high-end, and of course, the camera and display have been amped up.

This device comes with several accessories – it is sold as a full package, including a lovely dock, headphones that are much higher quality than past releases by all manufacturers (on the whole), and there’s a “charm” which essentially just lights up when you get a notification. The charm certainly does seem to be the most unique item here, and it’s definitely well made.

The cord between the rubber-covered light and the headphone-jack plug is nice enough to be pulled on, and pulled on it shall be as that’s the intent of the entire peripheral. You plug one end into your headphone jack and it’s kept secure by first a snug fit in the hole, then also by a lip that swings over the front of the device. You then toss the smartphone in your bag, leaving the charm to lay freely outside. When you get a notification (a phone call, a message, etc), the light lights up and you can pull the phone right out of your bag via the cord. Simple and helpful. Well done, HTC.

The headphones are the precursor to Beats integration. As you saw earlier this week with the HTC Sensation XL hands-on video by Chris Davies, HTC is already well on their way to releasing devices with the amped-up audio quality soon. That said, these headphones are quite nice. The feature a controller halfway down the cord to control music, and they’ve got a flat rubbery cord for ease in rolling them up AND because it just looks nicer.

The dock is simple and amazing. You’ve got three pins popping out of the dock that meet with the three pins at the back of your Rhyme. All you’ve got to do is drop your device in the dock and let ‘er go! Once the device is in the dock, you get the option to do several things. You can just have a clock up with weather, you can have calendar items posted, or you can have a lovely Ken Burns effect gallery playing of all your photos. The dock only requires that you plug it in at the back with your included microUSB cord, and its covered around all the edges by a nice black material that makes the whole thing look that much classier.

Contents

Inside the device you’ve got a small set of apps, thankfully, that only include the bare minimum of Verizon-added app and media stores as well as some HTC stores for video and music as well. While this does seem to some like unnecessary and unwanted adds to a device that should, by all means, only contain the apps that YOU want to add, it seems welcome here in a device that’s meant to hold everything the user might want right out of the box. The usual set of Google apps are here also, one for exercising called Endomondo that we’ve previously seen working with JABRA headsets, and a lovely set of planning apps that you’ll see outlined in the hands-on video below.

Also I’ve run a few benchmarks here for you lovers of knowing the exact way in which this device performs in such a classic manner. Again though, watch the hands-on video for a better idea of how well this device performs.

Usability

This device it too small for my big fat hands. That said, I am not the smallest fellow in the world hand-size-wise, and this device is certainly built for those people seeking a smartphone to fit in their more petite palm. If I consider this, then yes, it is completely comfortable to use, and with the high-end construction that HTC always brings to their devices, you’ll never have a problem with a busted device after dropping it down a flight of stairs. Don’t go out and try it, obviously, but you should be fine.

The accessories are half the picture here, and they’re all top notch. If there were a contest for best overall package for the on-the-go needer of purse-related peripherals and a nice dock, the HTC Rhyme would certainly take the cake. That said, we can still wish for a special edition with Beats integration.

Wrap-Up

This device does exactly what Verizon and HTC have set out to do – create a device that appeals to the feminine side of any smartphone seeker. If they’d have released it in limited numbers at a certain time of the afternoon in only major cities, there’d be hoards of giddy customers tapping away at their old iPhone 3GS units at the doors, just waiting to trade up at the strike of noon. Don’t believe me? Try it out with a special edition bubblegum pink edition, complete with Lady Gaga HeartBeats. You wont be disappointed.

ALSO NOTE: if you’ve got any questions you need answered about this device, PLEASE don’t hesitate to ask below and I WILL answer, I assure you.

Our review of this device will give you a full look at what we’ve got going on here, so I’ll be relatively brief and let the video we filmed do most of the talking. That said, this certainly one of the nicest all-around full packages HTC has yet delivered, it including each accessory in a way that makes it seem like they took the time to create each bit with care. While other devices include some stock earbuds, HTC includes some of the nicest rubber-tipped Plum-colored earbuds that are made specifically for this device. Similarly, the dock is not just rubber or plastic, its covered with a smooth fabric material that’s rather nice to touch.

The device itself is not unlike the Wildfire S in appearance, but that’s where the similarities end. What you’ve got here instead is a high-class HTC hero device that’ll satisfy anyone looking for an Android device that also works to provide them with a fashionably connected companion all day long. You’ve got Android 2.3 Gingerbread, a 5 megapixel camera on the back, a 1Ghz Snapdragon processor, 3G connectivity on Verizon, and a 2GB microSD card installed (upgradable to 32GB if that strikes your fancy.)

You’ll see a rather limited amount of apps inside – and yes, this is a good thing, and HTC’s most advanced camera interface for video and photos. The actual rating of the camera is 5 megapixels, again, making it not the top class camera in the world, but the interface and built-in effects library make it pretty sweet. Then there’s the 3.7-inch super LCD display – it’s bright, its sharp, and its very tall. The aspect ratio on this display plus the thinness of the left and right of the device compared to the top and bottom make you feel like you’ve got a rather tall and thin phone. HTC’s newest Sense interface reinforces this fact with two corner-sitting icons for tapping instead of a full lower-screen bar full of options as we’ve seen in the past.

Have a look at the video above, the photos throughout, and let me know if you’ve got any specific questions or tests you’d like us to run on this device before it’s reviewed. We’ll do it!

*On the “feminine” factor here – HTC and Verizon will more than likely not want us to specifically say female phone, that being different from feminine phone, but have a look at their first big ad spot and see what it says to you:

Furthermore, if you’d like some more insight, take a look at our hands-on at the launch event for this device earlier this month:

There’s also a choice of a matching Bluetooth headset and a matching Bluetooth in-car speakerphone, though you’ll have to pay extra for each and Verizon is yet to add them to its site. Altogether, it’s hoped that the accessories will offset any performance shortfall related disappointment from the Android 2.3.5 handset; well, that and the compelling plum-purple color scheme.

Verizon is offering the smartphone at $199.99 with a new, two-year agreement including mandatory voice and data packages. More on the Verizon HTC Rhyme in our hands-on coverage.

From the outside, things look solid. HTC’s unibody design language is evident, and the plastic and metal components are creak-free. It’s definitely very similar to the Incredible series, though more like the original rather than the second-generation model, and the soft-touch finish to the majority of the phone is pleasing in the hand.

HTC Rhyme hands-on

You can’t argue with HTC’s consistency, either: the wired stereo headset matches, in the same shade of purple, as does the Bluetooth headset and even the odd little “charm” that blinks discretely to warn you there’s a call or message incoming. It’s eye-catching, but it’s hardly new technology; we’ve seen light-up keychains before, though that the Rhyme’s slots into the headphone jack for safe-keeping is neat. Still, the desk cradle is likely more useful overall.

Unfortunately, that sense of “old tech dressed as new” continues in force when you get to grips with the Rhyme. Specifications that would have looked fresh twelve months ago don’t exactly do much to impress: a single-core 1GHz Snapdragon, WVGA LCD display and 5MP camera with single LED flash fall well short of what we’ve seen on other recent Android phones. “You don’t want power for power’s sake” HTC said in the press conference, and Gingerbread does feel snappy, but with no dual-core and no 4G LTE like, say, the DROID BIONIC we’re concerned you may find your phone struggling with future, more demanding versions of Android and apps.

HTC Sense 3.5 makes its debut, as consistent and glossy as always, cleaning up the homescreen with simplified widgets and a tabbed shortcut bar running down the left edge of the display. The icons are dynamic, so change according to the most recent caller, message or photo, while each pulls out to show app-specific options. HTC’s work to boost mobile camera performance continues, with the Rhyme promising 5 shots in the space of 2.5s in burst mode, auto backlight correction, and automatic upload to a user-designated Facebook gallery. Still, considering the Rhyme is only barely smaller than the HTC Incredible 2, though, we’re struggling to see why you’d opt for the purple phone instead of that.

It’s the purple, in fact, that’s most confusing. HTC has offered purple devices before – the Wildfire S, for instance – but usually as part of a range of finishes. The company is making no specific case for the Rhyme being targeted at a specific demographic, and that seems oddly short-sighted. Verizon’s $199 price tag doesn’t seem enough to make the Rhyme appealing: it has to be put into a context that makes sense, especially when you consider that it’s hardly competitive against the iPhone 4, never mind the fast-approaching iPhone 5.

HTC is having a busy month, and that looks set to spill over into early October with the promise of high-end devices and the first Beats Audio device to be designed from the ground up with the music tweaking system in mind. We can’t help but wonder whether the company would’ve been better off developing just a couple of excellent smartphones rather than a larger selection that includes several mundane ones.

The Rhyme itself has a 3.7-inch WVGA touchscreen, 5-megapixel camera with an LED flash and a front-facing VGA camera. There’s also HSDPA, WiFi and Bluetooth, along with GPS. An arm-band for sports use is included, along with a matching purple wired headset that, despite recent phones like the HTC Sensation XE, isn’t Beats Audio branded.

Pricing for the Euro Rhyme is yet to be confirmed, though it will be offered at $199.99 with a new, two-year agreement on Verizon in the US. We’re guessing it will be free with a new contract in the UK, probably around the £26-35 per month mark.

HTC Rhyme hands-on

There’s also a “sports armband” and a matching plum-colored Bluetooth headset. The Rhyme apparently comes with a plum wired stereo headset as standard, and there’s a desktop dock as well. All standard “lifestyle phone” stuff, and we can’t see many being persuaded by the glowing cube to be frank. It’s also somewhat odd that, despite the music-themed name, there’s no Beats Audio support.

HTC Rhyme hands-on

The Rhyme itself has a WVGA display, HSDPA and WiFi, along with Bluetooth and GPS. OS is Android 2.3 Gingerbread, with HTC Sense 3.5 and HTC Watch streaming video support. There’s a front-facing camera and an LED flash for the rear camera. If all that sounds familiar, it’s because it’s broadly in line with the HTC Incredible only with a more mediocre camera.

Verizon hasn’t confirmed pricing at this stage, but – despite the range of accessories – the carrier will have to make this all very cheap if it wants to convince anybody. Year-old specs don’t really convince, even with a flashy paint-job. We’re guessing this is what HTC has to show us at this morning’s press event in NYC, so expect hands-on later today.

Update: The HTC Rhyme will go on sale September 22 in the US, priced at $199 with a new, two-year agreement and all the accessories. It’ll arrive in European form in silver come October.