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HTC Desire HD vs HTC Desire vs iPhone 4 vs BlackBerry Torch vs Nokia N8 vs HTC HD7 in photos

The HTC Desire HD is one of our favourite smart phones ever, but it's ginormous. See how it literally stacks up to the best of the competition in our photo gallery.

Flora Graham
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We've been hopping up and down so much with anticipation for the HTC Desire HD that people are wondering if we have to pee. And we may just wet ourselves with excitement now we've had a chance to take the phone for a full test drive, and see that it lives up to all our expectations.

Check out our full review of the Desire HD to go on a magical journey with one of our favourite smart phones ever. But before you do, join us on a visual spectacular to show off how this behemoth compares to the best of the competition. The Noka N8, the original HTC Desire, the BlackBerry Torch 9800, the HTC HD7 and the iPhone 4 all make love to the camera in our gallery. 

The Desire HD packs in the features, and we love its enormous 4.3-inch screen for surfing the Web, looking at photos, playing games and watching videos in the Flash-enabled browser. We're also willing to accept its porky 164g weight, because it's got an aluminium case that wraps around the edge of the screen and should help to make it tougher than the average phone. But this isn't a phone for people who value portability over power, and you can barely wedge it in a pocket if you tend towards tight trousers.

So we thought it would be useful to whip up a photo gallery so you can see the Desire HD for yourself compared to its top rivals in a Usual Suspects-style round-up. Click the photo above to find out which one is Keyser Soze and which one is Verbal Kint.

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The Desire HD (second from right) has a 4.3-inch screen -- bigger than all the competition, except for its twin, the HTC HD7 (right), which has the same screen.
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At 11.8mm thick, the Desire HD feels thin enough to pose with the slenderest competitor. We'll be looking more closely at this comparison later in the gallery.
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The HD7 (right) and the Desire HD (middle) both have larger screens than the iPhone 4, but neither can match its stunning 960x640-pixel resolution.
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Although the Desire HD (left) and the HD7 look alike, the Desire HD has an 8-megapixel camera, compared to the HD7's 5 megapixels, while the HD7 has a groovy kick-stand.
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The BlackBerry Torch (left) is squatter than the Desire HD when it's closed, but with its keyboard slid out it's also taller.
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The evolution of the phone -- from a budget handset as simple as the Tesco Party Phone, to the Symbian smart phones represented by the N8, to the latest uber-huge Android phones like the Desire HD.
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Compared to the original HTC Desire (right), the Desire HD is larger, has touch-sensitive buttons rather than proper clicky ones, and ditches the optical trackpad.
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The Desire HD ups the Desire's camera from 5 to 8 megapixels and adds a second LED photo light.
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The original Desire showed a hint of the trademark HTC chin, but the Desire HD doesn't have any such frippery.
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Back to back, the Desire HD (top) and the HD7 could almost be the same phone, although the Desire HD has a matte aluminium case compared to the HD7's plastic one. The aluminium case looks smart and feels tougher, but it adds weight.
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The iPhone 4's 9.3mm case could make anything look fat, including the Desire HD (top). In person, however, they both feel slim.
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The Nokia N8 has a 12.9mm case that's thicker than the Desire HD's, but that makes room for a 12-megapixel camera with a xenon flash, which takes very good snaps, even compared to a proper camera.

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