The HTC HD2 is, as you'd imagine, a pretty big handset. With a 4.3-inch screen, it's hardly going to be a compact device, although HTC have done a good job of keeping the sides of the phone quite tight to the edges of the screen. This means that although it has a large display, the phone itself is still pocketable - though just barely. The HD2 actually measures in at 67mm x 120.5mm x 11mm (2.64in x 4.74in x .43in), making it quite a wide and long device, though still remarkably thin. It is this thin profile that is key to keeping the HD2 from feeling huge in your pocket. However, the HD2 weighs a fairly hefty 157g (5.54oz), so you may need a belt to keep your trousers up...

When you first lay eyes on the HTC HD2 you'll almost certainly be drawn to the huge 4.3-inch capacitive touchscreen display, which completely dominates the front of the phone. The display is bright and colorful, and has a WVGA (480 x 800 pixel) resolution, giving it more than twice the pixel count of the iPhone and most current Android handsets. Bright sunlight legibility seems fairly good, and the screen is very responsive to touches, for the most part. Also, being the first capacitive screen on a Windows Mobile device, this means that it's also the first Windows Mobile device to feature multi-touch, for pinch zooming gestures and the like.

Above the huge display, HTC have managed to squeeze in an earpiece, ambient light sensor, proximity sensor, and a status notification LED for notifying of missed calls, messages, and low battery. The five main hardware keys on the HTC HD2 are all located below the display, with keys for: call send, home, the Windows menu, back, and call end/power. These keys all have a nice tactile click and cool white backlighting. The only other hardware keys on the phone are on its left side, which houses the volume rocker. Otherwise, the right side is completely bare, as is the top of the phone. However, the bottom edge features both the micro-USB port for charging/data and the 3.5mm headphone port.

The rear of the HTC HD2 is clad in a dark grey/black soft touch plastic, except for the battery cover, which is made from brushed metal. Just above the battery cover is the lens for the 5 megapixel autofocus camera, which protrudes from the back of the handset quite a bit. When the handset rests on its back, it rests on the lens, which probably isn't the best thing for keeping it scratch-free. To the right of the lens you'll find the dual LED flash for the camera, and to the left you'll find the loudspeaker grille.