yashsingh1/xdaforums huggingface dataset:
[G2 and Desire Z General] Careless_:
there are phones that do not droop down when held by the top half. there are phones that open when held that way. this is even more prevalent when you have it open and you type on the keyboard, the screen falls down onto your thumbs.

that's how its supposed to work? please. there is an obvious difference between the devices tested by the two parties of people in this thread.

the design/intended operation of the hinge is not the problem... it does work properly for some people, as illustrated by the videos... it's the fact that there are some that are loose and flop around and some are tight and do not have this problem. This is a definite quality control problem.

please tell me how is this not a quality control issue if one group of people don't have the problem and they are not complaining about it- showing videos of how theirs does not exhibit overly loose hinging and opening/closing action, and the other group of people are envious of those with the better hinging and do not like how loose the hinge is on their device and theirs does not operate the same way- as illustrated by videos.

bottom line: if there is a difference between two of the same phones that does not have to do specifically with whether it's a G2 or a DZ model (both have the issue), then one is clearly not operating as intended by the manufacturer. I am siding with those who have experienced the issue (as I am one of them, and returned my phone) because one party is comfortably happy with their device, and the other side has people who are dissappointed and envious of the other party who paid the same money to purchase the same device and expected the same quality.

I really hope there is a revision because this seems like a phone I could get along with quite well to replace my other qwerty devices. somehow I think it's too late for HTC to do anything like that. they'd be getting a lot of returned phones.
[G2 and Desire Z General] ew4936:
my device has the loose hinge as well. its a bit annoying since the most important part of the device seems to be so fragile. but anyways, that isn't my main concern. my main concern is my device seems to loose wifi connection whenever I used the qwerty keyboard. My left hand appears to block the connection, much like the problem with the iphone 4. Are any of you experiencing the same problem? Or is it only my device?
[G2 and Desire Z General] 0l-ROB-l0:
...its gone back to where it came.

Sorry folks, I've used it for 4 days and sent it back and won't be testing another one. I tried to stay positive and give it a chance but this phone needs to last me 2 years, not 2 months, and it was already bugging me after 2 days.

I'm with 'Careless_' on this one, HTC should do better with design and quality control. They shouldn't have let this one go. We'll call this one "hinge-gate".

From day 1 mine was loose - no problem, I can live with this... - I don't hold it like the guys on the videos by the top or bottom half. But I did use it lying down sometimes. Even so, didn't see a big issue here really.

But even after 2 days it had gone even looser, slack and wobbly. What became apparent was not that it opened by itself (which I don't believe will even happen in normal use, like in you pocket) but that the two half of the phone where so loose when open or closed. The top and bottom half of the phone was so loose when open that they knocked together physically when pressing the screen buttons - very disconcerting! Not good enough HTC.

And to add to the misery the ribbon started to noticably make the clicking sound durring opening and closing.

By all means give it a chance but I decided (after hands on use) not to take the risk. I'm gonna skip the keyboard all together now and take a Desire HD.

It is a shame that HTC did not do better here with the hinge on what is otherwise an absolutely phenomenal phone.
[G2 and Desire Z General] natstally:
OMG, that's crazy! :eek:

Looks to me like the hinge on that one was pretty strong, it didn't just fall open even when he held it with just the top bit, he had to shake it quite a bit.
[G2 and Desire Z General] 0l-ROB-l0:
@ew4936

They have been discussing this over in the G2 forum also I believe, so yes, it seems to be known issue...?
[G2 and Desire Z General] thr-:
Must say that I'm satisfied with how lose it is, HTC did go for the smooth and easy access to the keyboard and they did a perfect job with it. In my opinion there's no design flaw at all and the people who do complain should just buy a slider phone instead.

Even when you're holding it in a position where it would close you can easily hold the phone in a comfortable position with the lower/inside part of your index finger/hand so you get a good grip on the phone instead of letting the phone weight rest on your hands.

I would think all of the models have it and HTC knows this, as intended.
[G2 and Desire Z General] snudel:
agree.

i have no issues in daily use
[G2 and Desire Z General] 0l-ROB-l0:
...just in case people missed it in my initial post. This issue is a more serious symptom of the loose hinge than the phone magically opening by itself which I don't believe will ever happen.

Anyone else feeling this?
[G2 and Desire Z General] tbalden:
Well it might be a deal breaker for some surely. I rarely open it unintentionally.rather live with it than returning x times before one good replacement out of luck. With a tight poach its not a big issue for me who dont want to miss out the otherwise outstanding phone. It can be annoying tho when typing on bed.:)

-- sent from htc z using xda app
[G2 and Desire Z General] darthmelk:
Now that I have the phone, I'll just say this is not a problem at all. Yeah, It will open by itself if you manage to hold it by the screen or keyboard alone, but who will do that? I almost dropped my phone on the floor trying to grab it by the screen. :)

You can type on the keyboard in "funny" positions and the keyboard won't close because you have the fingers over the keys. It can't open by itself in the pocket.

I almost considered buying the HD after reading this thread, but people should know that this is not a problem in real life, you shouldn't avoid Desire Z over this. It's a great phone.
[G2 and Desire Z General] GlitchZero:
It's seriously mind boggling this thread is still going on. Jesus Christ people, go buy a different phone then! If you're so worried about how you spent sooo much money on this phone, and you're so worried that it's going to break, repeat after me "TAKE. IT. BACK." and get a different phone.

Sitting on this forum and *****ing about how loose your hinge might be, while Joe Somebody's is fine and he's ok with it, that's fine. Joe Somebody will

keep

his phone and use it. If it breaks, sucks for him. In the meantime, you take yours back and get a different phone. The 'Z' part of the Desire Z is not going anywhere. (the hinge, for those not following along)

God, how hard is this? Still been available less than 30 days, absolutely no one in this thread has any excuse not to return it.

Edit: Goooosefraba ~TheRomMistress
[G2 and Desire Z General] andrewilley:
Thank you for your helpful input. You might find it useful to take your own advice and simply not read this thread if you're not happy with it?

Andre
[G2 and Desire Z General] aka_gk:
When I'm bugging myself reading this kind of discussion I feel myself fooled by HTC and their so called faulty mechanism, I even thought of selling the phone after few days.

On the other side when I am on the go, reading the internet, or playing angry birds, or just chatting, in other words using the device I have no problems I completely love the phone. Moreover people nearby just making wow when I hold or open it :D

Conclusion: don't bug yourself, use your time properly :D

And as that crazy violent video shows, mechanism isn't that gentle.
[G2 and Desire Z General] Ramsfan_Jim:
Hinge Issues?

I have just contacted T-Mobile to see if they intend to stock the Desire Z, and was told they had rejected the Desire Z "because of the hinge issue" and that most other UK companies have rejected it as well except Vodafone.

Can anyone confirm whether this is a real problem, or just T-Mobile making up excuses because Vodafone have negotiated an exclusive arrangement with HTC?:confused:
[G2 and Desire Z General] Lennyuk:
Someone else reported that T-Mobile were not going to stock the Z because it was too expensive.

I think you have just been told nonsense.

My hinge is fine, I can hold the phone upside down and the screen doesn't even look like it will drop. Much better than all the videos of the G2 I have seen.

I do fear that not all are as good as mine though but its by design, its not an issue.
[G2 and Desire Z General] steviewevie:
Sounds to me just like some guy on the end of the phone making up a reason for why they don't have the DZ.
[G2 and Desire Z General] Ramsfan_Jim:
Woman actually - but yes, I had the same thought.
[G2 and Desire Z General] Pickx:
I'll just put this here instead of opening yet another thread about hinges:

When I got my phone a week ago, the hinges seemed strong and tight. However, today I dropped the phone. Not a particularly hard drop, either, and it fell on it's back while 'wearing' that inexpensive black Amazon case. Now the hinges seem considerably looser and the device feels more 'floaty' :(

Still doesn't impair me in any usage scenario but it does make me question the durability of this product.

Edit: it's also making a 'clicking' sound when the hinge is moved. I'm 100% sure this sound wasn't here before.
[G2 and Desire Z General] alexinc:
got my z from local store yesterday after holding one in my hands which was perfect with hinge. after unboxing mine @home i instantly recognized that it has the hinge-problem. well, its a difference like night and day compared to the one in store!!! it may not be a big issue to me, but after seeing and feeling, that there are massive differences in build-quality i will return mine asap! both were from the same batch for the store... just to let anyboday know who feels a loosen hinge, there are really better ones out there!!! ;) i was really impressed by quality from that one in store.

on mine i didnt even manage to release sdcard yet, as its tight like hell!?
[G2 and Desire Z General] Calex93:
Damn, watched the video and I thought it was a horror show. But that alone shows its quite capable of handling such abuse no?

Why the complains? I don't see it as much of an issue unless you are so used to ultra stiff sliders. Yes the annoying feeling of being loose is there, but its not like its going to break no?
[G2 and Desire Z General] Amanha:
Got my Desire Z yesterday at 930am. Opened up at 12. Used for about 4 hours - Keyboard opened about 8 times in the most gentle way. And its not super loose, just loose enough to get annoying. If i hold the phone screen down, the keyboard comes out. if its held at 45°, it needs a tiny nudge to open. The phone is less than 24hrs old..When I first opened it, It was perfectly tight. Now, Its annoying. If the keyboard is annoying now, then wont it just be fluid one day soon?
[G2 and Desire Z General] stian230:
My first HZ had very loose hinges (so i bricked it:eek:) Now comes my new HZ on Monday or Tuesday wondering how the hinges are on it?
[G2 and Desire Z General] Becksman:
Damn, I have serious problems with the hinge of my (german) Desire Z. The screen will drop and close itself if I just lean the phone slightly towards myself. Even at angles of only 70-80 degrees the screen will drop. I couldn't even think of 45 degrees.

Until I received the phone last friday I always thought that the hinge issue would be hypothetical. Damn.

The phone will be sent back today.
[G2 and Desire Z General] Lennyuk:
You are all forgetting this is not a real issue, its just the way this phone has been designed, if you want a phone where the keyboard locks out and in then you need to go get a Moto MileStone2.

The hinge on the Z was never designed to lock into place, the phone was not designed to be used while laying on your back, or upside down or any other situation your all saying your screen closes.
[G2 and Desire Z General] alexinc:
sorry to say, but you're wrong! :) before i unboxed mine, i had played with the one in local store and the difference between both is massive... so its designed to work in a better way than mine does now. you're right saying its no real issue in terms of functionality, but if you know a better build quality, you'll always want that one on your own too... ;)
[G2 and Desire Z General] Becksman:
Well, there are users who don't face this issue. This has been reported on several fora and you'll find youtube videos as well.

Obviously the spread within the production is pretty large and the firmness of the hinges varies a lot. I will try to get a model with a firm hinge, otherwise I'd have to back off the Desire Z.
[G2 and Desire Z General] tbalden:
any links to the FIRM HINGE version video? i would be really interested to see one, it seems a lot of video of the loose... I have one with quite loose and i love it how easily it opens, still im curious how a stiff one holds...
[G2 and Desire Z General] alexinc:
believe me, really stiff!!! i'll get my second one today in the shop and i'm really excited if it will match their sample-unit. the hinge is really snapping on that one, no sign of getting loose anytime soon. i mean daily 100 people playing with this unit...
[G2 and Desire Z General] Lennyuk:
Mine is firm, but I can't record myself.

I still see it as a non-issue, some people are just lucky. Maybe all your with a class 4 card have a bad hinge, everyone with a class 2 had a good hinge :)
[G2 and Desire Z General] Calex93:
Seems the issue here is that there are variations in the looseness of the hinge.

One question though, for both owners of tight or loose hinged ones, when you bought your phone? Any diff in packaging mind telling?
[G2 and Desire Z General] Lennyuk:
By the way I was semi-serious about my sd card comment above, I am yet to find anyone who had a class 4 sd card inside their z who has a good hinge (for more than a week).

Everyone with a class 2 card seems fine (or they are just overly fussy)
[G2 and Desire Z General] tbalden:
mine is quite loose and have class 4 sd card.
[G2 and Desire Z General] Lennyuk:
See I have a theory that the bad batch of phones is the same time they were using the class 4 cards, then the class 2 batch has the newer better hinges.
[G2 and Desire Z General] steviewevie:
Interesting theory ! :) (I have a class 2 card and my hinge seems fine)
[G2 and Desire Z General] Stea1thmode:
I laughed when I saw your comment about the sd card. But I think you might be onto something here. I have a class 2 card and my hinge is quite firm.
[G2 and Desire Z General] Lennyuk:
well at first I meant it as a joke (I first said it to someone a few days ago) then when I started to think about it no one was able to prove it wrong, and no one still has.
[G2 and Desire Z General] CoolinHL:
I have a loose hinge with a Class 4.
[G2 and Desire Z General] lessthanjakedude:
I tried out a DZ in P4U yesterday afternoon and found it to have a very firm hinge. Could not tell you what class sd card it had but I imagine that it would be from a recent batch, as they said that they had shifted a lot of them. I did find that you had to push the camera key really far in (as in, with your fingernail) to activate the camera shortcut. Is this normal?

Anyway off topic, I did not buy it, partly because of the camera key and partly because they became very grumpy when I asked to compare it against another DZ, telling me that "phones don't have quality control issues".

Back on to topic, back when I tried one in CPW just after it came out, it had a very floppy hinge, so this would back up the idea that they have recognised and fixed the issue.

Can anybody recommend an online retailer that they have had a good experience with?
[G2 and Desire Z General] steviewevie:
Initially I actually thought that my camera button didn't work, because I was pressing it and nothing happened. Eventually I figured out that I just needed to press it further - I think it's kind of simulating the button on a standalone camera, where you press it halfway to focus, then further to take the picture (i.e. it needs quite a long press down).

I don't have to use my fingernail though, I don't have to press it "inside" the phone body.
[G2 and Desire Z General] alexinc:
ok, my final statement: got my new phone with same hinge-condition! that one in store became as loose as my other two... so my conclusion sooner or later we'll all face the same hinge for sure! :) btw. didnt know there were different sdcards ;) i'm sandisk class 4 at least!
[G2 and Desire Z General] ddotpatel:
Shizzle,.... class 4 card supplied,... floppy hinge!
[G2 and Desire Z General] red_forman:
EDIT: I had to remove the link, as I have just registered and can't post external links. It lead to the YouTube video in italian, explaining how the hinge works and showing some experiments with "every day use". The address is:

www (dot) youtube (dot) com/watch?v=IdHiLZlOnHY

I really like this video and it might actually make sense.

My feeling is, that the hinge was really intended to be loose. I think the tight hinges will become loose quite fast, because that's how they're supposed to be in the first place. So don't get used to them too much or you will be disappointed and you will feel like the quality of the phone is degrading.

You might agree with the idea of the designer, or not. You can either accept the loose hinges or look for a different phone. But looking for tight hinges seems like a waste of time!

And this would actually support my theory.
[G2 and Desire Z General] Lennyuk:
Please from now on, if your posting to say if your hinge is loose please also confirm what class sd card came with your phone.

It will either be a scandisc class 4 or a samsung class 2 (as far as I know)
[G2 and Desire Z General] Amanha:
Mine came with a Samsung Class2 (UK one). And its loose...The one on display in the shop was niceley tight!...il put a video on later. Il see what HTC Have to say about it. Its a £405 phone..why make the hinges rubbish when the rest of the phone is so perfect? Id pay a good £50 for GOOD HINGES.
[G2 and Desire Z General] setspeed:
I ordered my Z from Amazon UK last friday, arrived saturday.

My hinge is very firm, i can lean it over approx 30 degrees before it closes on me. My sdcard is an 8GB class 4 Sandisk.

Sent from my 'Zed, overclocked to 1.2ghz
[G2 and Desire Z General] Niiceg:
Samsung sd 2class, it's loose as hell...
[G2 and Desire Z General] tbalden:
Then the theory has been dissolved. Later shipments can be just as loose with any class of mem card..also stiff ones can be come loose..by design. (?) That said i love loose hinge.

-- sent from htc z using xda app
[G2 and Desire Z General] Amanha:
Yep, Mine was stiff when it came, 24 hours later - medium loose, then another 24hrs later...its proper loose. HTC doesnt get back to me about the issue, suppose the only thing that can be done is get a replacement, if that hinge goes, then get the Desire HD (So, £80 on top) - I wonder if Carphone Warehouse will allow me to do that
[G2 and Desire Z General] sauron0101:
Out of curiosity (and I own the Epic), has anyone had a hinge break? I really think that HTC should have gone with a conventional slider or something like the TouchPro 2. I really would miss the 5-row keyboard 2, although the buttons are better on this phone.
[G2 and Desire Z General] inversecow:
I bought a HTC Desire Z just before christmas and have been using it daily ever since.

I have found the keyboard is quite easy to deploy, but not overly so (EG: I have tried holding it at various angles by just the top, just the bottom, etc).

In every case, I had to intentionally pop it open.

I recall back when I was researching the DZ, a quote from HTC indicating they made the keyboard for "single finger pressure deployment".

With regards to the initial poster's unit, this sounds like a faulty component / refurbishment issue?

Either that, or I have been quite lucky with my little device.
[G2 and Desire Z General] burtcom:
Hah :) perhaps its because my fingers are too thick, but I could not seem to flick mine open. Couldn't get enough purchase on the screen part.

However, I recently installed an Otterbox case, which gives my finger a little more to grab. Now I can "flick" easily.
[G2 and Desire Z General] kourampies:
Coming from a Touch Pro 2, I thought I had a faulty device when I got the Z. After some reading and testing, I think that although its kinda loose and almost wobbly, its an interesting design, since it never causes a problem when you are holding the phone on normal ways. Except maybe when browsing in landscape while lying on a bed, but still 99% of the times I have the keyboard already open. After 3 weeks with the Desire Z, the only thing I really dont like its the back speakers quality. Its awful compared to the TP2.

Regarding the keyboard and hinge, It doesnt bother me, but I definetely prefer the TP2s mechanism and keyboard with numbers and arrows.
[G2 and Desire Z General] stormbeta:
Agree with kourampies - it is a bit loose, but in practice it's not been an issue, the only normal positon where it can slide accidently is if I try to type on the keyboard while holding it directly overhead while laying down.

Sent from my T-Mobile G2
[G2 and Desire Z General] hoey23:
Yeah, mine is the same. It's very disappointing. Nowhere near as sturdy as the G1 hinge mechanism. After 2.5 years of frequent use, it's still quite snappy.
[G2 and Desire Z General] burtcom:
Yes -- there is a thread in these forums where someone describes how they dropped the phone and one of the hinges broke out. Has pics too.
[G2 and Desire Z General] jtadak:
I love the innovative snap hinge. They should have used a better material though. Most people like the look of the hinge and I have no problems with it myself.
[G2 and Desire Z General] Taiwu aznkid:
Use the black elastics that where used to tie your headphones together and put stretch it across your phone...this is ghetto way of fixing it
[G2 and Desire Z General] Kit:
Talk about OCD =_=;

Everyone i have seen does this if you only touch it by the top half, which is a very awkward thing to try and do. If any part of your hand is slightly touching the bottom part it will not do this.

I'm pretty sure there is no spring in the hinge and this is the way it was designed, no one i know with a G2/Desire Z has issues because the way the phone is designed its very hard to just touch the top half.

Don't bother returning it as this is not a defect but rather just design which i think is fine, if you find it annoying i guess deal with it or opt for a different phone ^_^

Also as a side note if you inspect the hinge closely you will see it is made of metal and has a support bar, the chances this will break faster than a slider is very unlikely. it is common for sliders to lose connection over time and eventually die.
[G2 and Desire Z General] romdroid.:
i have the same problem after 1½ month the screen is wobbling when typing and it annoys me...should i leave it in to let them repair it?
[G2 and Desire Z General] Sandyman538:
The hinge here isn't the problem for me. It is loose, but not so loose that it bothers me. I've the same issue when you only use the touch screen, then it is wobbeling. Don't know if it annoying enough to return my phone.
[G2 and Desire Z General] lainvalenajr:
My hinge is loose but not loose to the point it slides out.