The battle is on! With the release of the HTC Desire, Samsung Galaxy S, Motorola Droid X, and Sony Xperia X10, the battle at the high-end segment for the Android OS has officially begun. We are sure that many are wondering which among these heavyweights is worth their hard-earned money, and we help to try and address that question with a review of the HTC Desire today.
Design: Strikingly HTC
We won't mince words here and will say it outright: the HTC Desire is one beautifully crafted device. It looks strikingly similar to its cousin, the Nexus One, and it mainly shares the same design sensibilities, which was first seen in the HTC Hero. This is evident from the mixture of materials, the slightly protruding lip, as well as the button cluster. From the soft touch material on the rear that extends to the front lip to the aluminum frame around the screen, the Desire reeks of quality construction and premium materials. It feels nice and sturdy in the hands, and has a reassuring weight that should prove to be highly pocketable for many.
In lieu of the traditional trackball found older HTC Android devices, the Desire touts a clickable optical trackball that tracks finger movements, similar to the Legend. We found this to be an acceptable replacement, quite useful for navigating around text. Thankfully the Home, Menu, Back, and Search keys are physical keys, making them easy to find and reliably responsive, unlike their touch counterparts. Other buttons include the top Power button and the volume slider found on the left side.
The camera module does protrude a bit from the rear, making us quite certain that it will suffer a good number of nicks over time. Beside it to the right, the LED flash and speaker module can be found. At the bottom, the micro USB port for data and charging can be found (thank God for this!), while on the top, beside the Power button, the 3.5mm jack is conveniently placed.
Highlights: Fit For A Flagship
Given its place in the pecking order of HTC's device hierarchy, the Desire is rightfully packed to the brim with the best parts that the HTC factory has on offer. First and foremost among these is the 3.7-inch 800 x 480 capacitive AMOLED display (the EVO 4G and HD2 pack TFT LCDs). Next in line is the 1GHz Snapdragon processor and 576MB of RAM, both the fastest and largest capacity that HTC has on offer on their smartphones, respectively. It also packs a bevy of high-end radios from HSDPA, Bluetooth, and WiFi.
Multimedia-wise, the 5 megapixel camera that will be given the capability to record 720p videos with the Froyo update provides the brunt of the Desire's imaging muscle, which is complemented by an LED flash. A 3.5mm jack comes in as a standard, ensuring users are able to use their headphones of choice.
All these are run under Android 2.1 or Eclair, something that HTC promises will be upgraded to the latest Android version of Froyo or Android 2.2. And, as expected of any HTC device, the Desire runs on their proprietary Sense UI, which is something that many will be familiar with at this point in time. The version that ships with the Desire is an updated one though, with the most notable additions being the addition of Leap View, which essentially shows a snapshot of each of the seven homescreens when you pinch on a homescreen, as well as the new application called Friend Stream, an app that integrates both Twitter and Facebook accounts in one full featured viewer and widget. On the overall, it is the very presence of the Sense UI that makes the Desire ultimately better than its Nexus One cousin.
Usability: Seamless And Smooth
As the Android platform, Sense UI, and HTC have already gotten over two years of getting to know each other and feeling each other out, the Desire presents the most user-friendly iteration of Google's operating system yet. This can ultimately be seen in the fact that the device doesn't even ship with a proper manual, with the only on-screen tutorial presented on setup being the one for using the keypad. Again, with Sense UI and Android combined, customization is king, with the user presented a myriad of option on how to personalize their device, all this in the most intuitive manner possible. It may not reach the idiot-friendliness of the iPhone, but it does come pretty close.
One handed operation will be possible for those with bigger hands, but most will find themselves using the Desire with both hands just to make sure they don't drop it. This is not to say that it is large in size, it in fact fits comfortably even in the tight pocket of a pair of jeans. Thankfully, the front cluster buttons are physical ones, though some may find themselves brushing against the optical trackball once in a while due to its close proximity to the buttons flanking it. The touchscreen is extremely responsive and makes for a great user experience, especially when quickly typing out messages.
Performance: Positive Impressions
On the overall, the Desire is generally snappy, providing users with a smooth and fluid user experience, with very slight hiccups only under heavy network duress. Applications open almost instantaneously, and multi-tasking is largely an enjoyable experience. At this point, HTC seems to be exceedingly familiar with Android, implementing the operating system flawlessly on the hardware and the platform that they provide. We normally would find something to gripe about when it comes to processing muscle and device responsiveness, but in this case, we are left with nothing to say except that the 1GHz Snapdragon CPU combined with the 576MB of RAM on the Desire does indeed get the job done.
Multimedia is also one of the Desire's strong suits, with a crisp and vibrant screen to go along with clean and detailed sound. This makes watching movies and listening to audio a much more reasonable proposition. Browsing the Internet is a breeze on the stock browser, with text reflowing and pinch to zoom coming in extremely handy while navigating pages. The five megapixel camera is pretty fast and of good quality, though it does take some getting used to, especially since the optical trackball is utilized as the shutter button. Touch focusing and a slew of other settings are also adjustable via a revamped camera application. Unfortunately, DivX and XviD aren't supported out of the box, though it is purported to be included in one of HTC's upcoming updates.
Cost: On Markups And Software Updates
It's a shame that HTC prices their handsets at about PhP 5,000 more than their overseas counterparts. This is the one sure thing that you can count on whenever HTC is to release a model locally, much like the local Canon and Sony subsidiaries. Obviously, the PhP 5,000 premium nets you a local warranty, instant gratification, and less hassle and trouble in actually sourcing the unit. Yet, despite this seemingly high price, it's asking price of PhP 34,990 is still within striking distance of its main competitors' local price tags, still making it a pretty compelling offer.
In the end, its relative value will really actually depend on how extensive and how sustained HTC's efforts will remain in updating the phone's software as the Andorid OS moves along it's development cycle. This is because, by and large, the Desire already has one of the best specced hardware in the market (save perhaps for an HDMI port and higher megapixel count sensor), and is pretty much future proof for the next year and half. If HTC can ensure that the Desire keeps up with Android (and they have promised a Froyo update), then you can rest assured that you have got your money's worth, and the premium of paying for that warranty will be well worth it.
| HTC Desire Specifications | |
|---|---|
| Network | Quad-band + HSPA and WCDMA |
| Operating System | Google Android OS v2.1 (Eclair) |
| CPU | Qualcomm Snapdragon 1GHz |
| Memory | 576MB RAM, 512MB ROM, MicroSD expandable up to 32GB |
| Data | Quad band / HSDPA 7.2Mbps, HSUPA 2.0Mbps |
| Display | 3.7-inch 480 x 800, Capacitive AMOLED Touchscreen |
| Camera | 5MP, Autofocus, LED Flash, Geotagging, Face detection |
| Networking / Connectivity | WiFi 802.11 b/g / Bluetooth 2.1 with A2DP |
| GPS | Built-in, with Google Maps and Geotagging Support |
| Sensors | G-Sensor, Digital compass, Proximity sensor, Ambient Light sensor |
| Multimedia Formats Supported (Android 2.1) | Audio Playback: .aac, .amr, .ogg, .m4a, .mid, .mp3, .wav, .wma Audio Recording: .amr Video Playback: .3gp, .3g2, .mp4, .wmv Video Recording: .3gp FM radio tuning |
| Social Networking Connections | Facebook integration, Friend Stream, Photo sharing on Facebook, Flickr, and Twitter, Video sharing on YouTube, HTC Peep for twittering |
| Interface | microUSB 2.0, Internet sharing via USB supported |
| Battery Life | Talk Time: Up to 400mins (GSM) / 390mins (WCDMA) Standby Time: Up to 340h (GSM) / 360h (WCDMA) |
| Dimensions / Weight | 119 x 160 x 11.9mm / 135g |
