HTC Desire review: A desire come true

Key features:

• Quad-band GSM and dual-band 3G support
• 7.2 Mbps HSDPA and 2 Mbps HSUPA
• 3.7" 16M-color capacitive AMOLED touchscreen of WVGA resolution (480x 800 pixel)
• Android OS v2.1 with kinetic scrolling and pinch zooming
• Slim profile and great build quality.

 

• Qualcomm Snapdragon QSD8250 1 GHz processor
• 576 MB RAM and 512 MB ROM
• 5 MP autofocus camera with LED flash and geotagging
• WVGA (800 x 480 pixels) video recording @ 15fps
• Wi-Fi and GPS with A-GPS
• microSD slot, bundled with a 4GB card
• Accelerometer and proximity sensor
• Standard 3.5 mm audio jack
• Stereo FM radio with RDS
• microUSB port (charging) and stereo Bluetooth v2.1
• Optical trackpad which doubles as a button
• Smart dialing

Main disadvantages:

• Disappointing video quality
• Limited storage available to the user on the system partition (you are left with only 120 MB for installing apps)
• No DivX and XviD video playback
• No voice dialing
• Non hot-swappable memory card

HTC Sense likes it on big screen

HTC Hero pioneered the Sense UI on Android handsets to tap the company’s existing user base. The Tattoo was the next HTC-customized device, but Sense just didn’t feel natural on the QVGA screen.
HTC Desire is Legend’s bigger brother upping the CPU and RAM, along with screen size and resolution. It runs the latest Android v2.1 and takes full advantage of its performance boost and full color support. As a result, the pre-loaded Sense UI is faster, more attractive and fluid.
The main differences between this Sense UI version and the one back on the Hero are the new context icons, a bunch of new wallpapers and the unified Widget section. Whether you are using the People, Mail, Music or Gallery Tabs, the scrollable icons at the bottom will please you with new color skins. We like it this way – the old ones looked a bit dull against the otherwise graphically rich and colorful UI.
We should also acknowledge the role of the AMOLED display in making the new Sense UI look even more attractive compared to HTC Hero’s. Let’s take a closer look for those who haven’t met the latest Sense UI yet.

Good 5 megapixel snapper

HTC Desire has a 5 megapixel sensor for a maximum image resolution of 2592 x 1936 pixels, and a LED flash. This is becoming pretty much the norm for recent upper mid-range and high-end Android handsets so the HTC seems to be on level ground with its competitors.
However thanks to Android 2.1, the Desire boasts a camera interface that is quite competitive outside the Google OS world too. There are a number of customizable settings ranging from ISO speed to aspect ratio and auto focus. Now, that makes perhaps the Omnia HD owners sneer but it’s a nice improvement for Android.
We are yet to see modern-day features such as face and smile detection, for example, but the gap is closing.

Here are some screen shots using the 5 megapixel HTC Desire:

Final words

The Google Nexus One was given the grace of a market head start but it’s no longer standing lonely at the top. And even if it looks like a brotherly reunion, the HTC Desire is in fact a formidable rival. That’s between HTC and Google though. Users have hardly reasons to complain.
The limited availability of the Nexus One only works in the HTC Desire’s favor. The HTC Desire ships worldwide and its current street price is around 440 euro. That’s just a bit more than the Google Nexus One and it won’t be long perhaps before they’re level.
As to the differences, the HTC Desire seems to get the upper hand but it’s not just quite as capable as promised. DivX support and 720p video recording didn’t make it on time, although there’s word of including them in a future update. The HTC Desire comes with the company’s proprietary Sense UI on top of the E'clair and Flash support in the web browser. We do prefer the hardware buttons to the Nexus One’s capacitive controls but the trackpad doesn’t quite cut it. We’d take the trackball any day.

Google Nexus One

 Now, the complicated family issues aside, let’s look at a real competitor. The recently unveiled I9000 Galaxy S is Samsung’s most powerful Android smartphone – and quite keen to challenge for the top spot. Featuring a breathtaking four inches of Super AMOLED display and a fast 1GHz processor, the Galaxy S also runs E'clair and offers a 5-megapixel snapper. What’s more, codec support and high-res video are all there so HTC better hurry with that upgrade.

Samsung I9000 Galaxy S

 The Sony Ericsson XPERIA X10 has the older Donut (Android OS v1.6) and its price is steep. The X10 is still quite a catch though. It has a Snapdragon inside and a bigger screen too. The real edge over the Android rivals however is the 8-megapixel autofocus camera.

Sony Ericsson XPERIA X10

 So, this is the latest in Android and we have no reason to be disappointed. The Desire is confidently taking charge of the HTC Android lineup. With gadgets like the Hero and the Legend behind it, this is one of the most impressive droid fleets these days. The HTC Desire has the background and the inspiration, and it has some bonus hype, courtesy of the Nexus One. Out of two identical phones, most users will of course get the one that’s more readily available.