The first HTC smartphone with 2 SIM cards, running the latest Android 4 OS and an updated version of the proprietary HTC Sense™ 4.0.a interface.
The sound from Beats Audio is deep and rich.
The device has a 4" SuperLCD display with ultra-strong Corning™ Gorilla Glass and a 5 MP camera with built-in flash and autofocus.
2 SIM cards make it easy to combine personal communication and business calls, and you can also use two different tariff plans at the same time.
Finally, it is convenient to use a smartphone on foreign and tourist trips without overpaying for roaming.
Detailed description of the HTC Desire V smartphone
Recently, devices that work with two SIM cards are increasingly appearing on the smartphone market. And finally, such a smartphone was released by HTC, presenting its Desire V smartphone. HTC offered a really, really good gadget. It has good hardware, a user-friendly interface, it looks beautiful and fits comfortably in the hand. The smartphone is made of a pleasant-to-touch, velvety soft-touch that will not peel off after a few months. Externally, the device is not inferior to the HTC One line. The smartphone is medium in size and will fit well in any hand; it is also quite thin - 9.3 mm. The parts of the smartphone are simply perfectly adjusted and will not creak or crunch. Screen 4 inches with a resolution of 800x480 pixels. The picture is very good, graininess is only noticeable with a magnifying glass. The screen is clearly visible even in the sun; its contrast, color rendition and brightness make this possible.
Desire V has enough hardware for any task. It has a 1GHz Qualcomm MSM7227A processor and Adreno 200 graphics that can handle most different games and applications. Moreover, the processor and graphics do not consume much energy, which is very good when using two SIM cards. The smartphone has 512 MB of RAM and 4 GB of internal memory, supports a memory card up to 32 GB. Gorilla Glass display glass like most modern smartphones.
The smartphone menu has a section where you can configure the operation of each of the two SIM cards. Each SIM card can be called with convenient names, and you can also choose which of them will work with data and which with voice communications. When a number is dialed, the smartphone provides two call buttons - for both SIM cards at once.
The operating system in HTC Desire V is Android 4.0 and has the Sense 4.0 shell, which is considered the best in its field; it is unlikely that you can find such a beautiful and functional shell.
The Desire V's 1650 mAh lithium-ion battery allows the smartphone to work under heavy and heavy loads all day long without problems, given that it has to work with two SIM cards. The smartphone has a 5 megapixel camera, as well as autofocus and flash.
At the moment, the Desire V smartphone has almost no competitors, which is its main advantage. This is a beautiful, high-quality device with new functionality and an affordable price.
Photos of HTC Desire V
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Video review of the HTC Desire V smartphone
Specifications
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118.5 x 62.3 x 9.32 mm |
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114 g (with battery) |
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CPU |
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Platform |
Android™ 4.0 with HTC Sense™ 4 |
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Memory Configuration 1 |
User memory: 4 GB RAM: 512 MB |
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Memory expansion slot |
microSD™ memory card (SD 2.0 compatible) |
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CONNECTIONS |
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Camera with HTC ImageSense™ |
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Sound enhancement technologies |
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Multimedia |
Supported audio formats:
Supported video formats:
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Battery |
Capacity: 1650 mAh |
16 reviews for
- - Dec 21, 2015
I wanted to buy myself a phone that was durable, easy to use, functional, played different games, played good music, and surfed websites! And then I came across the HTC Desire V smartphone!
I began to look at him in more detail, all his characteristics, what he can do and what he represents! A week of full examination of the phone and I bought it, it seemed to me that this phone meets many of the characteristics of a good smartphone, since: 1) It is not expensive
2) Screen 4 inches
3) Quite thin
4) Durable. (Despite many scorches, and oswalt, and tiles, and laminate, it did not break)
5) It plays videos, music, and opens websites on the Internet without glitches. (Although he is already 4 years old)
6) It is durable
7) It has two built-in SIM cards. (This was not an unimportant sign for me)
8) Supports up to 64G memory card
8) Anti-scratch screen
9) It holds a charge for a long time, i.e. its battery is very capacious!
10) Built into the Beats audio system! (Really improves the sound quality)
11) It weighs nothing, about 115g
12) It has Android 4.0 installed and runs well
I’ve been using it for four years now, it has never let me down, although in 4 years it has never failed! Respect to such smartphones!
In general, I recommend the phone, now it’s not expensive at all, so buy it you won’t regret it!!
Vyacheslav Omsk- Sep 16, 2018
I read the reviews: COMPLETE BULLSHIT!!! This is not about my gadget! I bought it in February '13, took it in for repairs in October - the screen flew off! They did it under warranty. In June '14, the SD card - the internal memory of the phone - flew away. They said it would be easier to replace the board than to solder the card. Repair 2500. I bought it for 11,000. What else can fly there and after what interval??? A friend had the same phone and the problems were 1 in 1. Despite the fact that I work at a construction site, he has never fallen or drowned! Who are you telling stories to here??? The reset button is located on the call buttons - if the interlocutor is the first to reset, then you call again - nonsense! Yes, the design is awesome, it feels great in your hand, the saturation of the screen. Everything else is bullshit! (HTC Desire V). I have never seen a better Sony Ericsson W810i. Served faithfully for 5 years, the speaker got worn out and wanted a dual SIM card. I came across this bullshit... I should have thought of sticking a reset button on the call buttons...
Andrey Rumyantsev- Mar 8, 2016
For me, this was the first smartphone that I dreamed of and wanted to buy, and also for two SIM cards, which is very convenient. For a whole year I was constantly playing games, listening to music, taking photos and videos. The battery holds up perfectly, the only bad thing is that the memory is not enough, you have to clean it often. In a word, it’s not a phone, but a fairy tale, but for a month I drowned it while fishing. It was a shame, but now I have to buy a new one.
Alexandr- Mar 8, 2016
Good day to all. I used this phone for 2.5 years, two of which I served in the army. It crashed 100,500 times and crashed, but it always worked great. The camera is excellent for a budget phone. The speaker is a little quiet, but it's not a big problem. Sometimes it’s not too much when the phone rings in noisy places. But overall the device is excellent. I recommend it to everyone.
Andrey- Mar 7, 2016
In my opinion, the main advantage of this smartphone is its body, which is very resistant to abrasions and scratches. The next thing you can add is its functionality. It works smoothly without any glitches, the battery lasts for at least two days, of course, if you constantly surf the Internet and use various applications, as well as games, it easily lasts for the whole day, which is no less important in our lives today. Also, the screen is not bad for such a budget model; when watching videos in the daytime, it does not produce glare.
Igor- Mar 7, 2016
I am the owner of this device, the phone is generally not bad, it’s a good model for the money, supports two SIM cards, which is important nowadays, and has a good screen. The battery holds well. I spend about 40 minutes a day talking, a full charge lasts for about 2-3 days. Among the advantages, I would like to highlight good sound, sensitive sensor, powerful processor, lightweight, compact and fits well in the hand. Overall a simple and easy to use smartphone.
Sasha- Mar 6, 2016
I bought this phone a year ago, before that I had Wildfire, I liked Desire V much more, since this model has a lot of advantages:
firstly, the phone is light and fits perfectly in the hand, the body is quite durable, so even with careless use the phone does not show any defects.
secondly, this device has excellent characteristics for this price category: 5MP camera, four-inch screen, and of course Android 4.0
It is also worth noting that there are two SIM cards, which is a very convenient feature.
And of course there is a battery that lasts for 1-2 days with fairly intensive use.
Of the minuses, it is worth noting only small glitches, and even those happen rarely.
Eduard Sergeevich- Mar 4, 2016
At one time it became my first smartphone on Android, and even with two SIM cards. It was a year and a half inseparable until I lost it. It worked quickly, but I really didn’t play games, only correspondence, mail and music, and occasionally card navigation. However, the RAM is not enough, I had to clean it once a week. The battery is stable for one and a half to two days.
Anna- Mar 4, 2016
I used HTC Desire V t328w for two years, but six months ago I gave it to my son. First of all, I want to say that the phone is durable. In the hands of a child it works without glitches, he fell several times and did not get a scratch. I like its design, it fits in my hand. In terms of functions, everything is excellent, the photos are quite good, especially in daylight. I used it to its fullest and read, played, and surfed the internet, but at the same time I didn’t complain about the battery. The only negative is the quiet call. Otherwise I'm happy with everything.
Alesya- Mar 3, 2016
Hi all. I bought myself such a phone in 2014 and still use it today. I chose black - classic. It’s convenient that I have two SIM cards (I use two networks) - during a call I can easily switch to a parallel call and answer (leaving the first call on hold). Indeed, as in the characteristics, it is comfortable - it does not slip out of the palm. I downloaded music for myself and listen to it anytime and anywhere. I use the Internet every day. Everything you need in this small, rugged device! I recommend! Tested by my own experience!
Hope- Mar 2, 2016
I want a phone like this for myself, it has the necessary settings. For example, I like to listen to rich music, even while on the street, this phone reproduces clear, musical sound. The flash in this phone is also a necessary thing for me; you can take pictures at night and get well-lit pictures.
Anna- Mar 1, 2016
I had an HTC Desire V for 2 years and I'm very happy with it. Two SIM cards worked well and did not glitch. Large screen, excellent color rendition of photographs and pictures. The battery lasted quite a long time, enough for a long journey while listening to music. I recommend this model to everyone.
Sergey- Dec 21, 2015
It would be unfair to ignore my main assistant - the HTC Desire V smartphone.
Quite spontaneously, at the beginning of April 2013, I was ready to purchase a new mobile phone (before that I had an indestructible, in terms of battery life, dual-SIM LG GH200).
I wanted to have: a) a smartphone; b) dual-SIM; c) functional; d) high quality and reliable; e) relatively inexpensive (well, where would we be without this selection criterion: you want a lot of everything and for little money;).
Colleagues at work had positive experiences using HTC smartphones.
Having looked at the characteristics and reviews of the HTC smartphone line, I tentatively settled on two models: HTC Desire V and HTC Desire SV.
The advantages of the second one are a more powerful dual-core processor, more RAM, and a larger screen.
Having held both models in my hands, I made a choice in favor of the HTC Desire V. It seemed nicer in design, more comfortable in the hand, and thinner. The final choice was made by the price and the fact that, unlike its older brother (SV), it used regular SIM cards, not shortened ones, which eliminated the need for trips to two mobile operators to replace SIM cards.
Since then, my smartphone has been with me for more than 2 years. It works quite well, although there are minor brakes, especially when you are in a hurry and make careless or inaccurate presses. Sometimes spontaneous unscheduled reboots occur.
Taiwanese equipment manufacturer HTC has not been very pleasing to users lately and, as a result, is suffering losses. In the competitive environment of modern technologies, its Korean competitors occupy more advantageous positions. HTC is forced to make natural experiments, one of which is the Desire V smartphone, which has support for two SIM cards.
However, the performance of this device was not the best, especially considering its rather high price. Therefore, in 2012, the company introduced a new phone, the HTC Desire SV. It also supports dual SIM cards and has much more attractive characteristics, namely a larger screen, a powerful processor, and increased RAM.
Key Features of HTC Desire SV
The improved model is armed with a higher-performance processor (Snapdragon S4 Play), as well as a qualitatively new graphics core. The phone memory is 4 gigabytes and is distributed as follows:
- 256 MB - operational cache;
- 1232 MB - user data memory;
- 1128 MB - built-in memory of the smartphone;
- 958 MB - Android + Sense.
What remains unclear is the reduction in camera capabilities to 800 x 480 (despite the fact that it is 8 megapixel). And this was against the backdrop of the fact that at that time the cheaper Fly IQ440 and Samsung were preparing for release, the release of which was accompanied by a surge in the company’s marketing activity.
Design solutions for smartphone
In the following sections we will take a closer look at the HTC Desire SV. It would be best to start a review of the phone with its appearance. The official color of the smart phone is black, but there is also a brighter orange body solution, which, along with the lack of such an option among competitors, plays into the hands of the Taiwanese manufacturer.
The design of the HTC Desire SV does not particularly stand out: the corners are rounded, the side is trapezoidal, and the back is convex. The front of the smartphone is made of tempered glass 2. At the top there is a slot for the speaker, as well as recesses for proximity and light sensors, as well as an event indicator. Below is a screen under which there are three active touch keys: “Application Manager”, “Home” and “Back”. The distance between them allows them to be used quite comfortably.
The left side of the smartphone has no keys; on the right there is a double-sided volume key, which can be easily found thanks to the recess in the center.
The bottom of the device contains a Micro-USB connector, which is also used to charge the device, and also a microphone. The top part is marked with a power button and a headphone jack. The power button does not fit well into the ergonomics of the device, as it is flush with the body, which can make it difficult to find.
All connectors and keys are located on plastic. The back panel of the phone is removable and made of soft-touch plastic. On its top there is an 8-megapixel camera and its LED flash. The manufacturer's logo is located in the center of the smartphone, at the bottom there are holes for the multimedia speaker with the Beats Audio logo.
The cover is removed by prying it off in the area of the Micro-USB connector. With the back surface removed, you can install or replace MicroSD and SIM cards. If the decision to purchase a smartphone of this model has already been made, you should take care of replacing standard communication cards with microSIM cards. There is also a smaller battery with a capacity of 1620 mAh compared to its predecessor model, which is quite strange considering the greater power of the device and the presence of two SIM cards.
Phone screen
For a phone with a 4.3-inch diagonal, the resolution of 480 x 800 seems insufficient, but increasing it would also increase the price of the device, so, apparently, the manufacturer chose a compromise solution. The phone is very sensitive to touch due to the use of high quality scratch-resistant Gorilla Glass.
Adequate color rendition of the Super LCD 2 display ensures natural and natural display of pictures and photographs. Proximity sensors and brightness control sensors ensure comfortable use of the device in various lighting conditions, but the screen dims in direct sunlight.
What were the results of the HTC Desire SV study? The brightness characteristics were 298 cd/m2, and the contrast was 900:1. completely covers the spectrum, and in some places even exceeds it. At the same time, the shade is slightly cool. That is why the display of the device in question looks advantageous in comparison with other exhibits in this class.
Smartphone performance
It's safe to say that Taiwanese manufacturers have taken the issue of how to flash HTC Desire SV very seriously. That is why the performance of this model is excellent. The smartphone's performance in the AnTuTu benchmark corresponds to the leader of the previous period, LG Optimus 2X. To summarize, we can say that the smartphone in question is almost twice as powerful as its competitors.
Battery and hardware
This smartphone has a dual-core Qualcomm MSM8225 processor with 768 MB of RAM. The internal memory is 4 GB, of which 1 GB is used for data storage. The internal memory can also be loaded with microSD up to 32 GB. The new processor is characterized by significantly higher power characteristics compared to its predecessor, which affects the smooth operation of the menu and the absence of slowdowns and lags.
With intensive use, the battery easily lasts for one day of battery life. If the screen is constantly active, the charge will last for about 5 hours, which is quite good for a gadget with a medium-capacity battery. This figure is better than its predecessor.
The model is equipped with more modern versions of Sense 4.1 and Android 4.0.4 than its predecessors. But the HTC Desire SV also has its drawbacks. The phone settings do not provide for 3D widgets and complex (like more expensive devices in the series) screen lock animation.
Along with this, one cannot help but notice the convenience and aesthetic beauty of the smartphone screen, on which a variety of notifications and events accumulate, from unread messages and missed calls to the calendar and clock. On the home screen, you can create quick access shortcuts, as well as special widgets, for example, with the weather or the latest news. Also, in order to simplify the work with the gadget, you can customize “desktops” for yourself, create shortcuts on them for the most frequently used applications and programs, which, in turn, can be sorted into folders. If you get tired of the device’s standardized desktop and want something new, you can download and install new theme and design styles using the specialized section of HTC Hub.
Ease of use of SIM cards
The model was the first device on the market to use two small microSIM cards. This is a general trend, but not all users are accustomed to this standard. When rearranging cards, there is no need to restart your smartphone; it will immediately identify them.
The numbers displayed in the call log have an indicator mark that indicates which SIM card was used during the call. When dialing a number, you are also given a menu for selecting a priority card for the call.
SIM cards are located under the removable panel. Moreover, one of them has the function of connecting to high-speed 3G Internet, the other is intended only for slow second-generation networks.
In the HTC Desire SV menu, the extra slot is turned off, it is possible to rename the card, as well as select a priority one for the Internet. Both SIM cards have the ability to select a call, which makes it much easier to specify incoming messages. For SMS notifications, unfortunately, you can only select one melody for both cards. One radio module eliminates the possibility of simultaneous conversations on two SIMs.
The number of entries that can be entered into the phone book is unlimited and has several fields for contact information. The smartphone will store:
- subscriber's first and last name;
- telephones;
- addresses;
- Date of Birth;
- notes.
When you select a contact without going to another section, information about the date of the last call, and even the correspondence history, becomes available.
Means of communication
The micro-USB connection device is combined with the charger connector and is located on the bottom end of the device. On the opposite side there is an audio port for a headset and headphones. There is also Wi-Fi 802.11n, which is used as an access point and modem. You can also use Bluetooth 4.0 to connect to other devices and transfer data.
What camera is built into your smartphone?
The camera, unfortunately, is the weak point of the HTC Desire SV. Photos (both in cloudy weather and indoors) will not please the experienced eye much. Based on this, the question arises about the advisability of using an 8-megapixel camera on a phone (maybe you should have limited yourself to a 5-megapixel one?). As for video, you should think again about the quality of video recording: 800 x 480 is somehow not enough for such a price.
Media Features
The smartphone is capable of playing a wide variety of formats, including MP4, 3G2, 3GP, AVI, 3GP, WMV. Viewing files from the device memory occurs almost instantly. A pleasant impression is left by the photo gallery, which allows you to quickly view files, as well as take pictures with various effects.
HTC Desire SV does not come with a custom equalizer (only Beats Audio auto mode is available), but it works with any type of headphones.
Standard headphones will not please a true music lover, so it is advisable to replace them with more expensive analogues. As for other media applications, it should be noted that standard for the model are a voice recorder, radio and the Soundhound song recognition program.
Let's sum it up
The Taiwanese company did a great job of correcting the errors, eliminating most of the noticed shortcomings, while significantly increasing the price. Despite this, the model has good sales figures. You can purchase it at a price of 6.5 thousand rubles. By and large, the smartphone has virtually no serious shortcomings, with the exception of insufficient video quality. The quality of the display, namely the viewing angles, may also confuse you, but this is not the most important indicator of a smartphone’s performance. No more significant shortcomings of the HTC Desire SV were found.
Pros and cons of the model
What attracted the attention of users in HTC Desire SV? Owner reviews contain a lot of useful information. Moreover, they reflect both positive and negative aspects of using this mobile device. So, the advantages of a smartphone include:
- Display screen size.
- Increased cache memory.
- Case material.
- Android 4.0.
- HTC Sense 4.1.
- High performance.
- Long working time.
At the same time, some users did not like the following features:
- Not the best photo quality.
- The video recording quality is not high enough.
- Limited display viewing angles.
- No additional
We hope the article will help you make the right choice regarding purchasing a smartphone; the chosen model will bring a lot of benefits and make work, leisure, communication and life in general easier.
2 years ago 0
thin, beautiful, convenient, at first I was afraid that I wouldn’t understand the numerous applications, but everything turned out to be very easy and simple, the phone itself writes everything where to press and what to install. 2 SIM cards work simultaneously, but when you make a call from one, the second one becomes unavailable. Notifications at the top of the screen are convenient, as well as a flashing indicator in case of missed calls or SMS. Wi-fi reception is excellent, does not slow down, the screen is clear. I was very pleased with the function of cutting ringtones for contacts, and you can set different ringtones for each SIM card.
2 years ago 0
Everything is there, and you can download a bunch more for free. Two SIM cards
2 years ago 0
Good screen, two SIM cards, high-quality performance, fast internet.
2 years ago 0
Of course, there are advantages, but they are completely killed by the lack of opportunity to use them, especially when necessary. I’ll note the correct operation of two SIM cards, that’s all.
2 years ago 0
Thin and quite stylish. It runs on battery power for quite a long time, despite its small size and large screen for such a size. I expected less, but he lasts 2 days easily.
2 years ago 0
smartphone, 2 SIM cards, 5MP camera - excellent pictures, thin, elegant, I have a white one, SIM cards work perfectly (different operators), sound is 5+, design and graphics are excellent!!!
2 years ago 0
Comfortable. Thin. Fits well in the hand. Pleasant to the touch. 2 SIM cards.
2 years ago 0
2 years ago 0
two SIM cards; a light weight; comfortable body; the optimal screen size - not small, but not a shovel for a woman’s hand); when listening to music through the player, the battery lasted a long time); loud speaker
2 years ago 0
The brand itself and an end-to-end Internet connection to a computer with the Internet + Wi-Fi router and a juicy screen! Design!
2 years ago +1
all the rest
2 years ago 0
Not a particularly loud speaker. I can’t say anything more bad, I’m very pleased with the phone.
2 years ago 0
There are no cases for this phone
The battery lasts a little more than a day with average Wi-Fi usage
2 years ago 0
2 years ago 0
For the first 2 months there were no problems at all, the only thing that bothered me was the speed of the Internet, with the same SIM cards and signal levels on Samsung and Sony, the speed was at least 5 times faster, or even more (it also takes a long time with a Wi-Fi connection). But after two months, specific problems appeared, these are constant reboots and shutdowns of the device. I changed the firmware, changed memory cards, changed SIM cards here and there to no avail. Moreover, okay, if you rebooted and calmed down for a while, then okay, well, it can do this for half an hour or forty minutes without a break, or turn off as soon as you try to make a call or access the Internet (you can turn it on up to 10 times, at 11 maybe luck will smile call)
2 years ago 0
Well, how can I say... Everything else is his shortcomings. Absolutely everything that is in it.
The device is exclusively engaged in updating. During the update, he doesn't care about you or your needs. Considering that the sensor is already the last thing the system polls and the user’s opinion is not something this phone cares about from birth, constant updates make it a brick. Many times I could not check my mail on thin Wi-Fi, just make a call because it was frozen. Once I accidentally called a friend at 4 am and simply couldn’t hang up the call because... The phone did not respond to taps until the friend on the other side hung up the call. I absolutely agree with the previous speakers - the phone lasts for a year, then sluggish stagnation begins, glitches, reboots, failure of individual elements and the skiff. I was lucky, mine lasted 2 years,
2 years ago 0
I still can’t figure out how to save photos to a memory card and delete them from the phone.
2 years ago 0
unfortunately there is:
- the back cover creaks when pressed
- slow and thoughtful “SOMETIMES IT’S JUST INfuriating” (most likely because of Android 4, its predecessor Desire S on Android 2 simply flew in comparison) in almost all operations (phone book, applications and everything else that runs on it ).
- loses the network, rebooting every 3-5 days saves the day.
- the price tag is very good. jacked up
2 years ago 0
battery is weak
2 years ago 0
camera is average; after updating the version - it began to glitch; the second SIM card worked much slower than the first; battery capacity - enough for heavy use (especially when surfing the Internet) - maximum for a day; little internal memory
New flagship of the Desire series with an advanced front camera and water protection
The Taiwanese company NTS has released an unusually positioned smartphone with flagship characteristics and an improved front camera. At the same time, the new product did not compete with the One M8 smartphone, which is still at the top step in the hierarchy of NTS mobile devices, but stood at the head of another line - Desire. Since the company's flagships spun off into a separate One series, the Desire line of smartphones has dropped to the middle level, and truly top-end devices have not appeared in it for a long time.
However, with the release of the HTC Desire Eye model, something has changed: the new smartphone, which stands at the head of the series, although it does not have an expensive all-metal body and a number of premium functions of a true flagship, is quite capable of competing with them in terms of hardware characteristics. In addition, the device is provided with some additional features that even the flagship HTS One M8 lacks, which makes comparing these two models not so trivial. The new product from the Desire series has a very advanced front camera, powerful protection against moisture getting inside, and the body is made of completely different, but no less high-quality materials, which is why the smartphone turned out to be incredibly ergonomic. But at the same time, the price of the new product is set far above the average level; in this regard, the smartphone can also compete with flagships.
Video review
To get started, we suggest watching our video review of the HTC Desire Eye smartphone:
Now let's take a look at the characteristics of the new product.
Key Features of HTC Desire Eye
| HTC Desire Eye | Meizu MX4 | Vivo Xshot | Sony Xperia Z3 | Samsung Galaxy S5 | |
| Screen | 5.2″, IPS | 5.36″, IPS | 5.2″, IPS | 5.2″, IPS | 5.1″, Super AMOLED |
| Permission | 1920×1080, 424 ppi | 1920×1152, 418 ppi | 1920×1080, 424 ppi | 1920×1080, 424 ppi | 1920×1080, 432 ppi |
| SoC | Mediatek MT6595 Octa-core (4 Cortex-A17 @2.2 GHz and 4 Cortex-A7 @1.7 GHz) | Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 (4 Krait 400 cores) @2.3 GHz | Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 (4 Krait 400 cores) @2.5 GHz | ||
| GPU | Adreno 330 | PowerVR G6200 | Adreno 330 | Adreno 330 | Adreno 330 |
| RAM | 2 GB | 2 GB | 2/3 GB | 3 GB | 2 GB |
| Flash memory | 16 GB | 16/32/64 GB | 16/32 GB | 16 GB | 16 GB |
| Memory card support | microSD | — | microSD | microSD | microSD |
| operating system | Google Android 4.4 | Google Android 4.4 | Google Android 4.3 | Google Android 4.4 | Google Android 4.4 |
| Battery | non-removable, 2400 mAh | non-removable, 3100 mAh | non-removable, 2600 mAh | non-removable, 3100 mAh | removable, 2800 mAh |
| Cameras | rear (13 MP; video 1080p), front (13 MP) | rear (20.7 MP; 4K video), front (2 MP) | rear (13 MP; 4K video), front (8 MP) | rear (20.7 MP; 4K video), front (2.2 MP) | rear (16 MP; 4K video), front (2 MP) |
| Dimensions and weight | 152×74×8.5 mm, 154 g | 144×75×8.9 mm, 147 g | 146×73×8 mm, 148 g | 146×72×7.3 mm, 152 g | 142×73×8.1 mm, 145 g |
| average price | T-11740912 | T-11010064 | T-10970877 | T-11028534 | T-10725078 |
| HTC Desire Eye offers | L-11740912-10 | ||||
- SoC Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 (MSM8974AB), 4 Krait 400 cores, 2.3 GHz
- GPU Adreno 330
- Operating system Android 4.4.4
- Touch display IPS, 5.2″, 1920×1080, 424 ppi
- Random access memory (RAM) 2 GB, internal memory 16 GB
- Supports microSD memory cards up to 128 GB
- Communication GSM/GPRS/EDGE 850/900/1800/1900 MHz
- Communication WCDMA: 850/900/2100 MHz
- Data transmission 2G, 3G, 4G (LTE 800/900/1800/2600 MHz)
- Bluetooth 4.0 aptX
- USB 2.0, OTG, MHL
- Wi-Fi 802.11a/b/g/n/ac (2.4 and 5 GHz), Wi-Fi hotspot
- NFC, DLNA
- GPS (A-GPS), Glonass
- Camera 13 MP, autofocus, LED flash, video 1080p @30 fps
- Camera 13 MP (front), autofocus, LED flash
- Accelerometer, proximity sensor, light sensor, gyroscope, digital compass
- Lithium polymer battery 2400 mAh
- Dimensions 152×74×8.5 mm
- Weight 154 g
Contents of delivery
The HTC Desire Eye smartphone is sold in exactly the same packaging as all previous top products of this brand. The square, flat cardboard box with rounded corners is as eco-friendly as ever: it's made entirely from renewable materials and uses soy ink for the paint. The box is quite neat and somewhat stylish, but opening it is completely inconvenient: the top lid completely covers the entire bottom tray, so there’s nothing for your fingers to catch on; you have to shake the box and stick your fingers into the cracks between the lid and the base, which looks premium The product is quite ridiculous. Obviously, the idea is that the box should simply be destroyed when opened, and not saved.
The set of accessories is standard: the box contains a charger (5 V, 1 A), a Micro-USB connecting cable, as well as a stereo headset with a tangle-free flat wire and ugly large plastic headphones without any ear pads. The covers on the side slots for installing cards are suggested to be plucked out with your fingernails, and there is no special tool for removing them in the kit.
Appearance and ease of use
Unlike the metal flagship HTC One smartphones, the new Desire series has a plastic body, like most previous models of the family. The smartphone is made in a sort of sporty style; along the side perimeter there is a wide bright stripe of a color different from the rest of the body. In the case of the white color option, all edges are red, and the gray body is framed by a dark blue stripe. This is not paint: the body is made of polycarbonate alloys of different colors using a seamless casting method, so you can’t feel the transitions between the layers of plastic.
Due to the matte and rough surfaces of the plastic case, the device does not slip at all in the hand and is held securely. The surfaces are non-staining and there are no fingerprints left on the matte plastic. In general, due to the ease of handling with such a polycarbonate body, the new product looks much more preferable than the flagship models of the HTC One series with their slippery and cold metal. Many, of course, still perceive metal as the most expensive and truly premium material in mobile device cases, but it is worth noting that the plastic HTC Desire Eye does not look cheaper or much simpler. Yes, with all its plastic surfaces and bright stripes, the device has a sort of youth-sports style, but still the smartphone looks very catchy and attractive.
As for the dimensions of the device, there is, unfortunately, absolutely nothing to praise the developers for. The device, with its fairly standard 5.2-inch screen, has a very large body that barely fits in the average hand. Of course, most fans of “shovels” may not notice anything unusual, but for other people the smartphone will seem overly large. The device turned out to be much more elongated in length than other smartphones with exactly the same display: it is about a centimeter longer, so that it has become almost impossible to carry it in a trouser pocket.
What determines this unusual aspect ratio in the device’s body is clear: not only were two front stereo speakers built into the device at the same time (as, by the way, in the Sony Xperia Z3), but they also placed a huge round glass on top, covering the optics of a serious 13-megapixel front module cameras with two-section multi-colored LED flash. Naturally, this could not but affect the size: even taking into account the same number and location of front stereo speakers, the body of the Sony Xperia Z3 turned out to be much sleeker and six millimeters shorter, and upon close comparison the difference is even more striking. As a result, we have to admit that the dimensions of the HTC Desire Eye could have been reduced, but this was not done.
By the way, you can’t see the speakers right away: the sound output grilles are hidden in long longitudinal slots at the top and bottom around the screen at the junction between the display glass and the plastic of the case, so it’s not easy to find them right away. The screen itself is framed by an unusually wide black frame - again, without it, the smartphone body could have turned out much more elegant in size.
The bottom of this black frame under the screen is about a centimeter wide, and there are no useful elements on it - just the logo. The control buttons in the smartphone are on-screen, virtual, so the total width of 18 mm of the lower part under the screen is not justified by anything other than the speaker embedded here.
On the back side, accordingly, there are no grilles for sound output; on the entire surface you can only find a round camera eye with an adjacent dual multi-colored LED flash. The flash can be used as a flashlight using a special preinstalled program.
Since the back cover of the HTC Desire Eye is not removable, the cards are installed in the side slots, covered with caps. The covers of the plugs are rubberized to provide protection against water getting inside the case, since the device is certified to the IPX7 standard for protection against moisture. According to the specifications, the smartphone can withstand immersion to a depth of 1 meter for 30 minutes.
Experimental studies have confirmed the ability of the smartphone case to resist water entering the case when completely immersed. However, this also led to a rather inconvenient way of attaching the covers of the card compartments: the covers with rubber gaskets are tightly driven into their holes like a cork, and you need to remove them using your nails. But they fit so tightly that prying them up and pulling them out with your fingernails is inconvenient and even painful; you have to pry them off with some additional sharp tool. The usual covers of protected Sony smartphones look much preferable in this regard.
Under the covers, HTC Desire Eye hides slots for a microSD memory card and a Nano-SIM SIM card. There is no possibility of installing a second, additional SIM card in place of the memory card in the smartphone.
On the opposite side from the plugs (right) are all the mechanical keys of the device: the first is a double volume rocker, followed by the power and lock buttons, and the lowest key is responsible for working with the camera. A separate photo button looks like a throwback, although the ability to launch the camera faster, as well as shooting underwater, when the screen becomes insensitive to touch, partly justifies its presence here. The buttons are plastic, large, have a deep travel, but the response is too soft and pliable - the mechanical elements could be made harder.
At the bottom end of the case there is a universal Micro-USB 2.0 connector with support for connecting external devices in OTG mode. The top end is given over to a 3.5 mm audio output jack for headphones. Both ends have holes for microphones; there are 3 of them installed in the device. The device connectors are not covered with plugs, even though the device can be completely immersed in water. And there is nowhere to attach a wrist strap; there are no fastenings for it, although, again, such a strap would not hurt at all for shooting underwater.
As for the color options of the new product’s body, as mentioned above, the device goes on sale in two colors. The developers, as usual, came up with unique beautiful names for them: Coral Reef (white with a red stripe) and Matte Blue (gray with a blue stripe). Both colors are equally attractive, there is no difference in materials, so the choice can be made only on the basis of color preferences.
Screen
HTC Desire Eye is equipped with an IPS sensor matrix, while the developers have stopped using the Super LCD 3 brand name; there is no more word about this in press releases. The screen dimensions are 64x114 mm, diagonal - 5.2 inches, resolution - 1920x1080 pixels. Accordingly, the dot density is very high, reaching a value of 424 ppi.
The thickness of the side frames from the edge of the screen to the edge of the body is far from record-breaking. Although the plastic body itself takes up little space on the sides, the black frame around the screen significantly adds to the overall width. As a result, more than 4.5 mm of space separates the edge of the case from the edge of the screen (in top modern models this value is sometimes only 2.6-2.8 mm). The height of the frame at the top and bottom of the screen is about 18.5 mm, which is also extremely high.
The brightness of the display can be adjusted manually, or you can use automatic adjustment based on the operation of the light sensor. Multi-touch technology here allows you to process 10 simultaneous touches, but for this, as usual in NTS smartphones, you need to enable gesture recognition of 3 fingers. When you bring the smartphone to your ear, the screen is locked using a proximity sensor. The smartphone also has such a useful element as an LED event sensor; to adjust it, there are two menu items in the settings section. The screen on HTC Desire Eye can be conveniently unlocked not only by double tapping the glass, but also by simply swiping in any direction; these functions can also be disabled in the settings.
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A detailed examination using measuring instruments was carried out by the editor of the “Monitors” and “Projectors and TV” sections Alexey Kudryavtsev. Here is his expert opinion on the screen of the sample under study.
The front surface of the screen is made in the form of a glass plate with a mirror-smooth surface that is scratch-resistant. Judging by the reflection of objects, the anti-glare properties of the screen are no worse than those of the Google Nexus 7 (2013) screen (hereinafter simply Nexus 7). For clarity, here is a photo in which a white surface is reflected in the switched off screens (on the left - Nexus 7, on the right - HTC Desire Eye, then they can be distinguished by size):
The HTC Desire Eye's screen is only slightly brighter (photo brightness 102 versus 97 for the Nexus 7). The ghosting of reflected objects in the HTC Desire Eye screen is very weak, this indicates that there is no air gap between the layers of the screen (more specifically, between the outer glass and the surface of the LCD matrix) (OGS - One Glass Solution type screen). Due to the smaller number of boundaries (glass-air type) with very different refractive indices, such screens look better in conditions of strong external illumination, but their repair in the case of cracked external glass is much more expensive, since the entire screen has to be replaced. The outer surface of the screen has a special oleophobic (grease-repellent) coating (effective, but slightly worse than that of the Nexus 7), so fingerprints are removed much more easily and appear at a slower rate than with regular glass.
With manual brightness control and when the white field was displayed in full screen, the maximum brightness value was about 535 cd/m², the minimum was 11 cd/m². The maximum brightness is very high, and, given the excellent anti-glare properties, readability even on a sunny day outdoors will be at a high level. In complete darkness, the brightness can be reduced to a comfortable value. There is automatic brightness adjustment based on the light sensor (it is located to the left of the front flash). In automatic mode, as external lighting conditions change, the screen brightness both increases and decreases. The operation of this function depends on the brightness adjustment position. If it is at maximum, then in complete darkness the auto-brightness function reduces the brightness to 22 cd/m² (normal), in an office illuminated by artificial light (approximately 400 lux) it sets it to 170 cd/m² (suitable), in a very bright environment (corresponds to the lighting on a clear day outdoors, but without direct sunlight - 20,000 lux or a little more) increases to a maximum - up to 535 cd / m² (which is what is needed). If the brightness slider is about halfway up the scale, then the screen brightness for the three conditions above is as follows: 11, 120 and 335 cd/m². If the brightness control is set to minimum - 11, 65, 145 cd/m². As a result, the auto-brightness function works adequately, and if there is no goal to save battery power, then the first option would be optimal - the slider at 100%. At any brightness level, there is virtually no backlight modulation, so there is no screen flickering.
This smartphone uses an IPS matrix. The microphotographs show a typical IPS subpixel structure:
For comparison, you can see the gallery of microphotographs of screens used in mobile technology.
The screen has good viewing angles without significant color shift even with large viewing deviations from perpendicular to the screen and without inverting shades. For comparison, here are photographs in which the same images are displayed on the screens of HTC Desire Eye and Nexus 7, while the screen brightness is initially set to approximately 200 cd/m² (over a white field across the entire screen), and the color balance on the camera is forcibly switched to 6500 K There is a white field perpendicular to the screens:
Note the good uniformity of brightness and color tone of the white field. And a test picture:
Color rendition is good and the colors are saturated on both screens (in the photo of the HTC Desire Eye screen the saturation is higher and the picture is darker due to the automatic reduction of the backlight brightness relative to the brightness when displaying the white field). Now at an angle of approximately 45 degrees to the plane and to the side of the screen:
It can be seen that the colors did not change much on both screens, and the contrast remained at a high level. And a white field:
The brightness of the screens at an angle decreased (by at least 5 times, based on the difference in shutter speed), but in the case of the HTC Desire Eye the drop in brightness is less. When deviated diagonally, the black field is lightened weakly and acquires a violet or red-violet hue. The photographs below demonstrate this (the brightness of the white areas in the direction perpendicular to the plane of the screens is approximately the same!):
And from another angle:
When viewed perpendicularly, the uniformity of the black field is good (the backlight brightness of the HTC Desire Eye is specially increased here compared to previous photographs):
The contrast (approximately in the center of the screen) is good - about 850:1. The response time for the black-white-black transition is 18 ms (9 ms on + 9 ms off). The transition between halftones of gray 25% and 75% (according to the numerical value of the color) and back takes a total of 30 ms. The gamma curve, constructed using 32 points with equal intervals based on the numerical value of the shade of gray, did not reveal any blockage in either the highlights or the shadows. The exponent of the approximating power function is 2.32, which is slightly higher than the standard value of 2.2. In this case, the real gamma curve deviates slightly from the power-law dependence:
Due to the dynamic and very aggressive adjustment of the backlight brightness in accordance with the nature of the displayed image (the darker the average image, the lower the backlight brightness), the resulting dependence of brightness on hue (gamma curve) does not correspond to the gamma curve of a static image, since the measurements were carried out with sequential output of shades of gray almost to the entire screen. For this reason, we carried out a number of tests - determining contrast and response time, comparing black illumination at angles - when displaying special templates with a constant average brightness, and not monochromatic fields in the entire screen. In general, this brightness correction, which cannot be switched off, does nothing but harm, since constantly changing the screen brightness can at least cause some discomfort and reduce the visibility of gradations in the shadows in the case of dark images. It is obvious that the manufacturer introduces this function with the aim of misleading the inexperienced buyer regarding the real qualities of the screen and the device itself as a whole. For example, lowering the brightness in dark images can hide screen flaws such as low contrast (not in this case) and strong diagonal bleaching of black (also not in this case). Also, battery life tests show the best results, since the brightness before testing is usually set to a white field across the entire screen, and in tests the average lightness of images is lower, so consumption is reduced due to a dynamic decrease in backlight brightness.
Color gamut is sRGB:
The spectra show that the matrix filters moderately mix the components with each other:
As a result, visually the colors have a natural saturation. The balance of shades on the gray scale is good, since the color temperature is not much higher than the standard 6500 K, and the deviation from the blackbody spectrum (ΔE) is less than 10, which is considered a good indicator for a consumer device. At the same time, color temperature and ΔE change little from hue to hue - this has a positive effect on the visual assessment of color balance. (The darkest areas of the gray scale can be ignored, since color balance there is not very important, and the error in measuring color characteristics at low brightness is large.)
Let's summarize. The screen has a high maximum brightness and has good anti-glare properties, so the device can be used outdoors without any problems, even on a sunny summer day. In complete darkness, the brightness can be reduced to a comfortable level. It is also possible to use a mode with automatic brightness adjustment, which works adequately. The advantages of the screen include an effective oleophobic coating, the absence of flicker and air gaps in the layers of the screen, high black stability to the deviation of the gaze from perpendicular to the screen plane, as well as the sRGB color gamut and good color balance. Significant disadvantages include aggressive, non-disabled dynamic adjustment of the backlight brightness. Nevertheless, taking into account the importance of characteristics for this particular class of devices, the quality of the screen can be considered high.
Sound
In terms of sound, the smartphone is at a high level. The device, as usual, is equipped with two front dual stereo speakers with built-in amplifiers, so the smartphone sounds excellent. The sound is loud, clear throughout the entire spectrum, there is an abundance of low frequencies, the maximum volume is high. The sound of the main speakers of the HTC Desire Eye is admirable, but it is not entirely clear why they would sacrifice the comfortable dimensions of the device just to achieve such high-quality sound in a pocket device. After all, people enjoy music mainly with the help of high-quality headphones or go to concert halls. It's hard to imagine anyone seriously trying to listen to music from a smartphone without headphones connected. As for the sound in headphones, there are, of course, no complaints. The sound is excellent, clear throughout the entire frequency range, there is enough bass, and the maximum volume is high. In conversational dynamics, the voice of a familiar interlocutor, timbre and intonation remain recognizable, making telephone conversations quite comfortable.
To play music, the device uses its own proprietary NTS Music player. All sound effects are combined with BoomSound technology and are left to automation - almost nothing can be configured manually. In the settings there is only the option to disable the BoomSound sound enhancement function, and this does not affect the operation of the built-in speakers.
The smartphone comes standard with an FM radio, and a voice recorder was also found. But the smartphone cannot record telephone conversations from the line using standard means.
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Camera
The presence of two 13-megapixel digital camera modules is the most noticeable and unusual feature of the new smartphone, setting the device apart from its peers. However, despite the similar resolution, the camera modules are still not equivalent in terms of characteristics. The front camera in HTC Desire Eye is equipped with a module with a BSI sensor, f/2.2 aperture, and a 22 mm wide-angle lens. But what is most unusual is that the front camera is equipped with an automatic focusing function, which is practically not found in modern smartphones, and also has its own LED flash of two multi-colored segments. Using the front camera, you can record video in Full HD resolution (1920×1080), and it is possible to enable the HDR function.
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The rear camera in HTC Desire Eye is equipped with a 13-megapixel module with a BSI sensor, f/2.0 aperture, and a 28 mm wide-angle lens. Naturally, there is also an automatic focus function and a multi-colored LED flash. Video recording is also limited to 1080p resolution, and there is no 4K shooting mode.
The camera control menu is drawn large, easy to use and intuitive. You can control shooting by touching the screen or pressing a mechanical button on the side, or by using gestures and voice. The developers are focusing special attention on a new service called HTC Eye Experience with capabilities for face tracking, screen sharing, simultaneous dual shooting, real-time makeup, voice and automatic selfies, Photo Kiosk and Crop Me In modes, as well as Face Fusion. A special feature of the program is that the face tracking function in HTC Eye Experience allows you to track the movements and facial expressions of four interlocutors in the same room during video chat and conference calls, and for maximum convenience, the face of each of them is processed and placed on the screen separately. The camera automatically tracks each participant in the conversation. There is also a screen sharing option.
The dual capture function allows you to take photos or videos with the front and rear cameras, either synchronously or sequentially, and simultaneously display both images on the screen, so users can capture not only events, but also their reactions to them. Zoe mode (a photography mode in which the camera not only takes several pictures in a row, but then stitches them together into an entire micro-video) has been supplemented with cloud technologies, which now allow you to combine your creative efforts in creating videos with friends. Now you can not only upload your own Zoe video clips to your feed, but also invite friends to your network so they can add their own content: photos, videos and tunes.
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The camera can shoot video in a maximum resolution of 1080p; examples of test videos are presented below.
- Video No. 1 (53 MB, 1920×1080@30 fps)
- Video No. 2 (57 MB, 1920×1080@30 fps)
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Rear camera |
Front-camera |
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Both cameras suffer from unpleasant software processing. |
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The camera's handling of noise is not too bad, but the processing leaves much to be desired, especially on the front camera. |
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The sharpness in the background is very mediocre, and in the front it is also worsened by software processing. |
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The sky is quite blurry, although the color is fairly even. |
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The rear camera works noticeably better than the front one, not only with shadows. |
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The license plates of the cars in both photographs are distinguishable, but those of the rear camera are greatly spoiled by a defect in the lens. |
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Below are three more shots taken from the rear camera.
Apparently, in pursuit of the modern consumer, HTC decided to outdo the Chinese and installed a 13-megapixel front camera module in the smartphone. The race “in the rear” died down slightly, and the fight spread to the “front line”. One can endlessly argue about the appropriateness of this step, but it seems that the mountains of “themselves” on the Internet force manufacturers to indulge the client’s wishes - or rather, try with all their might to please him. The purpose of the 13 megapixel front camera is beyond doubt - they are clearly not here for video calls. However, we tested both cameras using our standard method, which for the front camera is obviously divorced from reality (areas of application), but allows us to evaluate the quality of the camera.
Judging by the tests, both cameras have almost the same sensors, but different optics and especially software. Unfortunately, the rear camera of the tested sample had a manufacturing defect - a misalignment of the “focusing” lens, due to which the focusing plane was not perpendicular to the optical axis, which is especially noticeable in the photographs of the stand. Otherwise, it's not too bad, although at this resolution it could provide better sharpness. However, you should make allowances for the non-daytime shooting time of the main set of photographs.
The front camera turned out to be very unique. With the same settings, her photographs turn out to be more contrasting and richer than those of the rear one - this is probably done specifically to emphasize the features of the face. A kind of software processing also serves the same purposes.
Perhaps the front camera will work well for selfies - at least the pictures will be quite clear and large. The rear one will cope well with documentary photography, and with artistic photography too - provided there is no defect in the lens.
We also tested the camera on a laboratory bench using our method.
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Rear camera |
Front-camera |
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Lighting ≈3200 lux. |
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Lighting ≈1400 lux. |
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Lighting ≈130 lux. |
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Lighting ≈130 lux, flash. |
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Lighting<1 люкс, вспышка. |
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Shot of the stand shows acceptable performance in good lighting, but noticeably worse in poor lighting. It can be seen that the flash is quite weak.
Telephone and communications
The smartphone works as standard in modern 2G GSM and 3G WCDMA networks, and also supports fourth-generation networks FDD-LTE, that is, frequencies used in Russia are also supported. In practice, with SIM cards from domestic operators Megafon and MTS, the smartphone recognizes, connects and works with 4G networks without any problems. The communication capabilities of the smartphone are excellent: both Wi-Fi bands (2.4 and 5 GHz), NFC, Bluetooth 4.0 with aptX audio codec, Wi-Fi Direct, Wi-Fi Display are supported, you can organize a wireless access point via Wi-Fi channels or Bluetooth. The Micro-USB 2.0 connector supports connecting external devices (USB Host, USB OTG), so you can connect flash drives and mice with keyboards to the Micro-USB port.
The navigation module works not only with GPS (with A-GPS), but also with the domestic Glonass, but the smartphone did not see the satellites of the Chinese Beidou network (BDS). There are no complaints about the operation of the navigation module; the first satellites are detected literally in a matter of seconds. Also among the smartphone sensors there is a magnetic field sensor, on the basis of which the digital compass, so necessary in navigation programs, works.
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The phone application supports Smart Dial, that is, while dialing a phone number, a search is immediately carried out by the first letters in contacts. Support for input using the Swype continuous sliding method is also supported, but the usual options for large smartphones to reduce the size of the virtual keyboard or the entire working screen for ease of control with the fingers of one hand are not provided here.
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OS and software
The system uses the Google Android software platform version 4.4.4 and the proprietary graphical user interface of HTC, the sixth version in a row - HTC Sense 6. The appearance of the shell, nice branded elongated fonts, flat stylized icons, a vertical way of scrolling the program menu, notification panel and quick access to main functions, support for working with gestures - everything here is exactly the same as in the flagship HTC One M8.
As for gestures, it is worth noting that there are a lot of them used here, and if you remember what is swiped, where and in what sequence, then this can really save time. For example, even if you take a simple unlocking gesture with a swipe gesture on a switched off screen, then depending on four of the possible swipe directions, the gesture will perform different tasks: either the BlinkFeed news feed will immediately pop up, or an automatic transition to voice dialing will occur, or a desktop with widgets will open , etc. Most of the settings for working with gestures are in the menu section called Motion Launch.
It is also worth noting the presence of a very useful mode for turning off sound notifications by time “Do not disturb”, two energy-saving modes - normal and maximum, as well as the presence of a children's mode. There are not many pre-installed programs, but they are useful: there is a file manager, a package for working with office documents, its own archiving service and a convenient function for transferring personal data from an old device to a new one.
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Performance
The HTC Desire Eye hardware platform is based on a Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 single-chip system (SoC) with four Krait 400 cores. In the case of the HTC Desire Eye, the maximum processor core frequency is 2.3 GHz, and the GPU frequency is 550 MHz - a version of the MSM8974AB platform is used here.
The processor here is supported in graphics processing by the familiar top-end video accelerator Adreno 330. The smartphone's RAM capacity is 2 GB. About 10.5 out of 16 GB of own memory are initially available in the device for the user’s needs. MicroSD memory cards in this model are supported up to 128 GB, you can also connect external flash drives, keyboards and mice using a special adapter to the USB port in OTG mode.
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According to the results of testing in benchmarks, a smartphone with a version of the Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 platform MSM8974AB was expectedly and logically slightly inferior to the maximum version MSM8974AC, which has a higher frequency of processor cores and GPU (using the example of comparison with the Sony Xperia Z3). As for competing platforms, in comparison with the latest eight-core MediaTek MT6595 (represented in the comparison table by the Meizu MX4 and Lenovo Vibe X2 models), the Qualcomm SoC no longer occupies a leading position. Even the weaker version of the Mediatek MT6595m outperforms the Snapdragon 801 in both comprehensive and browser tests. However, the Adreno 330 graphics accelerator in Snapdragon is still in first place in terms of performance; even the latest PowerVR G6200, which is part of the MediaTek platform, has not caught up with it. Be that as it may, the hardware of the HTC Desire Eye smartphone is certainly powerful enough to cope with any tasks posed by demanding programs and heavy 3D games.
Testing in the latest versions of comprehensive tests AnTuTu and GeekBench 3:
For convenience, we have compiled all the results we obtained when testing the smartphone in the latest versions of popular benchmarks into tables. The table usually adds several other devices from different segments, also tested on similar latest versions of benchmarks (this is done only for a visual assessment of the obtained dry figures). Unfortunately, within the framework of one comparison it is impossible to present the results from different versions of benchmarks, so many worthy and relevant models remain “behind the scenes” - due to the fact that they once passed the “obstacle course” on previous versions of test programs.
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Testing the graphics subsystem in 3DMark game tests,GFXBenchmark, and Bonsai Benchmark:
When testing in 3DMark, the most powerful smartphones now have the ability to run the application in Unlimited mode, where the rendering resolution is fixed at 720p and VSync is disabled (which can cause the speed to rise above 60 fps).
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Browser cross-platform tests:
As for benchmarks for assessing the speed of the javascript engine, you should always make allowance for the fact that their results significantly depend on the browser in which they are launched, so the comparison can only be truly correct on the same OS and browsers, and this is possible during testing not always. For Android OS, we always try to use Google Chrome.
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Playing video
To test the omnivorous nature of video playback (including support for various codecs, containers and special features, such as subtitles), we used the most common formats, which make up the bulk of the content available on the Internet. Note that for mobile devices it is important to have support for hardware video decoding at the chip level, since it is most often impossible to process modern options using processor cores alone. Also, you shouldn’t expect a mobile device to decode everything, since the leadership in flexibility belongs to the PC, and no one is going to challenge it.
According to the testing results, HTC Desire Eye was not equipped with all the necessary decoders, in this case audio, which are necessary for full playback of most of the most common files on the network. To successfully play them, you will have to resort to the help of a third-party player - for example, MX Player. If you connect a custom AC3 codec using simple manipulations, then this player will successfully play any videos downloaded from the network with sound. All results are summarized in a single table.
| Format | Container, video, sound | MX Video Player | Standard video player |
| DVDRip | AVI, XviD 720×400 2200 Kbps, MP3+AC3 | plays normally | plays normally |
| Web-DL SD | AVI, XviD 720×400 1400 Kbps, MP3+AC3 | plays normally | plays normally |
| Web-DL HD | MKV, H.264 1280×720 3000 Kbps, AC3 | plays normally | |
| BDRip 720p | MKV, H.264 1280×720 4000 Kbps, AC3 | plays normally | The video plays fine, there is no sound |
| BDRip 1080p | MKV, H.264 1920×1080 8000 Kbps, AC3 | plays normally | The video plays fine, there is no sound |
Tested video output features Alexey Kudryavtsev.
We did not find the MHL interface, like Mobility DisplayPort, in this smartphone, so we had to limit ourselves to testing the output of video files on the screen of the device itself. To do this, we used a set of test files with an arrow and a rectangle moving one division per frame (see “Methodology for testing video playback and display devices. Version 1 (for mobile devices)
Note: If in both columns Uniformity And Passes Green ratings are given, this means that, most likely, when watching films, artifacts caused by uneven alternation and frame skipping will either not be visible at all, or their number and visibility will not affect the viewing comfort. Red marks indicate possible problems with playback of the corresponding files.
According to the criterion of frame output, the quality of playback of video files on the screen of the smartphone itself is good, since frames (or groups of frames) can (but are not required) be output with more or less uniform alternation of intervals and without skipping frames. The smartphone can even display files with a resolution of 4K up to 25 fps inclusive. When playing video files with a resolution of 1920 by 1080 pixels (1080p) on a smartphone screen, the image of the video file itself is displayed exactly along the border of the screen, one to one in pixels, that is, in the original resolution. The brightness range displayed on the screen corresponds to the standard range of 16-235 - almost all shade gradations are displayed in shadows and highlights (a drop of a couple of shades in the shadows can be ignored) - which is what is required for correct playback of typical video files. However, the perception of dark scenes is greatly reduced by the non-switchable dynamic adjustment of the backlight brightness.
Battery life
HTC Desire Eye does not have the most capacious battery by modern standards, only 2400 mAh, and this is despite such a large and thick body. There would clearly be enough room for a more powerful battery, but, obviously, the developers did not want the model from the Desire line to overtake the nominal flagship NTS One. However, even despite the use of a large energy-intensive screen with Full HD resolution, the HTC Desire Eye smartphone did not lose face, demonstrating quite acceptable, even above average, battery life.
| Battery capacity | Reading mode | Video mode | 3D Game Mode | |
| HTC Desire Eye | 2400 mAh | 18:00 | 9:30 a.m. | 3 hours 15 minutes |
| Meizu MX4 | 3100 mAh | 12:00 pm | 8 hours 40 minutes | 3 hours 45 minutes |
| Lenovo Vibe X2 | 2300 mAh | 13:00 | 6:00 am | 3 hours 15 minutes |
| TCL Idol X+ | 2500 mAh | 12:30 pm | 7:20 am | 3:00 am |
| Sony Xperia Z3 | 3100 mAh | 20:00 | 10:00 am | 4 hours 50 minutes |
| HTC One M8 | 2600 mAh | 22:10 | 13:20 | 3 hours 20 minutes |
| Samsung Galaxy S5 | 2800 mAh | 17:20 | 12:30 pm | 4 hours 30 minutes |
| TCL Idol X+ | 2500 mAh | 12:30 pm | 7:20 am | 3:00 am |
| Lenovo Vibe Z | 3050 mAh | 11:45 am | 8:00 am | 3 hours 30 minutes |
| Alcatel Hero 2 | 3100 mAh | 13:20 | 10:20 am | 3 hours 10 minutes |
| Lenovo Vibe Z2 Pro | 4000 mAh | 13:20 | 8 hours 40 minutes | 4 hours 30 minutes |
| Vivo Xplay 3S | 3200 mAh | 12:30 pm | 8:00 am | 3 hours 30 minutes |
| Oppo Find 7 | 3000 mAh | 9:00 a.m. | 6 hours 40 minutes | 3 hours 20 minutes |
| Oppo Find 7a | 2800 mAh | 16:40 | 8 a.m. 20 p.m. | 3:00 am |
The developers themselves promise a talk time of up to 20 hours and more than 538 hours of standby time. Our own tests in the most common modes of use showed that continuous reading in the FBReader program (with a standard, light theme) at a minimum comfortable brightness level (brightness was set to 100 cd/m²) lasted more than 18 hours until the battery was completely discharged, and with continuous Watching video in high quality (720p) with the same brightness level via a home Wi-Fi network, the device lasted 9.5 hours. In 3D gaming mode, the smartphone worked for just over 3 hours. The smartphone battery charges quite quickly, only about two hours.
Bottom line
As for the cost of HTC Desire Eye, it, like almost all products, has been continuously adjusted upward in recent days due to changes in the exchange rate. So, at the time of starting work on the review, it was about 24.5 thousand rubles in Russian retail (which was already one and a half thousand higher than at the start of sales), and at the time of announcement - no less than 27 thousand. And yet, even taking into account the increase in price, HTC’s smartphone turned out to be not only very successful, but also cheaper than its analogues, with which, despite belonging to a non-flagship line, the device can easily be compared on an equal footing in its main characteristics. HTC Desire Eye has a good case, waterproof, practical and non-staining, an excellent screen, one of the best in its class, a powerful and productive platform, excellent sound, the best on the market, and even quite good battery life. Communication capabilities are also excellent, the cameras are good, although not perfect, there is support for USB OTG, and of course there is the legendary HTC Sense shell, which has enjoyed well-deserved fame for many years. The device turned out to be quite decent, especially considering the price, but it is not suitable for everyone due to its greatly increased dimensions.
It’s not difficult to choose a smartphone for almost any need: you can find fairly productive solutions for little money, super productive ones for a lot of money, good camera phones, tractor smartphones and much more. Essentially, three categories of people will not find an ideal solution for themselves: those who need everything in one device, those who need enormous autonomy (there are simply no such solutions) and those who need a dual-SIM smartphone that is not cut down in everything. But the latter got a pretty good model today!
HTC Desire V is HTC's first dual-SIM smartphone, but it's far from the first on the market. However, everything that the buyer could afford was no better. Sony recently announced the Tipo Dual model, but even it does not have the best hardware and a very simple screen. And in 100% of other cases, if I'm not mistaken, Android 4.0 ICS is not even close. So Desire V can safely be considered the first normal smartphone with two SIM card slots. After all, there are definitely people who either had to compromise on performance and functionality, or carry two phones with them due to the lack of a normal Dual SIM.
Appearance
To begin with, Desire V only comes in a 2SIM version; it is a stand-alone model in the Desire line, which has its own features, including a unique design.
When I picked up the smartphone for the first time, I was sure that it had a slightly modified case and two SIM card slots, but this turned out not to be the case. The design has changed quite a lot, but the smartphone has not ceased to be attractive. The case is plastic, soft touch, the assembly is good, but not perfect, there is a slight crunch when squeezing. The design of the case is similar to that of HTC Sensation or Gratia - all the insides with the display are placed in the back cover, which in some places is no longer a back cover. This is practical - if the case gets scratched, just replace the battery cover.
The smartphone is quite thin - 9.3 mm. Even if this is not a record at all, a smartphone with such thickness looks great and fits comfortably in the hand.
In general, I liked the appearance, the impressions of Desire V are positive from the first minutes of meeting it and turning it in my hands. I love the feeling when I like something. Among the shortcomings, I would like to note the same soft touch - here it gets very dirty, especially in the summer, when fingers leave fingerprints with special zeal.
Arrangement of elements
I liked the screen of the new product. Again, I'm not comparing it to all other smartphones, but to those that I would gladly give up if I needed two SIM cards in one device. Desire V has a 4″ LCD display with a resolution of 800x480 pixels. Everyone else has 480x320 and this seems to me to be the main “win” of Desire V. The same screen is installed in and everyone is happy. The minimum brightness is comfortable for working in complete darkness, unlike SAMOLED, but the maximum is clearly not enough for direct sunlight - the picture fades significantly. I was very pleased that there was no air gap under the glass; the picture lies directly on the surface, just like in the new HTC One line of smartphones.
There is no front camera; above the display we only see the speaker, the company logo and two sensors: proximity and light. There are only three touch control keys under the display, which immediately make it clear which version of Android is installed right out of the box.
On the right are the volume keys, on the left is a connector for connecting a microUSB cable. The latter did not seem the most convenient to me. Firstly, the fact that it is not from below is no longer convenient, but I rarely managed to insert the cord into it the first time. Probably a matter of habit.
At the top we see another not very common solution - the power and lock key in the center. In addition, it is not particularly easy to palpate, again, you need to get used to it. To the left of it is a standard headset input.
At the back, under a large decorative cover, there is a 5 MP camera with flash. It seems that such a design solution looks cool, but the camera itself does not deserve much praise. The photos are of very mediocre quality by today's standards; a good photo cannot be taken even in ideal daylight. The video is even worse, it doesn't even have 720p resolution. The maximum video recording resolution is 800x480 pixels.
We immediately see the Beats Audio logo and speaker.
Photo examples
Example video
All the most interesting things are located under the back cover. This is where two slots for SIM cards are located: the first is under the decorative cover of the camera, the second is to the right of it. Above these slots we see a place for a MicroSD memory card, and below is a battery with a capacity of 1650 mAh.
Contrary to my expectations, Desire V has not two, but one radio module. This is a little strange, even the more affordable LG Optimus Link has two radio modules, and for some this will be the deciding factor in their choice. The fact is that with one radio module, during a call from one SIM card, the second one becomes inaccessible. On the other hand, while you wait, they will be able to call you on any card, and you can also call from any card. So this is a very small minus, and given the much higher energy consumption of the two radio modules, many will find the solution in Desire V optimal.
HTC Sense has added functionality for working with two cards. In the settings there is a “Network Manager” item, where you can give a name to each SIM card (up to four characters) and select your preferred network. When making a call, as well as dialing an SMS, you can select with one touch which number to carry out the action from.
It matters which card is inserted into which slot. So, only the first slot supports high-speed 3G data transfer; even EDGE can only work with a card in the first slot. The second is intended for maximum GPRS connections and GSM communications.
Specifications
The smartphone has a Qualcomm MSM7227A processor. We first encountered this in , but here the frequency was overclocked to 1 GHz. Then we wondered what “A” meant in the processor marking and it turned out that one letter distinguishes ARM v6 (the regular MSM7227) from ARM v7. Yes, there may be Flash, and three-dimensional games can be run, but in real life, the processor performance is quite low and you should not expect either serious results in tests or adequate operation of heavy games. Even the HTC Sense interface isn't super smooth.
The processor is paired with an Adreno 200 graphics accelerator, 512 MB of RAM, and 4 GB of internal memory.
- Dimensions: 118.5 x 62.3 x 9.3 mm
- Weight: 114 g
- Operating system: Android 4.0.3 ICS
- CPU: Qualcomm MSM7227A Snapdragon, 1 GHz
- Display: LCD, 4″, 800×480 pixels
- Memory: 4 GB flash, microSD slot
- RAM: 512 MB
- Camera: 5 MP, video recording at 480p
- Wireless technologies: Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 3.0,
- Interface connectors: 3.5mm headphone jack, MicroUSB
- Battery: Li-Pol battery 1650 mAh
BY
This is another strong point of the device; Desire V is equipped with Android 4.0.3, on top of which is the equally recent Sense 4.0. There are both the delights of standard Android 4, such as creating a folder, dragging icons onto icons, multitasking, etc., and the convenience of Sense, for example, quick access to four applications on the lock screen, an improved camera, etc. Unfortunately, burst shooting as in the One line, it’s not possible to take photos while shooting video. There is no Face Unlock as there is no front camera.
