Truly deserving of the name "Superphone"
The HTC Desire is the ultimate do-everything device. It has everything that can ever want from a smartphone, except a hardware qwerty keyboard. But then once you try HTC's on-screen keyboard, you'll realize you don't need physical keys. More on that later.
Check out the specs here.
The retail box contains the following:
- The device itself
- 4GB Class 2 microSD memory card
- USB to microUSB cable
- Wall charger (USB output to the above mentioned cable)
- Stereo handsfree set (Uses the 3.5mm audio jack, contains mic, and buttons to answer calls and control your music playback)
- Manuals, Warranty info, and other literature.
A couple of things to consider after getting the Desire.
You should swap out that 4GB microSD for something at least 8GB. It would have been ideal if HTC had included a couple of GB of internal storage. But it's a minor issue since 8GB cards are pretty inexpensive these days.
The device does not come with screen protectors or a pouch. So you may want to invest in one or the other or both. The screen is glass so it won't scratch easily. But having a screen protector won't hurt. Plus, it'll greatly improve the resale value if you decide to sell it in a year or two.
(Not sure if anyone finds this significant, but the Desire does not have a place for you to attach a lanyard.)
I'll start with aesthetics.
The back and the chin (Yes it has a chin but it's so subtle that you'll barely notice it) of the device is covered in a black rubbery finish. This coating is soft to the touch and has good grip, making the device feel very good in hand. The round edges, light weight, and thin form-factor means it doesn't feel bulky at all.
The screen is just excellent. Colors really pop and blacks are really black because of the AMOLED technology. Photos and videos look amazing. Many people are saying that there's a flaw in the display because some shades of gray appear in a pink tint. I can verify that this issue exists but it doesn't deserve the amount of attention it's getting. The pink tint is extremely subtle, only visible in certain rare instances, and really doesn't interfere with anything. That is, you really have to look for the pink just to barely see it.
The software of Android and HTC Sense has been covered extensively by other reviewers so I'll try not to repeat what everyone knows already.
Performance is spectacular. Screen animations are smooth. GPS locks in 10 seconds from cold start.
The browser deserves praise. It is the fastest I've used on a portable device. It probably rivals some desktops. It renders swiftly and accurately. Flash content appears in their full glory. (Personal tip: try disabling JavaScript via the browser settings. Most sites will work with it disabled. You browser will feel even faster than it already is!). You can of course use pinch-to-zoom. The text will re-flow so that you don't have to scroll horizontally. Try flick scrolling rapidly on another device and you'll notice the checkerboard pattern as the screen refreshes to display the content. This doesn't happen on the Desire.
It's been mentioned by other reviewers that HTC's on-screen keyboard is excellent. I think it's so great that it deserves mentioning again. It is indeed excellent. The portrait keyboard is fine for short phrases. But turn it sideways to switch to landscape and you'll be able to type full speed with 2 thumbs. The word recognition software works great. You don't have to be even remotely accurate and it'll be able to guess correctly. Try keeping your eyes on the keyboard as you bang away at the keys and you'll be amazed at how accurate your message turns out.
A couple of minor gripes about the device:
Can't edit Microsoft Office documents. Coming from Windows Mobile, I've gotten used to being able to view, create, and edit Office documents. Natively, you can only view Office documents with the Desire. But there are paid applications in the Android Market that will enable this functionality and it is well worth the price.
HTC Mail widget doesn't pull info from Gmail application. The Mail widget only feeds from the Mail application. So, if you want to use the Mail widget to display your Gmail account, you'll need to set up your Gmail account via IMAP4, POP3, or Exchange.
Can't select and copy text from Gmail application. Again, you'll need to use IMAP4, POP3, or Exchange. (Edit: This has since been fixed since Google started releasing updates to their Google applications through the Market)
The OS should be re-skinned to use more blacks to fully utilize the AMOLED screen. This might help with battery life which isn't very impressive. It'll last at least a day but it really depends on what widgets and applications you use and how often they are refreshed/updated.
Voice-to-text is not included. You'll need to install it separately. (Edit: Voice-to-text has since been included in the official Froyo update.)
Conclusion:
I wonder how Google feels about the HTC Desire. Google asked HTC to build the Nexus One, which they did admirably. Then HTC goes and builds their own version with better hardware and design plus their own superior software.
When I went from the HTC Touch Diamond to the Touch Pro2, the experience and performance benefits were like night and day. Now, from Touch Pro2 to the Desire, again, it's like night and day.
Is the HTC Desire the best smartphone available today? I think I can claim it to be better than the following devices:
Apple iPhone 3GS
HTC HD2
Google Nexus One
Motorola Droid/Milestone
Sony Ericsson Xperia X10
This is now the phone to beat. Look out...
hi
ReplyDeleteso how would batterylife compare to the Legend if say they had the exact same amount of usage?
personally im finding the Legend's 3g batt draw disappointing. im sure it can happily go through a full charge in less than a day on heavy use.
@yellowchilli
ReplyDeleteRegarding battery life of the Desire vs the Legend, it's pretty much a draw. I'd give the Legend the edge though. Perhaps the smaller and lower resolution screen helps. But the difference is neglible.
Keep in mind that your battery performance will not be maximized until after several recharge cycles. I find that both batteries drained really fast the first few days. This is probably because the batteries have not yet been conditioned and I've been busy playing with it.
Once you charge it a few times and you actually get to start using it normally (ie, you don't turn just to swipe around your homescreen for no reason!), the battery life improves considerably.
And try not to have things auto-update that frequently. Eg, weather, stocks, news, twitter, etc.
thanks for the reply
ReplyDeletei think i shouldve chosen the Desire lol
the Legend is good but not exactly what i want really.
for one bluetooth audio is failing me (with annoying stutters)
and video playback is.....mostly useless as they're all out of sync.
I take it that it doesnt center around multimedia.
main reason I bought it was because of battery life concerns with the Desire... and that it wasnt yet available in my country.
currently, im quite happy with the Legend's battery life. it certainly has improved much since I first go it. and standby time could be tweaked to last 2 full days now
Hi Jason,
ReplyDeleteIs it possible to 'Thumb Scroll' (alphabetically) through the Contacts just like it is in HTC HD2???
Please reply
Thanks Jason... that response was quick.
ReplyDelete1. I have always used(Physical) QWERTY Keyboard phones. Will it be ok for me to go for a full touch screen phone. Is the keyboard accurate enough in Desire?
2. Is Voice Dialing possible in Desire? Either with Proprietary or 3rd party application?
3. Is the Android Market as "Good" as iPhone Apps market?
Thanks in advance
@Guna
ReplyDelete1. I've mentioned about the accuracy of the on-screen keyboard in my review. It's excellent. I can type much faster than my previous device, the Touch Pro2 which has the best mobile keyboard.
2. Yes, but not natively. Choice Dialer is what you're looking for.
3. Quality of the Android Market vs the Apple Apps Store is a subjective view.
Thanks Jason for all the clarifications... waiting for the Desire's launch in India.
ReplyDeleteHi Jason,
ReplyDeletenice review. I'm pretty rigorous about phones (currently ending up with a htc touch HD).
All I need is speed. I'm messed up with the "speed" (slowliness?) of the HD, however it has a good hardware too. It seems to me that years are passing away when I open an sms thread with 10-20 messages; or when I launch the photo application; or the contacts (>200 contacts).
Please tell me all of these are gone on the desire.
Cheers
Gábor
PS: is there a profile app on the phone? I use on winmo Ageye's G-Profile, and I love it.
@Gábor
ReplyDeleteIn terms of speed, there's really no comparison between a WinMo and Android. I would go as far to say that even with comparable hardware (such as the HD2) the Desire is much faster. With a much slower CPU on the HD, I'm not even kidding when I say there's no comparison. My Touch Pro2 has similar specs to your HD and it's so much slower than the Desire.
The Desire slows down in the Messages application only when you have a ridiculous amount of messages (ie, 100+). But even then, it will perform significantly better than on WinMo. This isn't an issue that will frustrate you.
I've no slowdowns with the Photos application and I have a lot of pics on my microSD...
I've no slowdowns on the Contacts application, but I only have about 100.
There's no profile application built-in. But there's plenty on the Android Market. My favorite is Timeriffic.
Thx a lot, good news... ;))
ReplyDeleteGábor
Hi Jason,
ReplyDeleteLast of my questions on Desire.
1. How does the Desire score over Galaxy
2. 50 SMSs, 40 Calls (avg. 5 mins) and little bit of browsing --- How many hours of battery life could I expect?
3. What should I buy? - Desire or Galaxy S
@Guna
ReplyDeleteYou're going to want to look at this article http://www.techradar.com/news/phone-and-communications/mobile-phones/htc-desire-vs-iphone-4-vs-samsung-galaxy-s-702739
The Galaxy S wins in several areas:
The Super AMOLED screen on the Galaxy S beats the AMOLED of the Desire. Does the AMOLED look bad? Not really. But the Super AMOLED does look real nice.
The Galaxy S has built-in internal storage while the Desire does not.
The Galaxy S has 2GB of ROM while the Desire has 512MB.
The Galaxy S has a front-facing camera while the Desire does not.
The Galaxy S supports 720p video recording out of the box while the Desire will need to wait for an update.
The Galaxy S includes a video player that can play DivX.
A few key things to note when deciding between the two are the following:
-Camera flash. The Galaxy S surprisingly doesn't have it.
-TouchWiz vs Sense. This is a matter of personal preference. I happen to favor Sense over TouchWiz. TouchWiz seems too cartoony for me and it borrows too many elements from the iOS.
-The build quality of the Galaxy S is horrible compare to the Desire. It's very plastic and light. The plastic chrome strip makes it look like it's trying to copy the iPhone rather than compete with it.
Anyway, if you waited this long and you still haven't purchased a phone, perhaps you should wait a little longer. I'm sure there are going to be a whole new bunch of devices to be announced for the holiday season.
The Desire is not able to sync with Outlook on a pc using bluetooth. Why on earth not? This has been a very convenient feature on many "smartphones" for years!
ReplyDeleteAre there any apps around solving this problem?
Jason:
ReplyDeletenice tips & trick, just a quick one about video.
where do i storage existing videos on the sd card?
and how do i pick them once i have them on the card..
Re: Videos
ReplyDeleteYou can place them anywhere on the SD card. If their format is recognized by the default player, they'll appear when you open the video player application. (Strange enough, the video player application is named "Photos" in the default 2.1 ROM. In the official 2.2 ROM, it's more appropriately named "Videos".)
Hi there!
ReplyDeleteNice and very inforamtive blog!
Question:
Do you know of any blog which deals with Samsung Galaxy I9000 S the way you do with HTC Desire?
Regards
Roman
Hello fellow Desire owner.
ReplyDeleteYou've made a very balanced and fair assessment of the HTC Desire (*applause*). Got a few questions for you though.
I rooted my Desire w/ unrEVOked 3.22, and sure enough I got the little black ninja (Superuser Permissions) in the All Apps menu. Trouble is, a lot of apps are still not moveable to the SD card (my primary reason for rooting in the first place). Secondly, what's ROM flashing? Is it necessary? I want my Desire to run faster than factory standard, yet consume less power (I think this is called undervolting).
If I have to flash, which would be better for the abovestated aims: CyanogenMod, MoDaCo or something else? Also, what apps are best for batt conservation.
Thanx, and sorry for the ton of newbie questions.
@Reny
ReplyDeleteI would suggest you head over the xda developers forums and start reading the stickied threads on the Desire.
In short, you'll need to partition your sd card with an ext partition and flash a ROM that supports apps2ext. But you probably have no idea what that meant which is why I suggested doing some research first.
Regarding battery conservation, I'm not sure if undervolting is a good idea. You'll save much more battery life with simple smart usage patterns rather than undervolting or underclocking the CPU.
Once you learn how to flash a ROM, you'll realize that it's too easy. So just try a whole bunch of ROMs to decide which is suitable for you. Personally, I settled for a Desire HD ROM port.
Hi Jason
ReplyDeletethanks for the informative reviews. i have just ordered my desire and am looking forward to ''playing'' with it soon.