When HTC launched the first Desire model last year it was the HTC’s new flagship model. It would prove to be hard for the competitors to beat for a long time, partly because there were so many options in the same class, partly because it seemed to have been successful in striking a balance between price and performance.
But in a year has a lot had happened in the Android world. Not least, Samsung, Sony Ericsson and LG increased their product portfolios significantly. In addition, there has been a change in the mobile market in terms of what is being demanded by customers. Displays the size of 4 inches have gone from being considered unusually large to be common in the upper segment of the mobile phones sector.
HTC Desire S weighs in at 130 grams
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On paper the HTC Desire S is certainly a modernized version of Desire, and the differences are not just something you notice when you compare the specifications of Desire S and Desire on point by point. The phone has a brand new skin and the usual buttons has been replaced by touch buttons while the optical sensor that served as way key is removed. Because Android 2.3 has improved text editing it is also excellent to select and edit text directly on the touch screen. On the front, there is a camera for video calls or video chats while the camera on the back can be used to record high definition videos with 720p resolution – nothing new compared to its predecessor, but the upgraded software seems to be getting more out of the cameras.
Comparing the HTC Desire and the HTC Desire S,the phone has become smaller in both height the width and length. In this context it should be noted that only the height difference is noticeable, where it is four millimetres less. In length and width differences are only 0.2 and 0.3 millimetres.
The nearest neighbour at the level below is the new base model Wildfire S. Closest above Desire S is the slightly more expensive and larger Incredible S. Anyone who knows their HTC phones have probably already figured out that Desire S simply has become the second-generation Legend. A look at how the shell is designed, one can also see clear similarities with the characteristic metal shell of the Legend.
5 Megapixel Camera
So what do you get for your money when you sign up for a new contract for the HTC Desire S ?. You get a phone that we think many would perceive as the right size. The soft, rounded shape means it fits comfortably in your hand. The shell is mostly metal, but there are also two rubber panels. Many think that this kind of metal shell is beautiful, and I can agree with, but I’d much rather have seen a back full of rubber. It can be found both on the old Desire and the Incredible S and personally I think it gives a much better grip on the phone where you never have to think about whether it will slip out of your hand. When you turn on your phone, you see HTC’s now quite familiar Sense interface. The version number is 2.1, which means that it has been around for a while and that HTC has already had time to launch version 3.0, which feels much fresher. Sense means anyway that HTC are adding a lot of links and widgets that are not in the basic version of Android. A key feature is the Friend Stream, which collects status updates, messages, pictures and videos from Facebook, Twitter and Flickr into one single app. If you want to see information from Friend Stream on the home screen there are a few widgets in different sizes to choose from.
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There is no doubt that HTC by now knows a thing or two about how to build Android phones and Sense is a nice interface. The basic functions that send text messages and making calls are excellent and the sound quality is faultless. This is a great all round phone.
The rubber and metal work well together
Overall Scores
Calls – 9 / 10
Quality – 9 / 10
Usability – 8 / 10
Overall 8 / 10