Khanh Hoang - Kenn
Kenn is a user experience designer and front end developer who enjoys creating beautiful and usable web and mobile experiences.
HTC recently introduced the newest member of its Desire series, the HTC Desire S. Actually it is the more affordable option for its cutting-edge predecessor, HTC Desire. Powered by the latest Android platform and with the enhanced Sense UI, it provides the user a smooth and efficient Android experience. It is worth the investment? Let’s figure that out.
External Features
HTC Desire S sports an aluminum unibody and is lighter than its predecessor at 4.59 ounces only. Also, it is thinner and shorter than earlier version of Desire. With its well-curved back and cleverly protruding bottom-end, operating it is fairly easy.
One remarkable modification of this version is the absence of optical trackpad and physical buttons. The Android keys are touch-sensitive and softly backlit that gives a haptic feedback after pressing it. This may prove to be a major problem when working with it in dark environments.
The front-end of Desire S comes with a 3.7-inch screen display with an 800×480 pixel resolution. On top of it are front-facing 1.3 MP camera and extensive earpiece. On the left is the silver-colored volume rocker and microUSB port. The lock key and headphone port are nicely placed on the top side of the phone. On the other hand, 5MP LED flash camera and loudspeaker are on the back.
Overall, the physical appearance of HTC Desire S is straightforward, and most of all, feels solid and comfortable.
Internal Features
HTC Desire S is power-packed with second-generation 1GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon processor, Android Gingerbread, with HTC Sense 2.0 UI on top of it. The chip handles flawless rendering for any Android task. Furthermore, it is has 768MB of RAM and additional storage of up to 32GB via microSD. The 3.7-inch display has 480×800 pixel resolution using Super LCD tech. It’s noteworthy that the screen display here is closer to the glass compared to its predecessor. Moreover, it comes with standard connectivity you’d typically expect in a smartphone, such as Wi-Fi, GPRS, EDGE, Bluetooth and 3G. HTC Desire S is powered by 1450mAh battery which is smaller than its competitors. With average use, it can go up to two days between recharges.
Advantages
This phone pleasantly fast with a very efficient user-interface. The processor is energy efficient too. Meanwhile, cloud integration is excellent and the camera shoots impressive still shots. The screen display provides clear and vibrant images and text are highly readable. Viewing angles are exceptional too, just like its precursor. And finally, the design looks stunning and quite comfortable to hold.
Disadvantages
The camera is one of its weak points just like its forerunner, since it delivers blotchy output. There are also problems with its Wi-Fi antenna. Meanwhile, notifications bar is quite slow. In addition, HD video recording stumbles and reading under direct sunlight is fairly difficult.
Conclusion
HTC Desire S is a superb enhancement of its predecessor, HTC Desire. It is faster, smaller and affordable too. It has better ergonomics, software and specs. Despite issues on its camera and HD video recording, it recompenses with energy-efficient and super fast chipset. And while everyone is using 4-inch screens, HTC Desire S’ 3.7-inch display does well. Ultimately, HTC Desire S makes a good buy for a latest Android smartphone at very reasonable price.
via app4mobile