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HTC Desire 616 Hands on, Initial Review, Photos and Video

HTC has today presented HTC Desire 816 in India to compete in the mid range segment. This price segment is fiercely competitive and will be even more so with the arrival of phones like Xiaomi Mi3. HTC has packed Octa core chipset and HD display inside this moderate handset, but the hardware spec sheet doesn’t strike as impressive at first glance. Take a look at our initial experience with HTC Desire 616.

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HTC Desire 616 Quick Specs

  • Display Size: 5 Inch HD IPS LCD, 1280 X 720 resolution, 294 PPI
  • Processor: 1.4 GHz Octa Core MT6592 processor with Mali 450 MP4 GPU
  • RAM: 1 GB
  • Software Version: Android 4.2 Jelly bean with Sense 5.5 UI
  • Camera: 8 MP camera, Capable of 1080P video recording
  • Secondary Camera: 2 MP, Capable of Full HD 1080P video recording
  • Internal Storage:  4 GB
  • External Storage: MicroSD support up to 32 GB
  • Battery: 2000 mAh
  • Connectivity:  HSPA+, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0 with A2DP, aGPS, Micro USB 2.0

HTC Desire 616 Video Hands on Review

Coming Soon

Design, Build and Display

Desire 616 is carved out of good quality plastic but doesn’t feel premium in hand. You might blame this on the glossy back cover with imperfect finish, etched out speaker grill. The back cover is removable and quite thin as well. The device is however quite sturdy and the front gives a better semblance of HTC build and design.

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The 5 Inch HD display is lacking full HD resolution but you won’t notice any pixilation. Viewing angles are far from perfect but color reproduction and brightness is pretty good. The IPS LCD display panel is an above average one, but it’s not out of place to expect more at this price range. There is no Corning Gorilla Glass protection layer on top of the display either.

Processor and RAM

The processor used is 1.4 GHz octa core MT6582 chipset with 8 cortex A7 based cores and Mali 450 MP4 GPU. Most octa core phones that we have come across tend to heat a lot and perhaps the lower clock frequency on Desire 816 will help it in this regard.

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The Mediatek flagship series processor is coupled with 1 GB RAM out of which more than 400 MB is free. The chipset is capable enough for handling day to day tasks as well as demanding apps.

Camera and Internal Storage

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A decent 8 MP camera at the back can record full HD 1080p videos at 30fps. You will have to be patient to get nice images as even with little motion our images got blurry. Details and color were ok as well. In this price range you can rate it as average.

Internal storage is 4 GB which is slightly disappointing. The Nand Flash storage has the tendency to slow down when its loaded and with only 4 GB onboard, there is not much room left for storing Apps and their data. This storage deficiency will limit octa core efficiency in an indirect manner.

HTC Desire 616 Camera Samples

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User Interface and Battery

User interface is dated Android 4.2 jelly bean with parts of HTC Sense UI 5.5 on top. The app drawer and home screen (with Blink feed) belong to HTC Sense UI but system apps, message app, phone dialer and Camera app are all stock android 4.2 jelly bean which we see on domestic branded Mediatek devices. Software is surely a let-down.

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Battery capacity is also average at 2000 mAh. The battery capacity is again not to great considering a 5 inch display and Octa core chipset. The good thing about battery is that its removable. We will comment more on the battery backup after our full review.

Conclusion

HTC Desire 616 is in no way a stunning product which will swipe you off your feet. It’s a mediocre device which lets you down in several key areas. While HTC Desire 816 was a great device in its class with a competitive price tag and so is HTC One E8, we can’t say the same for HTC Desire 616. It will be available for purchase starting from tomorrow at a price of 16,990 INR.

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Deepak Singh

The Author spent a significant chunk of his formative years resisting technology. He now keeps an eye on where the world is heading to, and drives a passive pleasure from this indulgence. His passion to write, learn and improve drives him each day. When his day ends, he enjoys the pleasant languor and detoxifies with family. You can connect with him on and Twitter