Update: HTC Desire 820 has been launched in India for a competitive price of 24,990 along side HTC Desire 820q with Snapdragon 410 64 bit quad core (and same other hardware) for 22, 500 INR.
HTC India has announced the launch of the Desire 820 smartphone that went official at the IFA 2014 tech show earlier this month. The handset carries the credits for being the first Android smartphone with 64 bit architecture. Let’s take a look at the quick review of this newly launched smartphone.
Camera and Internal Storage
The Desire 820 comes with an impressive imaging department comprising of a 13 MP rear camera coupled with LED flash and BSI sensor for an enhanced low light performance, f/2.2 aperture to capture more light and support for FHD 1080p video recording. At the front, the device features an 8 MP selfie camera that can make FHD 1080p video calls. Though the handset lacks the UltraPixel snapper that is a part of the high end smartphones, this imaging department is pretty impressive.
The internal storage is 16 GB to store all the necessary content and apps. Also, there is an expandable micro SD card slot supporting up to 128 GB of additional storage. Out of 16 GB only 9 GB is available at user end. Apps can not be transferred to SD card.
Processor and Battery
The chipset employed in the Desire 820 is an octa-core Snapdragon 615 SoC with 64 bit architecture. This chipset is based on big.LITTLE configuration and it uses quad-core 1.5 GHz and 1 GHz Cortex A53 processors respectively. The processor will be backed by Adreno 405 GPU and 2 GB of RAM to handle the graphic handling and multi-tasking requirements of the users. Though the processor is based on 64 bit computing, until the rollout of Android L update, this will not be supported. However, the hardware will be better in terms of performance enhancement and power efficiency even with the 32 bit architecture.
The battery capacity is 2,600 mAh and the Desire 820 with an efficient chipset is believed to provide a decent backup of up to 22.5 hours of talk time and 424 hours of standby time respectively.
Display and Features
The HTC Desire 820 is given a 5.5 inch Super LCD 2 display HD display with a resolution of 1280×720 pixels and a pixel density of 267 pixels per inch. This display appears to be average for a mid-ranger but the lack of a scratch resistant coating is a downside as even the entry-level offerings feature one on the screen.
Based on Android 4.4 KitKat topped with Sense 6.0 UI, the Desire 820 is upgradeable to Android L and comes with connectivity aspects such as 4G LTE, 3G HSPA+, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0 with aptX and GPS. Also, it will feature dual HTC BoomSound speakers for an enhanced audio output.
Comparison
The HTC Desire 820 will be a tough challenger to the other mid-range smartphones including Samsung Galaxy Alpha, Oppo Find 7, Xiaomi Mi4 and others.
Key Specs
Model | HTC Desire 820 |
Display | 5.5 inch, HD |
Processor | Octa Core Snapdragon 615 |
RAM | 2 GB |
Internal Storage | 16 GB, Expandable up to 128 GB |
OS | Android 4.4.2 KitKat, Upgradeable to Android L |
Camera | 13 MP/ 8 MP |
Battery | 2,600 mAh |
Price | 24,990 INR |
What we Like
- Good camera set with FHD video calling
- Capable processor with performance enhancement
- Promised Android L update
Price and Conclusion
The HTC Desire 820 is a worthy offering with a good battery, decent chipset and a capable imaging hardware. Its pricing pits it against a slew of offerings from global vendors thereby toughening the battle. However, it could be the first preference by those HTC loyalists looking for a mid-ranger for top notch performance.