HTC Desire 816 is a new and interesting mid-range model in the domain of Android smartphones. Besides, he is the newest member of the somewhat forgotten Desira family. Its main feature is a combination of a dual SIM option and a fairly large 5.5-inch screen. It is a recipe that should be successful in emerging markets. Whether Serbia belongs to such people is ungrateful to talk about, but it is clear that such a phone has a place among the users in our country.
It is an advanced and powerful device, which, having in mind our income, can be a good choice when looking for more powerful dual SIM models on the Android platform. HTC Desire 816 also comes with a single card variant, but as a dual SIM, it will definitely be more interesting for our market.
HTC Desire 816 design
The phone does not deviate too much from the standard HTC design spirit. When you look at the phone, it will be immediately clear that it bears the label of this Taiwanese manufacturer. In principle, it is reminiscent of the new HTC One, which always flatters the owners of cheaper models. The fact that this is a cheaper phone can be seen by the fact that it is made of plastic.
However, if HTC already had to use it, then it decided to make it a pretty good quality. At the same time, the surface of the background is shiny, while the front parts and sides have a matte finish. This combination is interesting, both for the eye and for the hands, because when you hold this phone it just makes you relax and think that the HTC Desire 816 is actually a far more expensive phone.
The smooth and shiny back surface attracts prints a bit and it seems a bit sensitive to scratching it. Such an impression is not obtained when it comes to matte surfaces. The phone is quite large and it is always a challenge for manufacturers to match it with much needed practicality. HTC seems to have succeeded with this model, because the HTC Desire 816 is not overly demanding, although its dimensions are not the best ally of fingers and hands. I think it’s mostly because of the sides (again) that stand nicely leaning on your hands and the phone doesn’t move or slip.
We said the phone is a classic HTC. This is only true to some extent, as the HTC Desire 816 has its surprises. The layout of the keys is different. The two main buttons are at the top on the left. As most are right-handed, it will know to make us turn the phone on and off with the other hand, because the fingers of the right hand will not reach these two keys. The keys themselves are ok, they are in a different color and they look nice.
HTC Desire 816 screen
This phone has a large screen. If you expect a crystal clear image, you will have to reorient to another model, because this Super LCD2 offers 720p resolution. This is of course not a bad thing at all, but if you have high demands on image sharpness, then it is possible that the HTC Desire 816 will not satisfy you. It is always best to see which pixel is missing when you try to read lowercase letters, which is the case here, where they are pronounced pixels.
However, if you are not too spoiled, this screen is also very good. The picture is, in principle, good, and even when you turn the phone a little, it is clearly visible. Also, the screen has no problems with daylight. The colors on it are relatively natural and vivid enough to give you pleasure every time you pick up the phone. Also, the HTC Desire 816 is a mid-range phone and this screen and image quality is quite in place.
HTC Desire 816 specification and performance
What you will definitely notice are the unusual speakers with a few relatively larger openings. These are BoomSound speakers, which are loud and clear as expected. They may not work like the ones on the HTC One M8, but since these speakers are significantly better than almost any competitor, then there is no need to bother with that.
The phone is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 processor with a clock speed of 1.6GHz. This processor, which consists of four cores, works in combination with Adreno 305 graphics and 1.5GB of RAM. This is by no means a mediocre specification. In practice, this is best seen. The phone responds well and opens all applications quickly, and the transition from window to window is never delayed. If the screen is at the class level, then the performance is higher for the class.
I almost declared this device perfect, when it has only 8GB of internal memory. Still, the HTC Desire 816 wouldn’t be such a solid device if it didn’t support microSD memory expansion up to a maximum and huge 128GB.
Speaking of software, the HTC Desire 816 is great here too. It runs on the latest 4.4.2 KitKat Android OS, so you can hope for a similar experience as with the far more expensive HTC One M8. The interface is pretty good and it’s nice to work with. Also, you can easily adapt it to your needs and stylish tastes. In the beginning, you will be greeted by BlikFeed, HTC’s standard “collector” of all important information from the world of news and social networks.
With a fixed battery of 2,600mAh, it will last all day at work without any problems. Surfing the net via 3G and Wi-Fi connections, taking photos, reading documents and more is not enough to drain the battery before bed.
HTC Desire 816 camera
There is of course no 4MP dual camera in UltraPixel technology from the more expensive model. Instead, here is a 13MP camera and a great 5MP front camera. Both cameras have more pixels than competitors and are able to record 1080p video. With 13MP photos, I can hardly be bad. They are full of details, especially during the day. At night, or indoors, you can see why the more expensive HTC One M8 doesn’t use this camera. Far from such photos being unusable, they have noise. The camera is fast enough, although a shade is slower than the aforementioned more expensive model, that’s not something that will interest most users.
Daylight photos are good, with good colors, but light sources are slightly less well displayed. The videos also come with good colors and quite enough detail, but even here the light details can spoil the impression a bit.
HTC Desire 816 conclusion
We have already said that the HTC Desire 816 comes with a decent price. Understand this conditionally, because the market situation changes from day to day. For this price, there are more phones to consider. The first thing that comes to mind is the LG G2 and its mini version. The first is significantly better (albeit slightly more expensive), while the LG G2 mini is cheaper than the HTC.
Admittedly, the dual SIM option is what sets the HTC Desire 816 apart from these and similar models. Hand on heart, the HTC Desire 816 is a pretty good phone. It has two SIM card slots, great performance, and a large screen. And the design is commendable.
