HTC Desire 816

The HTC Desire 816 is an interesting device. I remember really liking it when it was announced earlier this year, particularly the design of it. I finally got my hand one recently, and thought I would share my thoughts on the device.

The Desire 816 is a large device, and it has to be to house that large 5.5” 720p display. Despite that, the device actually felt pretty light, and is pretty comfortable to hold as well. Part of that might be because that the device is made out of mostly polycarbonate, or plastic if you prefer. The sides are made of a slightly soft touch material while the back has a glossy finish which is a huge finger print, and oil magnet. Though those are less obvious on the white version.

The build quality however, is not as great as I would have liked it to be. The plastic on the back is a separate piece from the sides, and when pressed down in certain areas, or when gripping the phone tightly, squeaky sounds can be heard. Looking at reviews around the internet, apparently I am not the only one. The buttons at the sides, while extremely nicely designed, are a little loose for my liking too, wobbling around when I shook the device. But is still entire usable and I got use to it pretty quickly.

Edit: I have just gotten another Desire 816 in white, and the issues are a lot less prominent on this device. The button is still slightly loose, but not as loose as on the blue Desire 816. Also the back isn’t squeaky or creaky in this one as well.

Getting back to the display, despite being 720p, the viewing experience is actually still pretty great. I personally had no issue with enjoying media on the device. Of course 720p also means better battery life, which is always a plus for me. Viewing angles were great, and colours looked really nice on the Desire 816’s display.

The Desire 816 like the HTC One M8 runs the latest version of HTC’s Sense UI. Sense 6.0 is actually one of the lighter skin on top of Android compared to other manufacturers, and it really shows when you start to use the device. The phone is fast and snappy in most everything it does, and has no issues with even graphic intensive games like Asphalt 8.

Which brings me nicely into the next point, the speakers. The stereo “Boom Sound” speakers are amazing. They are by far the nicest pair of speakers I have heard on a mobile device. Perhaps due to its larger size, i think it even sounds slightly better than the M8. Comparing to the HTC One M7, it definitely sounded a lot clearer and louder.

And since I am comparing the speakers, might as well compare other things as well. In terms of day to day performance, both phones actually performed similarly well. App launch speeds were pretty close, scrolling in browser and what not all felt just as quick. Where the difference comes in, is when you start loading a bunch of apps at the same time and start making use of the extra RAM that the One M7 has, and when you start doing graphic intensive things on the phone like video editing, playing games, etc. But other than that, I was actually surprised at how close the performance on both devices are, at least in terms of casual use.

The camera on the Desire 816 is a 13MP shooter. While that is a much higher count compared to the M7’s 4MP shooter, the 816’s camera lacks HTC’s Ultra pixel technology as well as Optical Image Stabilisation (OIS). Which means that in low light conditions, the HTC One M7’s camera performed much better, and that is a huge plus for me.

An interesting point to consider, is that both devices costs about the same used. But the HTC One M7 likely does not have any more warranty while the Desire 816 being much newer still has warranty.

Another device that I just so happen to have as well is the Moto G. While the one that I have is a dual sim 3G version, not the LTE version the internals are largely the same except of LTE support, microSD card slot, and a Gyroscope. I thought this would be an interesting comparison seeing that the Moto G LTE was just released in Singapore and costs S$300, the price of a used Desire 816.

The Desire being the higher end device is understandably faster in all aspect compared to the Moto G, and has better hardware all round. Opening the app list, opening apps, etc, the Desire 816 was faster than the Moto G all the time. In some instances the differences were up to more than a second. It’s not that the Moto G is slow, it isn’t. It is just that the Desire 816 is just faster. Surprising to see how much difference 400mhz in clock speed makes, and surprising how well HTC has optimised the phone. Furthermore, the 2600mAh battery in the Desire 816 is actually more than enough to last me a solid day of use.

Though when it comes to built quality, I find myself preferring the build of the Moto G. it just felt more solid in hand, and there are no creaks or squeaks in the built at all. The matte interchangeable backs are a huge plus as well and holds up to use better over time.

Conclusion:

I am actually extremely impressed with what HTC has achieved with the Desire 816. At the price of S$405 (at the time of this post) vs the S$300 of a brand new Moto G LTE, the Desire 816 is definitely worth paying the extra S$105 for if you can spare it. Making it a great buy at this price.

One may look at the recently launched Redmi Note as well and compare the Desire 816 to it, and you definitely can. While the Redmi Note is cheaper and more powerful on paper, I can tell you that the Desire 816 is still worth paying the extra for. The Desire 816 with its “subpar” specifications on paper still performed better than the Redmi Note in most instance. Benchmarks may say otherwise, but having used both, the Desire 816 is still better in my opinion if you can spare the cash.

But in the end, a lot of it comes down to needs. If the cheaper Moto G or Redmi Note already suits your needs perfectly, and you can save a bit more money in the process, why not?