HTC Desire review

It's obvious that HTC's Desire is an attractive proposition, but its not the perfect all-rounder against its competitive rivals Tested at £360.00

What Hi-Fi? Verdict

Extremely impressive as a phone, but not the best all-rounder

Pros

  • +

    Powerful, flexible spec plus great value

  • +

    fine screen

Cons

  • -

    Sound is a little reined-in

  • -

    screen’s great, but can be bettered

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No doubting the value here: HTC's Desire costs comfortably less than its rivals SIM-free, and great contract deals abound.

But it's no economy special: sporting a 3.7in OLED screen and Android 2.1 (for now), it's exceptionally powerful and flexible – if less sexy than the recognised class-leaders from Apple and Samsung.

The Desire's image quality is certainly impressive: while the screen's smaller and offers less contrast than its peers, it's sharply defined and smooth, with minimal motion judder and decent punch.

Loading video is a simple matter of drag-and-drop from your PC/Mac, and while there's no iPlayer app yet, it surely can't be too far away. It's odd that the video player is buried within the photos folder, though.

The supplied 512MB memory isn't great, although it's easily upgraded to up to 32GB with a bigger Micro SD card.

Music? More of a mixed bunch. Again, the supplied earbuds aren't up to much, but even with better headphones, the Desire's sound is inoffensive rather than inspiring.

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What Hi-Fi?

What Hi-Fi?, founded in 1976, is the world's leading independent guide to buying and owning hi-fi and home entertainment products. Our comprehensive tests help you buy the very best for your money, with our advice sections giving you step-by-step information on how to get even more from your music and movies. Everything is tested by our dedicated team of in-house reviewers in our custom-built test rooms in London, Reading and Bath. Our coveted five-star rating and Awards are recognised all over the world as the ultimate seal of approval, so you can buy with absolute confidence.

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