HTC Desire X

HTC DESIRE X REVIEW

The HTC Desire X resurrects one of HTC's classic smartphone ranges. The HTC Desire X, released in October 2012, was one of the first phones that the occasional gran knew, alongside the hordes of phone geeks. It was a class act. It's that 4-inch super LCD display that is probably one of the more surprising elements of the phone. With a rather average 800 x 480 resolution, you might not be expecting much. But the non-PenTile screen is laminated, reducing glare and making colors really bright and vivid. That, in combination with the not overly large size means that, while there might be more pixel-dense displays around, what you're getting on the Desire X doesn't appear to be low-quality, or second-rate. Whites appear untainted and clear, but blacks render a little bright, with light coming through and a subtle bluish tone throughout. It's not to the point of distraction we must add, but it's noticeable when put side by side with another handset (a Galaxy Nexus or Acer CloudMobile, for example). You'll be pleased to hear that the vivid image reproduction also doesn't come at the expense of overbearing contrast levels either, with photos and videos appearing to have similar levels to viewing the same file on a desktop. HTC Desire X has stuck a 5-megapixel camera on the Desire X's rump, which is pretty much the standard amount of megapixels at this price range. The company, however, says it's imported some of the camera smarts it added to its higher-end One series range into the Desire X. For instance, you get a back-side illuminated sensor so it can capture more light, and an f2.0 aperture. The camera interface is also the same as the software found on One series devices and includes features such as burst mode, so you can shoot up to 30 photos in a sequence by holding your finger down on the shutter. It also has the ability to snap stills when shooting a video and take HDR photos. It's great to see these higher-end features on a mid-range mobile. To just say that the HTC Desire X looks nice would be a gross understatement In fact, the smartphone is surprisingly attractive and is surely among the best-looking Android mid-rangers we've come across lately. With its gently curved back side, the device fits like a glove when being held and feels just like an extension of your hand – comfortable to grasp and easy to operate. There are a few things, however, that HTC could have paid more attention to. First and foremost, the physical buttons on the Desire X – the lock button on top and the 2-button volume rocker on its right side, are a pain in the rear to use due to their poor tactile response and insufficient travel. Another thing that bothers us is just how easily fingerprints stick to the plastic back plate of the smartphone, at least on its black version. There's a dual-core 1GHz Qualcomm MSM8225 Snapdragon processor on board, backed by 768MB RAM, which isn't bad for this price range. It benchmarked a performance score of 4,969 with AnTuTu, which puts it a nudge in front of Samsung's Galaxy Beam but behind the Huawei Ascend P1. In practise, there were occasional signs of lag when opening new apps, especially when you have a few open already. Music and movie playback gets a bit of help from Beats Audio processing technology, which boosts your volume and your bass -- fine if you like that sort of thing, but if you don't you can always disable it. This is a stripped-down version of the technology, with no graphic equaliser, and you won't find any Beats Audio headphones in the box either. Speaking of video, recording drops to WVGA resolution (800x480 pixels), so it's certainly not HD, though the fact that it records at 30fps means it looks pretty good. Picture quality overall is only so-so though, with a lack of detail in many snaps. Battery life is pretty decent and above average. It lasted 29 hours having 10% battery left with - 1 hour of of game, 75 mins of call, 1 hour of browing over 2G. There is no HTC leap and There are only 5 home screens. If you're looking to step into the world of Android and all the app-downloading, widget-installing fun therein or if you want to step up from that ultra-budget blower the Desire X is a good option to consider.

SPECIFICATION & FEATURES

HTC DESIRE X PRICE

Price in USA $267

Price in UK £166

Price in EURO €193

Price in PAK Rs.29,000

Price in INDIA Rs.14,850