The name HTC Desire had been with us since the beginning of Android – during the era of the first ever Nexus phone, the Nexus One. The HTC Desire had such a great success that they decided to keep the brand name Desire until today.
A few years back, HTC used to spam the market with phones like what Samsung is doing now, but HTC abstained and went on to create the HTC One (now the M8) and they’re finally going back to the mid-range phone market again.
With the name Desire in the smartphone field is strongly linked to HTC, but how does the Desire 610 fares out with the competitors?
[nextpage title=”Design”]HTC’s design for the Desire 610 is rather simple and conventional, but with a twist of its own. It strikes some bold colours that wrap around the entire phone, leaving the exception only for the screen and its bezel. Then comes the famous dual front-facing speakers too, to go alongside with BoomSound for some great music.
The first HTC Desire had its power button at the top and the volume buttons at the side, and it stayed with the HTC name until today. I have to say that with the 4.7-inch screen, this is a very bad move.
Biggest problem I had is that to use the phone single-handedly is nearly impossible without greatly risking the phone to fall. The volume button on the other hand is a little too high to reach. The worst part is that HTC removed the gestures that I love the most on the HTC One M8 (we recently reviewed) – double tap to wake, swipe up to unlock, etc. Those were the best gesture-based waking method that I have ever seen, and it worked like a charm!
The M8 had an exception for having the power button right at the top, but not for the Desire 610.
[nextpage title=”Build quality”]To look at it as a decorative phone which I’ll never take it out or use it, it’s a rather beautiful phone. Once you hold it however, it feels like you’re being warped into another world.
The back is made out of an entirely glossy plastic material and constantly attracting lint on it. What’s more disappointing is the susceptibility of getting fingerprints – it’s definitely a fingerprint magnet. The colours are vivid and striking – I’ll have to give HTC credit for that, but the overall flimsy plastic build is a bad decision.
I don’t quite understand what was HTC thinking while they’re manufacturing the Desire 610 – the touch screen is one of the worst I have ever used. It looks like a pressure-sensitive touch screen, at first, and it even feels like a piece of plastic on top as the screen.
The glass gives no sense of rigidity, and sticky fingers definitely gives out the feel of the screen is about to peel off when did some speed typing on this phone. It feels as if the screen just flexed inwards and outwards. To be honest, even my Nexus 4 is better than this.
The next one is a rather frustrating issue for me. The HTC Desire 610 is a good-looking mid-range phone – yes, I agree. Build quality has its flaws on the touch screen and chosen material already, but the biggest complain to me is the SIM card tray.
Locked beneath the left side’s flap, there are two slots inside – the SIM card slot and also the microSD slot. The microSD slot works exceptionally well, but the other slot got my SIM card stuck inside.
The problem? It seems like my DiGi SIM card is too thick for the slot’s springs to work properly. That forced me to play doctor to get my SIM card out with some of the tools I have, and damaging my SIM card in the process, obviously.
Additional information here for those who has the same problem – clipping the SIM card out will never work.7-inch, 540 x 960 resolution display. So as usual, let’s have Epic Citadel to do some benchmark here.
At full resolution with ultra high quality, the Desire 610 got an average of 46.5 FPS. It’s below the average of what smartphones of this price range can do, yet the lowest FPS I saw was about 10 FPS under certain scenes with extreme movements.
Cracking up Vellamo for some other benchmark, we found this.
The scores are certainly below what they can do, especially while comparing this phone’s performance with other scores side by side.
Fact is, my Nexus 4 can perform much better than this, and that phone is near two years old already. What’s up, HTC?
[nextpage title=”Battery”]This is where I am most impressed. I can switch on WiFi tethering for my iPad and my Nexus 4, and still have about 30% left after 8 hours of continuous WiFi hotspot and considerably heavy usage. Now that’s impressive for a 2040mAh battery. Also, the battery is not removable.
If there aren’t much use for an entire day, you can still see 84% of battery left, whereas my Nexus 4 can deplete to only about 53% left after a day of idling. Again, what’s up HTC?
[nextpage title=”Wrap up”]
The HTC Desire 610 gives out a nice first impression, but quickly deteriorates when the screen is touched, then turning it on and see the icons for the first time, and fingerprints appear on the back. For the RRP of RM999, it’s a little hefty if I’m paying for all these.
Rating : 7/10
The build quality for the screen is horrible, but I have to agree that the body of the phone is actually decent. Resolution could be bumped up a little to at least 720p. Seriously, even my Nexus 4 is better at this, but then again I don’t have the BoomSound and front facing speakers at all. Such a tradeoff.
The HTC Desire 610 however is certainly perfect for mothers who want to watch videos on the go.
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