Since the launch of the showtime successful large-screened smartphone back in 2022, the Samsung Galaxy Annotation, there has been a growing demand for devices with larger-than-normal displays. Samsung's line of Notes has been a large seller for the Korean giant, merely other companies such every bit Nokia, LG, Sony, Huawei, Asus and even HTC accept also been jumping in on the party.

HTC Desire 816 - $325 unlocked

  • 5.5", 1280 x 720 IPS LCD brandish (267 ppi)
  • Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 SoC
  • 1.6 GHz quad-core CPU, Adreno 305 GPU, 1.5GB RAM
  • 8 GB internal storage, microSD carte du jour slot
  • thirteen MP camera, 1/3.06" sensor, f/2.2 lens, 1080p video
  • two,600 mAh, 9.88 Wh battery
  • LTE, Wi-Fi b/g/north, Bluetooth 4.0
  • Android 4.4 'KitKat'
  • 165 grams, 8.1mm thick

The Galaxy Notation products tend to be in the very upper echelon when it comes to smartphone pricing, so naturally not everyone is willing to fork out the cash required for such a premium device. This creates space for a market of mid-range handsets with large displays, exactly where HTC's new product – the unimaginatively named Desire 816 – fits correct in.

The HTC Want 816's main characteristic is the large 5.v-inch Hard disk display, and it also packs in a Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 SoC, a thirteen-megapixel camera (no Ultrapixel sensor here), and design cues from HTC'due south recent high-end products. All of this is available for merely $325, placing it squarely in the affordable territory of the Nokia Lumia 1320, Asus Zenfone 6 and older products like the Samsung Galaxy Mega 5.8.

Some of HTC'south previous mid-range products haven't been as attractive equally they seem on paper, withal in 2022 the company has majorly stepped upwardly its game to offer improve devices at better price points. Allow's hope the Desire 816 is one of these products.

Design

I really like the fashion HTC has used for the Desire 816. The rounded plastic slab looks particularly good in white with its contrasting black bezel, while the dotted BoomSound speakers and large silver buttons requite some flair to the design. I would take liked to run into the back console use the same matte finish as the edges. Luckily it'due south not the side of the handset you'll exist looking at most.

Despite the phone actually looking squeamish, when you get it in your hands you might notice some strange blueprint decisions. The virtually notable and most annoying is the power button placement on the upper left edge of the handset, which is merely really suited to people using the device in their left hand. For right-handers like me, attempting to power on the Desire 816 while holding it in i hand is quite a stretch.

The push button placement is a slight comeback on HTC's typical selection of placing it on the meridian border, but I wish they would take note of what other manufacturers cull and place it in a more ergonomic position. Midway down the right or left sides would be perfect for a smartphone of this size.

The size of the HTC Desire 816 is much larger than necessary, due to the sizable bezel effectually the display. The 5.5-inch device is really 5mm taller than the five.7-inch Samsung Galaxy Notation iii, and is the aforementioned width, with display coverage of just 68% compared to the Note iii's 75%.

I'm not as well concerned about the width of the handset, as it's yet manageable, just the unnecessary acme makes the Want 816 a little too cumbersome for my liking. Nearly of the actress peak comes from two black panes above and below the brandish: the top one only contains a minor sensor array, while the lesser one is just used for branding (similar the HTC Ane M8). Remove these two panels and integrate the components into other areas and of a sudden the telephone is the perfect size.

For all the good work HTC has done in styling the Desire 816, however large the handset may have turned out, the build quality lets the final product down. The polycarbonate used for the sides of the device and the glass protecting the brandish both feel very prissy in your easily, but the sleeky cheap plastic that makes upwardly the dorsum panel is anything just quality.

Reminiscent of some of Samsung's past flagships, the sleeky back panel is slippery and quickly becomes greasy. It also completely ruins the aesthetics of the device transitioning from a premium-style plastic effectually the edges to glossy rubbish on the back.

Furthermore, HTC hasn't joined the back console onto the residue of the device properly, leaving a small gap around the plastic that gives an illusion that it's removable. In some places – particularly effectually the camera module and wink – the back audibly creaks when low-cal pressure is practical, which is not something I want to hear from what should be a well-constructed phone.

Instead of having the back console come off, a small flap on the upper correct edge reveals the nano-SIM and microSD card slots. If you terminate up getting a dual-SIM model you'll discover both SIM ports are available to you, but in the model I received from HTC Australia, only ane SIM slot was available for apply, despite there conspicuously being a spot for another one. It will come up every bit no surprise that the micro-USB port is on the bottom edge and the iii.5mm audio jack is on the top.

At 8.1mm thick at its thickest betoken, equally well as 165 grams heavy, the Desire 816 is fairly slim and light for its footprint. Unfortunately it isn't helped by existence too large in terms of vertical height, but its slimness should go along it from beingness a massive brick.

Display

For a device like the Desire 816, the display is one of the fundamental selling points. However, as we are dealing with a mid-range device, we're not getting the latest and greatest display applied science, which is completely understandable.

In the Desire 816, HTC has included a 5.5-inch TFT IPS 'Super LCD 2' console with a resolution of 1280 x 720, equating to a pixel density of 267 PPI. The last time nosotros saw a Super LCD 2 panel in a flagship HTC smartphone was 2022'due south 1 X, and then it'due south not surprising to run across the technology filter down to the mainstream market in 2022.

At that place's a lot to like nearly the 5.5-inch Super LCD two in the Desire 816, fifty-fifty if information technology's not the latest and greatest going effectually. One such attribute is the colour quality, which has always been a key aspect of the Super LCD line. The display on the 816 is well saturated and has a decent level of dissimilarity, making images look vibrant, accurate and generally excellent.

The panel is seated shut to the protective drinking glass, and generally speaking the viewing angles are practiced, although there is a small reduction in perceivable brightness when viewing at off-normal angles. The Desire 816's display is besides easily viewable outdoors cheers to the way the IPS panel is constructed, which reduces reflections, likewise as the bright backlight.

Patently the sharpness of this 720p console isn't going to lucifer the same sharpness levels achieved with a 1080p brandish, only notwithstanding there'southward little to complain about. Some devices in this cost bracket and device category released last yr (and even this twelvemonth) use mediocre 960 ten 540 panels, which can't really compete with a true Hard disk console where it counts.

Images and text generally look crisp on the 5.five-inch console, with its pixel density of 267 PPI providing a level of clarity that'due south more than than acceptable at this cost point. In that location's too the added bonus of requiring less processing ability to render graphics, which can meliorate performance and battery life.