HTC Desire 825 review: Fresh design, but misses out on performance
In the wake of increased smartphones in the market, users nowadays have copious options to opt from. From the pricier segment to the low-cost models, there is a handset for everyone in the fête. However, as hardware prices keep on plummeting, high-end smartphone manufacturers are finding it knotty to cope with the lower-mid tier phones that are gaining prominence in India.
To put matters to perspective, all the bigger players who previously used to focus on flagships have been forced to expand their ambit and scale down their smartphones to meet the average customers demand. Though there is a never-ending demand for technology improvisations, the cost factor still continues to be one of the deciding factors in the Indian market.
As you have noticed, bigger players such as Samsung, LG, Motorola, and HTC have been forced to manufacture mid-ranged or even low-end devices, just to meet the need of the hour; they cannot afford to lose out on the large populace who are attracted to pocket-friendly devices. The biggest example of a company who were forced to delve into the lower and mid-ranged smartphone market is undoubtedly HTC.
The Taiwanese manufacturer recently introduced a slew of handsets along with the flagship HTC 10 couple of months back. One of the main reasons for launching so many devices, as cited by Faisal Sidiqui, President HTC South Asia, was to help the company capture a larger portion of the market. With the diversified launch, the company expects to recover from the stagnant phase it was battling for 8-10 months prior to the release.
Well, I got a chance to review the HTC Desire 825 Dual SIM—one of the low cost 4G-ready handsets under the company’s revamped portfolio. Without further ado, here is my take on the device.
Design and display
To begin with, the first thing that surprised me about this 5.5-incher is its weight. At just 155 grams, the phone is surprisingly light and easy to grip. While it’s not high on terms of performance, it does offer superb ergonomics and design to keep the user engaged.
Though the device doesn’t come along in the metal-clad attire that has become oh-so-popular, the plastic-crafted body is commensurate to the price of the device.
Moving one, the front side of the device is subtle and on three capacitive keys can be found on the bottom for navigation. The rear, in fact, features a splash-paint design with a HTC logo in the center which makes it look funky and hip; a better substitute to those bulgy covers that I personally find irritating. There are two available colour combinations - white with multi-coloured splash paint or black with golden splash paint.
It’s mainly targeted specifically towards the youth who would definitely like a lively design. In addition, the primary camera and a single LED flash are also situated at the top-left side on the back. Again, there is a slight bulge on the camera module which might pick up some scratches in future.
On the right side of the device, there is a golden-coloured power button (plastic) and the volume rockers. On the left, a plastic flap cover hides the dual-SIM and memory card slot. On the bottom of the device the MicroUSB port is housed along with the speakers. As I said, the main design USP is the weight of the device. Despite being so large, you can hardly feel the load. Other than that, the device is unlikely to get scratched easily due to its not glossy finish, and it does not retain fingerprints as well.
The 5.5-inch LCD HD (720x1280p) screen is does churn out a decent display but it could have been ‘much’ better. There are other phones in the same price point that offer better HD resolution.
To be brutally honest, the display was not very impressive and lacks sharpness. Apart from that, the bezels on the side are fine but the ones on the top and bottom make the device look a little weird due to their extended stretch. In terms of sturdiness, the display is protected by Gorilla glass but you should still be careful to handle the device with care. The large screen does make it easier to view content on the phone but the company should have taken steps to make it a little more eye-catchy by adding better colour reproduction coupled with higher resolution.
Hardware and performance: Moving on to the internals of the device, it is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 quad core chipset with 2GB RAM, Adreno 305 GPU and 16 GB internal storage capacities (expandable up to 200GB). Though the chipset and GPU are no where close to the ones offered high-end phones, it does handle basic multitasking and gaming with ease. However, if you are looking to run demanding games or apps, be ready to encounter some heavy lag. In that case, you should rather go for similarly priced devices with higher performance capabilities, offering better chipsets.
We tried running numerous games and apps on the phone but the handset seemed to be uncomfortable at handling the tasks thrown at it adeptly. I did not find the phone appealing in terms of performance but you can opt for it if are just looking to play light games and performs light tasks.
In terms of connectivity, the phone does offer most options including 4G LTE support, Bluetooth connectivity, gesture support, Wi-Fi, and numerous other options. While connectivity options are in proportion, the 2,700mAh battery is another downer on this device. There are other devices which offer at least 3,000 mAh in the same price point. However, the company has included nifty modes like power-saving and super power-saving along with an option for quick charge.
One good thing about this handset is its audio capability, which is similar in all HTC devices. The HTC BoomSound speakers, Dolby Audio, and dual microphone with noise cancellation derive amazing sound output and this is the only thing that gets your attention off the average display quality during watching a movie or video. Listening to songs on the device on loudspeakers is a joy and it won’t be wrong to say that it outmatches audio prowess offered by most phone in its class.
Camera: The handset sports a 13MP primary camera setup along with a Single LED on the back. It scores high on some aspects such as colour reproduction and daylight snapping but performance dips significantly in low-light conditions. To add to its misery, the detailing offered by the camera is also poor, and images clicked after zooming in tend to be blurred and full of noise. Another problem I encountered is the slow shutter speed on the device which led to hazy pictures. On the contrary, the selfie camera performs decently well and the bigger screen on the phone helps the 5MP snapper to churn out good shots. The camera software includes numerous editing options and HDR mode for sharper images. However, the overall camera capability on this smartphone is rather average on this device.
Here are some samples that we managed to click:
Software: The HTC Desire 825 runs on Android Marshmallow with its native Sense 7.0 UI on top. The uncluttered interface on this phone is something which I really liked. The apps are nicely laid out with numerous options for customisations including app rearrangement, changing colour temperature, numerous themes, and the new Blinkfeed aggregator for social media and news feed. That said, the UI is really simple offering seamless navigation. One of the best things about the software is the absence of unnecessary bloatware which is rampant on devices these days.
Price and verdict: So should you buy this device or look for another handset in the same price point? Spending for a smartphone priced as high as Rs 19,000 definitely requires good performance, which the HTC Desire 825 marginally lacks here. However, if you are looking for a uniquely designed smartphone with extremely good audio quality, you could consider the 825. If not, there are plenty of handsets available in the similar price bracket, which offer better performance. Nevertheless, HTC has been known to be an excellent brand in smartphones for long and it definitely won't disappoint you.
