What's good
- Smooth performance
- Good color reproduction and viewing angles
- Decent battery life
What's bad
- Camera takes too long to focus
- Poor low light image quality
- Not for one-handed use
HTC has dubbed the Desire 816 their "flagship mid-range" to emphasize its competitiveness in the over-saturated budget market. Marketing to the middle of the market means that HTC had to cut costs in several places. Most noticeably is the switch to an all plastic body. Instead of opting for a unibody construction, HTC offers two-tone plastic build: glossy for the back cover and matte for the side and front of the phone. Experts did notice a slight bit of flex to the device when under pressure, but overall they had no issues with the construction.
Measuring in at 6.2 x 3.1 x 0.3 inches, the Desire 816 falls into the phablet category, though it is far from the largest one available on the market. Thanks to the matte plastic sides, critics were able to grip the phone easily with one hand though they needed two hands to actually operate it.
The 5.5 inch, 720p display makes up the majority of the phones large size. While technically HD, the 267ppi pixel density isn't as sharp as the HTC One Mini and reviewers noticed the difference in sharpness when they compared it to 1080p screens. TechRadar points out though, "If you're coming from an older phone…this is going to look sharp and expansive." On the whole though, experts were impressed with the display as it provided accurate colors, good black levels and decent viewing angles.
Powered by a 1.6GHz quad-core processor and 1.5GB of RAM, the Desire 816 isn't necessarily the fastest phone around, but it performed well enough for reviewers. They were able to perform basic tasks such as browsing the web, watching videos and looking at photos with too many issues. Trusted Reviews states, "…it's the ideal amount of power needed for the Desire 816 to cope with most tasks." Experts describe the battery life as average lasting around a day of moderate usage and 9 hours in battery draining tests. Other features include LTE connectivity, 8GB of internal storage and a microSD slot expandable to 128GB.
Perhaps the biggest disappointment for reviewers was the 13MP rear camera. In good lighting, they were able to get good, detailed photos. Problems arose once they tried taking low light pictures. Not only did they experience issues with noise and poor color balance, the camera also took longer than three seconds to focus and take a picture in low light environments. Video quality was also subpar as it produced juddery and blurry footage.
For the price point, experts have very few issues with the HTC Desier 816. Engadget states, "In general, the Desire 816 came out as the most ideal choice among similarly specced Android phablets…" Gizmag adds, "…the Desire 816 is a perfectly capable phablet at a very reasonable price."
What the Critics Are Saying...
- Ershad Kaleebullah, Gadgets 360With a 5.5-inch screen and a focus on superior camera performance, the HTC Desire 816 is a sensibly priced mid-range smartphone.
- Sandra Vogel, Beta NewsI’m won over by the HTC Desire 816. There is plenty of call for mid-priced, large-screened handsets, and I’m a fan of the likes of the Samsung Galaxy Mega and Huawei Ascend P7, both of which are a fair bit more expensive than the Desire 816. If you are looking for a large, mid-priced phone, the Desi...
- Jared Newman, PCWorldIf you can live with the camera and a few other shortcomings, the Desire 816 fares well as a budget phone for game and media junkies. For $300, it can stand in for both a smartphone and a tablet, and the service comes cheap on Virgin Mobile, whose $35 plan gets you 300 minutes, unlimited text and 2....
- Nick Gray, HTC SourceThe HTC Desire 816 is one of the most interesting mid-range devices we’ve used this year. The phone is priced extremely low, yet it offer an experience that’s worthy of a $450 price tag. No, the phone isn’t perfect. We wish the camera was better and HTC should have used a matte pol...
- Callum Tennent, What MobileWhen you consider that you get all of these great features for under £300 (or less than £20 per month on a 24 month contract), the Desire 816 is a remarkably attractive device. Of course it won’t satisfy those looking for a flagship handset, but if you want a phone bigger than your...
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Common Questions
We've got you covered! Download a free PDF copy of the HTC Desire 816 user manual here.
HTC backs up the Desire 816 with a 1 Year parts & labour warranty.
If your Desire 816 has problems and is still within its warranty period, you could contact HTC support or the retailer you purchased the phone from. You'll find HTC's contact information here. If your phone is off warranty and needs repair for a physical problem such as a broken screen or bad battery, you should visit an authorized service centre or a local phone repair shop. You can also connect with others in The Informr Community Forum to find and share answers to questions.
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