HTC Desire 816 Review

[Editor's note: Our review unit is from China, and while it has Sense 5.5, it will be updated to Sense 6 'soon'. All Desire 816's purchased outside of China will have Sense 6 out of the box] 

Typically when we think of midrange devices one of the first words that tend to come to mind is compromise.  We think of lesser performance, lesser build quality, lesser specs, pretty much lesser everything. Now HTC, a company that is known for premium build quality, performance, and design, is looking to redefine the midrange game by bringing everything that you tend to expect from high end flagships in a more modest package.

HTC is looking to prove that just because a phone is “midrange” doesn’t necessarily mean that every single aspect of the phone has to be sacrificed, and if there is a company out there that could build a quality midrange phone it’s HTC.

Let’s take a look at HTC’s latest midrange offering with the Desire 816 in our full review.

First Glance

The Desire lineup has always been very  popular overseas and the 816 is no exception selling out extremely quick in countries like China during it’s initial launch.

We didn’t do an actual unboxing for the Desire 816 but the packaging was very typical HTC.  Inside the box is the phone itself obviously and everything else was pretty standard like the micro USB charging cable, wall adapter, and the usual slew of reading materials.  Unfortunately this phone does not come with any earbuds included, which HTC is usually pretty good about.

Design & Build Quality

In terms of build quality the Desire 816 is a very solidly constructed device.  It’s a unibody design that is made entirely of plastic with a glossy back that can be very prone to finger prints and a matte finish on the sides and front which I thought would get dirty easily, especially on this white model but it seems to have held up pretty well so far.  It doesn’t hold a candle to the aluminum construction of the One M8 but the Desire 816 still feels very premium in the hand and could give other major flagship devices a run for their money.

There’s no denying that this is a large phone compared to most. It’s wide and tall and it’s a little on the slippery side making it hard to hold on to but it’s probably no bigger than a  Samsung Galaxy Note 3.  If you’re used to phones that size than you shouldn’t have any issues but it is larger than the Nexus 5 and definitely much larger than Moto X.  Despite it’s size though it’s a surprisingly thin phone coming in at only 7.99 mm.

The top of the phone houses the typical 3.5mm headset jack with a noise cancellation microphone.  The micro USB port sits on the bottom and then following along to the right side is a rather large flap that covers the two sim card slots and a micro SD card slot with support for up to a whopping 128 gigs of storage.  And finally on the left side of the phone is the volume rocker and a power button that is awkwardly placed right above that took some getting used to.

I like that HTC put the power button the side but I would have preferred it to be on the right side or at least a little lower on the chassis so it’s easier to reach without having to shuffle the device around in my hand just to power it on.

Speakers

On the front of the phone is HTC’s now tried and true BoomSound speakers which HTC made very popular with the One line up.  Trust me when I say this – but there are absolutely no compromises with the quality of the speakers.  They are very loud and produce a clean and crisp sound with just the right amount of bass and the size of the phone actually creates a very nice stereo effect when watching videos or listening to music in landscape.

HTC’s front facing BoomSound speakers are still the best speakers you can find on a smartphone so it’s nice to see them push this feature into their midrange line up.

Display

Also on the front is the 5.5 inch LCD display coming in at 1280×720 resolution and even though this isn’t the highest  resolution or pixel dense display, it’s still a great looking display. I would say it’s every bit as good as the One M8 minus the resolution obviously, and that features great color reproduction, wide viewing angles, and deep looking blacks for being an LCD.

The bezels around the display are a little large and you still get that bottom bar for a dedicated HTC logo just like you do on the One M8, but honestly it didn’t bother me all that much or detract from the viewing experience.  Overall, it’s a great looking display with a size that is perfect for consuming media like watching movies or playing games.

Specs & Performance

Specs wise the Desire 816 is rocking a Snapdragon 400 processor clocked at 1.6Ghz backed by 1.5GB of RAM, an Adreno 305 GPU and 8GB of internal storage. No, this phone doesn’t have the latest and greatest specs but with Android 4.4 KitKat having lower system requirements, this thing doesn’t need it. It’s still plenty fast in day to day usage and seemed to handle everything I threw at it with relative ease.

Apps opened very quickly, web browsing performance was great, and I had no problems playing graphically intensive games likes Shadowgun Deadzone or Dead Trigger 2. The overall experience has been smooth and responsive with very little lag.

Camera

The camera on the Desire 816 is also nothing to be overlooked coming in at 13 megapixels with auto focus and a single LED flash. Besides the BoomSound speakers, the camera is probably one of the best parts about this phone. When you fire this camera up for the first time you will notice that this is not the new Sense 6 camera but that isn’t necessarily a bad thing. The Sense 5 camera software is still great and it will be very familiar territory for anyone that’s ever used the original HTC One. Thankfully, it’s only units sold in China that will feature Sense 5, whereas the rest of the world will receive Sense 6 out of the box.

The shutter speed isn’t instant but it’s still fast enough to fire off some quick shots in any given situation and there’s a lot of shooting modes and options to help you get that perfect shot. The photos come out looking very sharp and at 13 megapixels worth of resolution you’re going to be able to zoom and crop without losing much detail which is an important aspect to a lot of people.

Color reproduction is great as photos came out looking vibrant without looking overly saturated. Dynamic range is decent as the camera does a pretty good job of balancing out the lights and darks but every once in a while you’ll get that shot where the lights are completely blown out or there’s a lot of detail being lost in the dark. With an aperture of f/2.2 you can expect pretty good low light performance from this camera as well and you’ve got that same 5 megapixel front facing shooter from the One M8 for taking great looking selfies. If you’re into that sort of thing.

Overall this is a great camera on a supposedly midrange device and dare I say it but I think many people would have liked to see this camera in the One M8.

Battery Life

The battery capacity of the Desire 816 is rated at 2600 mAh, which happens to be the same size battery as the one found in the One M8. It is a non-removable battery which might be a deal breaker for some but I’m used to phones with non-removable batteries so it didn’t bother me at all. I had no problems with the battery life and was very impressed by the longevity of the battery on a single charge. During my first full day with this device I managed to keep the phone unplugged for a little over 24 hours before I had to put it back on the charger which wasn’t until early afternoon the next day.

I did the usual activities like text, check social networks, read emails, browse the web, watch YouTube, listen to music, you name it.  I also spent a great amount of time testing out the camera so I was pleasantly surprised at how long the phone lasted even with such heavy usage on the camera. I didn’t do anything special to manage the battery life.  With the exception of keeping the screen brightness low, I used this phone just like I normally would any other phone.

Software

On the software side of things the Desire 816 is running the latest version of Android out of the box with 4.4.2 KitKat with Sense 5.5 and features on screen buttons just like the One M8 so it looks like HTC might be making the shift to on screen keys for good.  It’s very surprising to see the Desire 816 ship with an older version of Sense and not the latest Sense 6 especially considering back at Mobile World Congress, HTC wouldn’t allow anyone to turn the phone on because it was running new software.

[Editor's note: HTC has confirmed that all Desire 816's sold outside of China will feature Sense 6]

It’s great that this phone ships with the latest version of Android but sadly, as our review unit was acquired out of China, it only has Sense 5.5. It still has features like Zoe, video highlights, and Blinkfeed on your left most home screen which I was unable to use because our review unit is the China model of the Desire 816 so all the news sources happened to be in Chinese. If you buy the Desire 816 outside of China, it will feature Sense 6 and will feature Blinkfeed in your language of choice. 

Connectivity

If you’re wondering about connectivity this phone supports HSPA+ and LTE but the band support is rather limited.  You’ll want to be careful if you do decide to purchase this phone as there are two models floating around out there.  The EMEA model or Europe, Middle East, Africa and the China model, both of which support the same connectivity but on slightly different bands.

I can’t speak for the EMEA model but as far as the China model is concerned I was able to get great HSPA+ speeds on T-Mobile’s network but no LTE unfortunately.  If you don’t mind HSPA+ than you shouldn’t have any problems using this phone on U.S. carriers like T-Mobile and AT&T.

Pricing & Availability

The Desire 816 is available now internationally through various outlets such as Amazon ranging from 370 to 400 Euros and in the United States the only place that I’ve managed to find it is on Ebay for a little over 400 dollars.  Not such a bad price in my opinion considering all that this phone offers even if it is “midrange.”

Conclusion

So there you have it for the HTC Desire 816.  Overall, this is a fantastic phone and although it’s being pushed as a midrange offering I never felt that way about this phone during my time using it. It comes packed with a large and beautiful looking display with the premium build quality that we come to expect from HTC.  You also get HTC’s BoomSound speakers with a pretty awesome camera that completes the entire package.  If you can live without LTE and a lower resolution display than I have no reservations on recommending this phone and if there’s a midrange phone out there that’s worth looking at, it’s the Desire 816.

Forget the One (M8), it’s the Desire line that may actually save HTC

So the HTC One (M8) is out, the reviews are in, and I think we can say that, just like the previous model, it is easily a candidate for this year’s best smartphone. That means HTC is saved, right? Not so fast. They have been down this route before.

But making the best smartphone in the world had not bailed HTC out of its financial troubles.

The original HTC One was introduced in February 2013, and by April it had hit most markets in the world. By the end of September, according to ABI Research, HTC’s global market share was 1%. To put that into perspective, 1% is the same market share as that of Xiaomi, a three-year old startup that at the time was only operating in three markets, one of which is a city state smaller than New York.

How could this have happened?

The New York Times thought that it was down to their marketing. However, I beg to differ. I believe HTC’s biggest mistake was its failure to compete in emerging markets.

In January, research firm Gartner reported that the majority of smartphone sales growth in 2013 came from the emerging markets. Many analysts agree that this trend is going to only get stronger in the future.

Let’s use the fastest growing smartphone market in 2013, India, as a proxy to understand what has been happening in these high growth markets. The following figure shows the top smartphone vendors in India in Q3 2013 which was the first full quarter in which the HTC One was available in the market.

If marketing was the most important piece in HTC’s failure last year, why is it that Micromax and Karbonn were the two companies hot on Samsung’s tail in India?

Those who spent some time in India last year would notice that Apple had been making a strong marketing push in the market. Yet Apple’s figure is lingering close to the relegation zone, while Micromax and Karbonn’s figures combined is as big as Samsung’s and 14 times the size of Apple’s.  Furthermore, according to IDC, Apple was kicked out of the Indian top 5 list of smartphone vendors in Q4 2013.

Understanding emerging markets

To understand HTC’s challenge, one needs to understand the defining features that differentiate developing markets from mature markets.

First is the total absence (or at least limited impact) of carrier subsidy. Smartphones in these markets are sold at retail directly to end users just like microwave ovens, cars, and pretzels.

The second characteristic was first pointed out to me by an India-based analyst, Sameer Singh, in what he called “usage-based smartphone segmentation”. Basically, consumers who are in the market for low-end devices are looking to get their first connected device. Typical use case scenario for consumers in this bracket are communication, social networking and light media consumption.

Meanwhile, those looking to purchase midrange devices are looking to not only replace their old phones but also to replace their netbooks as their only personal connected device. Thus, to attract these type of consumers, devices have to fulfill the typical roles of a smartphone, but also be good at performing tasks that in the past were associated with netbooks. This explains the rapidly rising popularity of low-cost smartphones but also of phablets in these markets, as reported by IDC.

Combining these traits with the low average income prevalent in these regions, we can build a picture of how the average emerging market consumer view smartphones based on their prices, and where HTC’s 2013 offerings sit in these markets.

1. The low end

Smartphones available for under $250 belong to this category. This is the segment in which non-phablets can be expected to be successful in the emerging markets. You might have heard how Nokia’s Lumia 520 enjoyed quite a success in the emerging markets last year. This was the reason why. This also explains why after tax, the Moto G is selling for around $210 – $240 in the emerging markets, which means that it sits inside the price bracket where such a device can be expected to gain the most attention.

The Moto G has put Motorola back on the map

In India, local manufacturers like Karbonn were bringing quad-core devices into the sub $200 segment, while HTC practically went AWOL.

2. The mid-range

The segment covers devices priced between $250 and $500 off-contract. This is the segment in which most of the rapid growth of phablets happened. In India, local manufacturers made a strong showing in this segment with both Micromax and Karbonn offering 720p phablets for around $300. Elsewhere in Asia, regional players like Lenovo flooded the market with phablets that had 720p screens and quad core processors with price tags between $270-320.

Samsung’s Galaxy Grand might have caused confusion among critics in the developed markets, but from the emerging market’s perspective, it allowed Samsung to have a phablet device that was available for under $50 more than alternatives from local and regional players. Sure enough, it quickly became the affordable phablet to beat.

With its mid-range specs and Note 3 inspired design, the Grand 2 is the phone to beat in emerging markets

HTC had three models in this price bracket. The Desire 300, Desire XC and the Desire 600. Looking at their specs, primarily their 4 to 4.7-inch WVGA screens, it’s easy to see why none of these devices have made a splash.

3. The high-end

As we have demonstrated above, this is the least important segment in terms of looking for growth in the emerging markets. Consumers in this segment not only have significantly higher purchasing power but also access to various financing plans. This means, they are the least sensitive to pricing, as the difference between purchasing a $550 phone and getting an $850 one is less than 50 bucks if they buy the phone under a 12 months financing plan.

This is why the HTC One Mini did not do much to help HTC in 2013. At $520, from the perspective of high-end emerging market consumers, the 4-inch phone was competing against  the Galaxy S4, the iPhone 5, even HTC’s own original One.

The One Mini was too expensive for the experience it offered

Why HTC’s new Desire phones are probably HTC’s most crucial models this year

HTC’s failure to understand the needs of buyers in fast-growing markets was one of the primary culprits of its problems throughout 2013.

The good news is that, unlike last year, HTC now has devices with the potential to turn its fortunes.

But the One (M8) is not one of them.

Think of the new HTC One (M8) as the Mercedes S Class. It’s okay to build something that is a proud demonstration of what is currently possible. However, the majority of Mercedes-Benz models sold is the C Class, not the S Class. Without generations after generations of competitive “affordable” models, Mercedes would have probably ended up being a small niche player. This is why Autocar magazine thinks that the new C Class is Mercedes’ most important model.

This is also why HTC’s new Desire 610 and Desire 816 are keys to HTC’s survival.

And, from the look of it, the Desire 610, with its quad-core Snapdragon SoC and 4.7-inch display, has a good chance to shake things up in the sub $250 segment.

Competition in the low-end bracket is certainly harsher this year, with the availability of devices like the Moto G, Nokia X phones, as well as updated models from regional players. However, the Desire 610’s design pedigree, as well as its widespread brick and mortar availability, may hopefully sway some consumers down HTC’s way, if it’s priced right.

HTC Desire 610

Meanwhile, competition in the mid-range bracket has not been standing still either. Everyone’s brand-to-beat, Samsung, has updated the Galaxy Grand with specs that are now on par with the competition. The $380 Galaxy Grand 2 now comes with a 5.25-inch 720p screen and quad-core Snapdragon 400 chipset.

Nevertheless, the Desire 816 still has a good chance to compete. Specifically, compared to the Galaxy Grand 2, HTC’s Desire 816 still has some competitive advantages that could pull consumers away from Samsung’s grasp.

HTC Desire 816

Like the Desire 610, its design is inspired by what is arguably the world’s best built smartphone. That design also comes with HTC’s signature front facing speaker setup, which consumers who consume lots of media will surely find attractive. It also has a larger screen than the Grand 2. Considering how consumers in this price range are big on getting the most computing potential from their investments, having a bigger screen should certainly help HTC’s cause.

However, just like with the Desire 610, all this is reliant upon the assumption that HTC will set the Desire 816’s price to be competitive in the lower mid-range segment (under $400).

The worst thing for HTC to do is to set this phone’s price the way it set the One Mini’s in 2013.

The Desire 610 and Desire 816 are not the only ones with the potential to turn HTC’s fortunes this year.  HTC also has a Mediatek powered device that’s set to hit the world’s biggest smartphone market, China, very soon.

It is clear that HTC now has the devices that could allow them to take advantage of the rapid growth of the developing markets, which is a far cry to what they had last year. If HTC can price them competitively, these phones could be HTC’s much-awaited get-out-of-jail card.

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Update HTC Desire HD with Android 4.4.2 Nexus 5 Experience KitKat Custom ROM

Nexus 5 Experience ROM is compiled using CM11 and Android 4.4.2 KitKat by Google. The main objective of this ROM is to provide users the Nexus experience. The ROM is heavily themed to look like Nexus 5′s firmware. This will ill turn your HTC device into Nexus 5. If interested in Android 4.4.2 for other phones, check out our new Custom ROMs section. You can update Desire HD to Nexus 5 Experience Android 4.4.2 KitKat custom firmware using the tutorial below. This is not an official release by HTC, but just a custom ROM which would require a custom recovery like ClockworkMod in order to flash the ROM zip file on your phone. Make sure your HTC Desire HD bootloader is unlocked or you won’t be able to install custom ROMs.

As you continue reading, we will tell you how to install Nexus 5 Experience Android 4.4.2 KitKat custom ROM on HTC Desire HD. All the step-by-step instructions are given below, and we have also given a few extra tips that you have to keep in mind before proceeding. Make sure you backup all your existing data in the phone before proceeding as this tutorial will wipe out all your internal storage data. The following tips are important as they will help the installation procedure to go smooth without any issues. Let’s get to the tutorial now.

Disclaimer: All the custom ROMs and firmwares, official software updates, tools, mods or anything mentioned in the tutorial belong to their respective owners/developers. We (TeamAndroid.com) or the developers are not to be held responsible if you damage or brick your device. We don’t have you on gun point to try out this tutorial

Nexus 5 Experience Android 4.4.2 KitKat ROM Details:

This amazing Nexus 5 Experience custom ROM comes with tons of new features and is based on Android 4.4.2 KitKat. A quick list of the main features in Nexus 5 Experience is given below and we are sure you’d love to use this on your Desire HD:

• This is built from CM11 Sources for Desire HD
• Full Nexus 5 Experience since the first boot with Google Launcher, Google Dialer, Stock Wallpapers including the default Nexus 5 wallpaper, Ringtones, Lockscreen transparency and Stock apps
• Always the latest Gapps Updates from Google
• Deodexed Rom
• CM 4.4.2 kernel w/ ro.secure=0 (root permissions)
• Auto Zipalign of /data/app
• Sqlite3 script
• Swap script
• Busybox 1.21.1 with init.d support
• Useless logging disabled to save ram
• Theme Support
• Battery and Network tweaks
• Jelly Bean Nexus Bootanimation
• Nexus 5 Audio & Sounds
• GPU rendering with no kernel check
• Charging Sounds
• Some good things from CM11

There are tons of useful articles and how-to guides on Team Android for the HTC Desire HD, but we think you might be interested in the following posts:

Like this Nexus 5 Experience ROM based on the latest Android 4.4.2? We love it too and we know you are looking forward to install it on your phone now. Now please read below for important tips on how to make sure your installation goes smooth and you do not end up with any problems.

HTC Desire HD USB Drivers

You will need to connect your Android phone with the computer. For that, please make sure you have installed the USB drivers for HTC Desire HD properly. If not, you can download the latest official drivers from our Android USB Drivers section here:

Download HTC Desire HD USB drivers!

Backup and Other Important Tips

Done with the USB drivers? Perfect. The tutorial is on the next page, but first, please take a look at the following tips and important points you need to take care of. These are important, as we don’t want anyone losing their personal data or apps:

Always backup your important data that you might need after you install a new custom ROM, an official software update or anything else. Make a backup for just in case, you never know when anything might go wrong. See below for some tips on how to backup data:

Samsung users can also back up data using Samsung KIES. If you backup data manually, you get more options what to choose from and it is very easy to move data across Android devices from different manufacturers, i.e moving Samsung Galaxy Note backup data to HTC Desire HD.

If you already have a custom recovery (ClockworkMod, TWRP etc.) installed on your phone, we strongly recommend a backup using that as it creates a complete image of your existing phDesire HDet up.

A few more optional tips that you should remember:

1. Having problems connecting your Android phone to the computer? You need to enable USB debugging mode. See here: How to Enable USB Debugging — for Gingerbread, Ice Cream Sandwich and Jelly Bean.

2. Make sure your Android device is charged up to 80-85% battery level. This might help you: How to Check Battery Percentage. Why? Because, if your phone goes off suddenly while installing a custom ROM, flashing an official firmware update or installing mods etc. — your phone might get bricked or go dead permanently. No one wants that, right?

4. Most of the tutorials and how-to guides on Team Android are for factory unlocked Android phones and tablets. We recommend NOT to try our guides if your phone is locked to a carrier, unless we have specified the carrier name or device model.

If you find the above tips useful and they were helpful to you, please consider giving us a +1 or LIKE to thank us!

All set and ready? Good. Now, let’s proceed with the tutorial on the next page and update Desire HD to Nexus 5 Experience Android 4.4.2 KitKat custom firmware.

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