Reviews
HTC Desire 820
HTC updates its mid-range Desire
phablet with a 64-bit processor and
a refi ned design language
Snap happy
The Desire 820 has an 8MP
front-facing camera for even
better selfi es, with innovative
software features including a
photo booth mode, live
makeup and a slightly
disturbing face merging
feature to creep out you
and your friendsStorage boost
The internal storage on the
Desire 820 has doubled
compared to its Desire 816
predecessor, giving you 16GB
on board in addition to
microSD expansion. The slot
supports microSDXC, which
enables you to use cards up
to 128GB in sizeFast processor
The Desire 820 is one of the
fi rst devices to use the
Snapdragon 615 processor.
The 64-bit, octa-core chip
has 4 1.5GHz ARM Cortex A53
cores and 4 1.0GHz A53
cores for great power
effi ciencyW
hen we reviewed the HTC Desire 816
back in issue 40, we concluded that it
represented a return to form for HTC’s
mid-range line-up. Not long has passed yet here
HTC are with the successor, the Desire 820. The
old adage ‘if it ain’t broke don’t fi x it’ certainly
applies in the world of mobile phones and HTC
have taken this approach with the 820 – it takes
the best aspects of the 816 and builds on them.
The basic formula is the same – a 5.5” 720P
screen, Qualcomm processor, more RAM, plastic
body, LTE data, expandable memory and a high
spec front facing camera. As you’d expect
though, many of the specifi cations have received
a slight upgrade.
When we reviewed the 816, we were surprised
how good the screen looked, given its 720P
resolution at a 5.5” size. Impressively, the display
on the Desire 820 looks even better! It’s brighter
and sharper, again showing that as long as the
display is high quality, resolution isn’t everything.
The processor in the device is one of the most
signifi cant upgrades – gone is the low end (but
impressive) Snapdragon 400, replaced instead
by an Octa-core big.LITTLE 64-bit Snapdragon- With 4 cores at 1.5GHz and 4 cores at 1GHz,
the CPU is powerful but has the ability to be
extremely power effi cient when doing non-
intensive tasks. Although Android KitKat doesn’t
take advantage of 64-bit processors, Android 5.0
Lollipop does, and HTC have pledged to update
the Desire 820.
The Desire 820 is HTC’s fi rst device to use the
‘doubleshot’ moulding method, proudly
demonstrated on-screen in HTC’s press
conference. The approach allows for two-tone
styles on the device without compromising build
quality. It is a very well made phone indeed,
matching the best polycarbonate devices from
even the likes of Nokia.
As 4G availability in the UK gradually increases,
some networks are already starting to roll out
speed upgrades. The fi rst of these is LTE-A CAT4
which provides for speeds of up to 150Mbps.
With its cutting edge processor and modem, the
Desire 820 supports this technology, so as it
comes online you will be more than ready to take
advantage. Also a big improvement over its
predecessor is the inclusion of dual band W-iFi.
The reception, as you’d expect, is excellent,
Video watching
The 5.5” screen and BoomSound speakers on
for... the Desire 820 are ideal for watching videos.