Amidst the clutter of mid-range phablets available in India, the HTC Desire 816 stands out as a stylish option. Its dual-SIM capabilities along with CDMA / 3G support also makes it quite compelling. We've taken it through our review gauntlet to figure out how well it fares
2. Respectable specs inside a stylish phablet
• 5.5-inch, 720p display
• 1.6GHz quad-core
Snapdragon 400 processor
• 1.5GB of RAM and 8GB
expandable storage
• 13-megapixel primary
snapper with BSI sensor,
f/2.2, 28mm lens
• 5MP front camera
• Runs Android 4.4.2 KitKat
with Sense 6
• Dual-SIM (CDMA/3G +
GSM)
3. Style is its middle name
• Looks stylish
• Encased in plastic, but
doesn’t feel cheap
• A tad too large for a
5.5-inch phablet
• Available in black or
white
• Trademark BoomSound
speakers at front
• Glossy back, matte
spine
4. 720 reasons to love the display
• The 5.5-inch 720p Super LCD2 display offers a pixel density of
267ppi
• Seems low in terms of density, but outputs lovely visuals
• Colours look vibrant, the text looks sharp and everything from
media viewing to gaming gets a boost
• Good viewing angles and sunlight legibility too
5. Dumps UltraPixels in favour of 13 megapixels
• Not as feature-loaded as the
HTC One (M8)
• The shooter boasts modes
like continuous shot, HDR,
panorama, but no
background defocus, though
you can always use other
apps like Google Camera for
this
• Fair bit of creative control,
including filters, scene
presets, ISO, white balance
and exposure
6. And good images for a mid-ranger
• Churns out good
images, especially in
daylight
• The images retain a fair
degree of detail and
sharpness
• Low-lights shots,
though grainy, are
usable too
• Images shot with flash
don’t look unnatural
7. KitKat and Sense at the base
• Runs Android 4.4.2 KitKat with
HTC Sense 6
• Clean look and neat
typography
• No killer software features but
you do get BlinkFeed, the news
and social feed aggregator
• Vertically-scrolling app drawer
lets you hide/unhide apps, sort
them the way you want and
change grid size
• Dual network manager to
control the two SIMs
8. Smooth operator
• The 1.6GHz quad-core Snapdragon 400 processor mated to 1.5GB of RAM
keeps things fairly snappy. Routine tasks runs smoothly and without lag,
and even graphics-heavy games play quite well
• Connectivity options available include DLNA and USB. The device accepts
nano-SIMs in its two slots, with the first supporting CDMA and 3G, and
the second featuring GSM support
• Out of 8GB, a little less than half is available to use, though you can add
up to 128GB more via the microSD slot
9. Hardly a guzzler, this
• The sealed 2,600mAh
battery packs in enough
juice to last for a full day
comfortably even with
heavy usage
• Apart from the usual
battery saver, HTC has
also thrown in the
Extreme Power Saving
Mode for times when
you’re in a crunch
10. At a glance
• 5.5-inch, 1,280 x 720 display
• 13MP primary camera, 5MP
front shooter
• 1.6GHz quad-core Snapdragon
400 processor
• Adreno 305 graphics
• 1.5GB RAM, 8GB expandable
internal storage
• 2,600mAh battery
• Dual-SIM CDMA/3G + GSM, Wi-
Fi, Bluetooth 4.0, A-GPS, DLNA,
USB OTG
• Android 4.4.2 with Sense 6
11. -
• Large size could be
unwieldy for some
• Glossy plastic back
could be prone to
scratches
• No killer feature
Pros and cons
+
• Stylish looks
• Smooth
performance
• Supports CDMA on
the primary slot
• Capable snapper
• Very good battery
life
12. Price
Rs 24,500
Pricing and verdict
“The HTC Desire 816 is a surprise
package. While it lacks exciting
features and is tad too large, it looks
great, performs well, boasts a capable
snapper and good battery life. Amidst
the tough competition, it manages to
stand out as a compelling mid-ranger,
especially thanks to its dual-SIM
CDMA + GSM capabilities.”