Vive isn't the only thing HTC has been working on lately. HTC announced that it will release four new feature-rich HTC Desire smartphones in the U.S.
With these new smartphones, HTC aims to give customers a wide selection of color, size and features. These phones also allow HTC to better compete in the highly competitive middle- and low-end smartphone markets.
The HTC Desire 626 and HTC Desire 626s will both feature 5-inch screens and will be available in dual color combinations, including Marshmallow White, Gray Lava, Blue Lagoon, Marine White and White Birch. The smaller HTC Desire 526 and Desire 520 smartphones feature 4.7- and 4.5-inch screens, respectively. They also feature fewer color options compared to the other smartphones, with the Desire 526 only available in Stealth Black and the HTC Desire 520 only in Steel Gray.
For the internal hardware, the Desire 626 utilizes a Qualcomm Snapdragon 210, a Cortex-A7 quad-core SoC running at 1.1 GHz with Adreno 304 GPU. The phone also utilizes a 720p display, 16 GB internal storage, 1.5 GB RAM, and a 2,000 mAh battery.
One of the areas in which the phone sacrifices the most to save costs is the rear camera, which is only 8MP. Although it should suffice for everyday pictures, it is far below what you would see on a high-end smartphone today. The front camera is a more reasonable 5MP, which is fairly common for mid-range phones.
The HTC Desire 526 isn't all that different from the Desire 626, utilizing the same SoC, same size battery, same amount of RAM and 8MP rear camera. Because this is supposed to be a cheaper, lower-end device, HTC saved costs by reducing the internal storage to 8 GB, dropping the front camera down to 2MP, and reducing the screen to a 4.7-inch (960 x 540) display.
For the other two phones, we don't have full specs. We do know that all of the smartphones are LTE compatible and share the same 2,000 mAh battery camera and 8MP rear cameras across the full line. The Desire 626s also features the front-facing 5MP camera and a 720p display, while the Desire 520 carriers over the 2MP front camera, similar to the Desire 526.
Users can expect to find several of HTC's proprietary applications, such as HTC Themes for changing the look of applications, HTC Sense Home for monitoring your location, and HTC BlinkFeed for finding restaurants and other attractions near you.
| Header Cell - Column 0 | Desire 626s | Desire 626 | Desire 526 | Desire 520 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SoC | N/A | Qualcomm Snapdragon 210 | Qualcomm Snapdragon 210 | N/A |
| Clock Speed | N/A | 1.1 GHz | 1.1 GHz | N/A |
| GPU | N/A | Adreno 304 | Adreno 304 | N/A |
| RAM | N/A | 1.5 GB | 1.5 GB | N/A |
| Storage | N/A | 16 GB | 8 GB | N/A |
| Display | 5.0-inch (1280 x 720) | 5.0-inch (1280 x 720) | 4.7-inch (960 x 540) | 4.5-inch |
| Battery | 2000 mAh | 2000 mAh | 2000 mAh | 2000 mAh |
| Front Camera | 8MP | 8MP | 8MP | 8MP |
| Rear Camera | 5MP | 5MP | 2MP | 2MP |
Although there currently isn't any pricing information, we don't expect to see these phones selling for more than $250. Compared to the company's HTC Desire 816, which currently sells for between $150 and $250 from various online retailers, these phones feature smaller screens, lesser hardware, and lower-resolution cameras. We'll learn more when the phones land on the market several months from now.
Update, 7/15/15, 5:15pm PT: The Canucks among us want to be sure that we note that the HTC Desire 626s will be available in the Great White North on Bell, Videotron, Virgin and WIND Mobile. The Canadian version will be available in gray, and carrier-specific pricing and availability information will be coming out in the next few weeks.
Follow Michael Justin Allen Sexton @LordLao74. Follow us @tomshardware, on Facebook and on Google+.
