The first thing we noticed about the product design is the bright white-and-blue colour scheme. The white really stands out, so if you like to be noticed this could be the phone to get.
Other than the phone being very large, the build quality is worth mentioning. While it does not necessarily feel cheap, the white plastic is glossy and fairly light for the size – 155g. This can be off-putting for some, as it is not a premium build like the metal One M9.
Another point worth mentioning is the curved edges of the Desire 820. We find these are very tasteful, and are certainly not dissimilar to the iPhone 6's design. With a blue rim running around the front edge, it really is a sleek and attractive phone.
As with many HTC devices, there are stereo speakers included at the top and bottom edges of the phone. While these do give good performance, they mean the phone is longer than many other 5.5-inch handsets – 157.7mm long. The LG G3 is 146.3mm long in comparison.
The thickness of the phone is also of note. Coming in at just 7.7mm thick, this is very impressive for a larger phone. The aforementioned G3, for instance, is chunkier at 8.9mm thick.
Overall, though, it is a beautiful phone, but perhaps not one for the introverts as it is quite bold. If you do not mind a phone that is not very pocket-friendly, it looks the part.