HTC Desire 820 Smartphone Review

1. Introduction2. Packaging and Bundle3. Design4. Display5. Software6. Performance7. Camera8. Battery9. Closing Thoughts10. View All Pages

After a thorough examination, it is safe to say HTC's Desire 820 did not quite live up to our expectations.

Things did not start too well, as for a phone costing £280, we would hope for a higher quality build than the glossy plastic finish the Desire 820 features – the OPPO R5 had a classy steel build, for instance. The phone, too, is over 10mm longer than other 5.5-inch devices.

The display is also lacking in quality. A 720p resolution falls well short of the standard set by the LG G3, which is now a similar price to the HTC smartphone. Brightness levels are also simply unacceptable.

HTC Sense also is another area that failed to dazzle, but it can get the basics done – which may be enough for some. We just felt the UI was in desperate need of some colour.

Performance is very good though, and is certainly the strongest aspect of the phone. The Desire 820 crunched through the benchmarks and did very well during everyday use. We simply question the inclusion of a 64-bit CPU when there is only 2GB RAM alongside it.

The 13MP camera did not seem to give as detailed images as the OPPO R5, and the camera app was very limited. It was a satisfactory camera for the price, but did not impress us as much as the shooter on the R5.

Battery life was simply woeful. It made using the phone for long periods very hard, and as the Desire 820 does not support fast-charging technology, there's no way around the problem posed by the insufficient battery.

As a result, we would recommend buying the OPPO R5 instead. A superior camera and build quality, as well as the vital fast-charging technology, make it the phone to beat at this price point.

The Desire 820 was certainly not a bad phone when taken on its own. When compared to the competition though, it does not quite make the cut. You can buy it from Carphone Warehouse for £279.99 inc VAT.

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Pros

• Strong performance.
• Large, if not FHD, display.

Cons

• Awful battery.
• Bigger than other 5.5-inch devices.
• Build quality wasn't quite there.
• Photos weren't as detailed as the competition.
• Clunky UI.

KitGuru says: If you are after a mid-range phone, you may want to keep looking. While the Desire 820 is not bad, it's not as good as the standard-setting OPPO R5.

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