HTC Desire 820 Quick Specs
Display Size: 5.5 Inch HD Super LCD 2, 1280 x 720, 267 ppi, Gorilla Glass 3Processor: 1.5 GHz cortex A53 quad Core + 1 GHz Cortex A53 quad Core 64 bit Snapdragon 615, Adreno 405 GPURAM: 2 GBSoftware Version: Android 4.4.4 Kitkat with HTC Sense 6.0 on topCamera: 13 MP BSI Sensor, LED flash, F2.2, 1080p Video Recording at 30 fpsSecondary Camera: 8 MP, f2.8 aperture, wide angle lens, Full HD video chattingInternal Storage: 16 GBExternal Storage: MicroSD support up to 128 GBBattery: 2600 mAhConnectivity: HSPA+, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.0 with A2DP, aGPS, GLONASSsensors: Accelerometer, proximity, compass, Ambient light Sensor
HTC Desire 820 India Hands on, Review, Camera, Features, Price and Overview HD [Video]
Design, Build and Display
The base design remains same as the Desire 816, but the dual shot styling does make a well pronounced difference. The improvement in button layout is again a relief. The power button has been shifted below volume rocker and is more easily accessible. The second color accent makes the phone look cooler than Desire 816 and 816G.
The large 5.5 inch SLCD 2 Display has 720p HD resolution. The resolution doesn’t seem scanty on the large and vibrant display. HTC is using the same display panel as Desire 816 which we liked. Viewing angles, brightness and colors are all very good.
Processor and RAM
The Desire 820 is the first Android smartphone with 64 bit Snapdragon 615 octa core SoC. The chipset is based on big.LITTLE configuration with 4 Cortex A53 cores clocked at 1.5 GHz and other 4 at 1 GHz. The chipset is aided by 2 GB RAM and better Adreno 405 GPU.
So mostly the OS will treat it as a quad core device, but the chipset can have all 8 cores active if load demands it. The Cortex A53 cores are 64 bit equivalent of Cortex A7, based on ARMv8 architecture ditching the age old ARMv7 in 32 bit cores. The Cortex A53 is expected to be much more power efficient and faster than Cortex A7, even while running 32 bit code. Android won’t support 64 bit computing till the arrival of Android L, and HTC promises a timely Android L upgrade.
Camera and Internal Storage
The Camera module which was a highlight of Desire 816 remains unchanged. HTC is providing the same 13 MP BSI Sensor F2.2 aperture unit with 28 mm lens capable of full HD video recording. It is a good 13 MP camera which can click decent low light images.
Internal storage is 16 GB out of which only 9 GB is available at user end. There is also option for MicroSD expansion up to 128 GB. Unlike HTC Desire 816G, apps can’t be transferred to SD card.
User Interface and Battery
HTC Desire 820 is running Android 4.4.4 Kitkat with HTC Sense 6 UI on top and since Android won’t support 64 bit computing till arrival of Android L, HTC will update Desire 820 to Android L shortly after its launch. With HTC Sense 6 UI on top, you won’t notice much of material design and other changes in Android L. However, Sense 6 UI is one of the best, light and feature rich Android Skins out there.
HTC is using the same 2600 mAh battery across all Desire 816 refreshed lineup. Since the chipset is based on ARMv8 architecture, it is expected to be significantly more power efficient. It would be interesting to compare battery backup across Desire 820, Desire 816G, Desire 816 and Desire 820q – each of which incorporates different chipset, keeping other stuff constant.
HTC Desire 820 Photo Gallery
Conclusion
HTC Desire 820 will start retailing in November and it will be a whole different scenario by then. The Desire 820 is definitely a welcome improvement, but will HTC manage to price it right? Since we also have a slightly low cost Snapdragon 410 variant in line, we are guessing this might launch somewhere around 27K or more. This might make it a little bit difficult for it to replicate the success of Desire 816 in markets like India.
