HTC Desire X

Do you remember the HTC One X? It’s a lovely smartphone, but like any premium handset it makes heavy demands on your wallet. So what if you want its classy design, HTC-specific features and smooth performance, but can’t afford the outlay? Well, then there’s the HTC Desire X.

HTC Desire X Design
For a mid-range phone, the Desire X is pretty impressive in some regards, and a little disappointing in others. Design is definitely one of the plus-points: this is one stylish device. In fact, we might even go so far as to say that it’s more attractive than the One X, even if the differences are fairly subtle.

Whether you go for the black or white version, the HTC Desire X comes with a ceramic-like matt case, which looks and feels great. Along with the phone’s ergonomic contours, it provides good grip and prevents fingerprints too. We’re only a bit worried that the white model might pick up smudges and dirt, so it may still be a little high-maintenance.

Around the HTC Desire X’s screen is a double bezel that’s a little glossier, contrasting nicely with the overall finish. The white model, meanwhile, adds a touch of colour with a blue border around the rear camera.

A range of first-party covers can add a little extra flair and protection. The Desire X covers, with bubbly holes to let the phone’s own back peek through, are strong and fit seamlessly.

HTC Desire X Design Build
Build quality on this handset is impeccable. Not only does the Desire X feel very solid, but there’s not a hint of unwanted flex or creak and none of the plastics used feel cheap.

It also looks like a true unibody design, though with a little effort you can peel the rear cover off to add a memory card or change the SIM and battery. Frankly, the Desire X’s build and feel puts a few higher-end smartphones to shame.

HTC Desire X Specs
The Desire X sports some impressive specs for its intended price range. The star of the show is a dual-core, 1GHz Snapdragon S4 CPU, which is backed by the same slightly odd 768MB of RAM we’ve seen on other HTC devices – just give us 1GB already.

Performance from this Qualcomm-based SoC is pretty decent, providing a smooth experience in ICS (Ice Cream Sandwich, or Android 4.0). The Desire X should be seeing an update to Jelly Bean (Android 4.1) too.

The phone comes with 4GB of RAM, which is fully expandable using a microSD card slot. This is actually a pretty significant advantage over HTC’s top-of-the-line One X, which doesn’t let you add a card at all. You also get 25GB free on Dropbox for two years.

Another major plus over its premium cousin is the Desire X’s removable battery, which comes in at 1,600mAh.

HTC Desire X Screen
Here’s where we have our first disappointment: the Desire X’s 4-inch screen only offers a 480 x 800 resolution, not even the qHD seen on some rivals. Compared to the HTC One X’s HD Ready/720p resolution, this is rather a let-down, but it’s not unexpected – remember that this is a budget handset, after all.

On the other hand, it did manage to look fairly sharp and bright with good viewing angles, and the same optical lamination tech seen on the One X helps to cut down on reflections.

HTC Desire X Audio
Another nice touch the Desire X shares with the One X is its Beats audio branding. Not that we care about the brand name, but this does mean the handset is HD voice compliant, has enhanced Bluetooth stereo quality, and a little extra juice into its headphone jack.

HTC Desire X Camera
The Desire X’s rear shooter is a 5MP affair with a 28mm, fast F2.0 lens, up to 2fps, and variable LED flash. By affordable smartphone standards that’s a pretty good setup for taking photos, and the few test shots we tried came out well.

Unfortunately video didn’t get much love, as the Desire X can only shoot in SD – that’s right, no 720p or 1080p… This, along with its screen resolution, are the main reasons you really may wish to save up for a One series.

HTC Desire X Final Thoughts
An exact price for the Desire X hasn’t been confirmed, but given HTC is positioning it at the lower end of the market, it certainly looks and feels more premium than many of its competitors. We’ll have to see just how it holds up when it’s launched in mid-September.