Amidst the clutter of mid-range phablets available in India, the HTC Desire 816 stands out as a stylish option. Its dual-SIM capabilities along with CDMA / 3G support also makes it quite compelling. We've taken it through our review gauntlet to figure out how well it fares

1. HTC
Desire
816
Review in
pictures

2. Respectable specs inside a stylish phablet
• 5.5-inch, 720p display
• 1.6GHz quad-core
Snapdragon 400 processor
• 1.5GB of RAM and 8GB
expandable storage
• 13-megapixel primary
snapper with BSI sensor,
f/2.2, 28mm lens
• 5MP front camera
• Runs Android 4.4.2 KitKat
with Sense 6
• Dual-SIM (CDMA/3G +
GSM)

3. Style is its middle name
• Looks stylish
• Encased in plastic, but
doesn’t feel cheap
• A tad too large for a
5.5-inch phablet
• Available in black or
white
• Trademark BoomSound
speakers at front
• Glossy back, matte
spine

4. 720 reasons to love the display
• The 5.5-inch 720p Super LCD2 display offers a pixel density of
267ppi
• Seems low in terms of density, but outputs lovely visuals
• Colours look vibrant, the text looks sharp and everything from
media viewing to gaming gets a boost
• Good viewing angles and sunlight legibility too

5. Dumps UltraPixels in favour of 13 megapixels
• Not as feature-loaded as the
HTC One (M8)
• The shooter boasts modes
like continuous shot, HDR,
panorama, but no
background defocus, though
you can always use other
apps like Google Camera for
this
• Fair bit of creative control,
including filters, scene
presets, ISO, white balance
and exposure

6. And good images for a mid-ranger
• Churns out good
images, especially in
daylight
• The images retain a fair
degree of detail and
sharpness
• Low-lights shots,
though grainy, are
usable too
• Images shot with flash
don’t look unnatural

7. KitKat and Sense at the base
• Runs Android 4.4.2 KitKat with
HTC Sense 6
• Clean look and neat
typography
• No killer software features but
you do get BlinkFeed, the news
and social feed aggregator
• Vertically-scrolling app drawer
lets you hide/unhide apps, sort
them the way you want and
change grid size
• Dual network manager to
control the two SIMs

8. Smooth operator
• The 1.6GHz quad-core Snapdragon 400 processor mated to 1.5GB of RAM
keeps things fairly snappy. Routine tasks runs smoothly and without lag,
and even graphics-heavy games play quite well
• Connectivity options available include DLNA and USB. The device accepts
nano-SIMs in its two slots, with the first supporting CDMA and 3G, and
the second featuring GSM support
• Out of 8GB, a little less than half is available to use, though you can add
up to 128GB more via the microSD slot

9. Hardly a guzzler, this
• The sealed 2,600mAh
battery packs in enough
juice to last for a full day
comfortably even with
heavy usage
• Apart from the usual
battery saver, HTC has
also thrown in the
Extreme Power Saving
Mode for times when
you’re in a crunch

10. At a glance
• 5.5-inch, 1,280 x 720 display
• 13MP primary camera, 5MP
front shooter
• 1.6GHz quad-core Snapdragon
400 processor
• Adreno 305 graphics
• 1.5GB RAM, 8GB expandable
internal storage
• 2,600mAh battery
• Dual-SIM CDMA/3G + GSM, Wi-
Fi, Bluetooth 4.0, A-GPS, DLNA,
USB OTG
• Android 4.4.2 with Sense 6

11. -
• Large size could be
unwieldy for some
• Glossy plastic back
could be prone to
scratches
• No killer feature
Pros and cons
+
• Stylish looks
• Smooth
performance
• Supports CDMA on
the primary slot
• Capable snapper
• Very good battery
life

12. Price
Rs 24,500
Pricing and verdict
“The HTC Desire 816 is a surprise
package. While it lacks exciting
features and is tad too large, it looks
great, performs well, boasts a capable
snapper and good battery life. Amidst
the tough competition, it manages to
stand out as a compelling mid-ranger,
especially thanks to its dual-SIM
CDMA + GSM capabilities.”