HTC Desire S review

Product HTC Desire S
Website http://www.htc.com
Specifications 1GHz processor, 768MB RAM, 1.1GB storage, 3.7-inch 480x800 display, 5MP rear and VGA front cameras, Android 2.3 Gingerbread, HTC Sense 2.1, 59.8x115x11.63mm, 130g.
Price £399 SIM free

TAIWANESE PHONE MAKER HTC's follow-up to the popular Desire smartphone is the Desire S running Android 2.3 Gingerbread and HTC's Sense 2.1 overlay interface with improved efficiency and some interface updates.

The most obvious difference between the Desire S and the original Desire is the look of the phone. HTC has replaced the four physical buttons with four touch-sensitive buttons below the screen, while the optical tracker found on the Desire has been ditched entirely.

Integrating the buttons into the screen area and ditching the frankly unnecessary optical tracker makes the phone look more slick and finished than the original Desire.

The aluminium uni-body design looks nice and also makes the phone rigid and durable. However the small removable panel on the rear to access the battery, SIM and micro SD slot is plastic and somewhat fiddly to remove.

The screen is the same size as the original Desire at 3.7-inch with 480x800 resolution. The Super LCD touchscreen is a good size and the resolution means that graphics and text are crisp. Although the display has good brightness it isn't as bright as those of other handsets on the market.

The Desire S is a slightly trimmer model than the original Desire at 11.63mm thick and 130g. This is not a noticeable difference though, cut down by only 0.3mm and 5g.

There is no upgrade in processor speed with the Desire S, sticking at 1GHz, although the chip is new and has supposedly improved performance. HTC has, however, upgraded the RAM from 576MB to 768MB along with doubling the internal storage to 1.1GB. The internal storage can, of course, be expanded with a card in the microSD slot.

We found the performance of the phone was great, especially around the home screens and menus. It copes with general navigation around the phone easily and smoothly and the device can run multiple applications without any noticeable negative effect on the performance.

The speed and performance of the phone is mainly due to the upgrade in Android, with such a small change in hardware. The Desire S runs Android 2.3 Gingerbread out of the box, which is not only faster and more efficient as an operating system but has some handy extra features too.

The standout change for us is the keyboard, which on the original Desire was frustrating. The redesigned keyboard has reshaped and repositioned keys make typing faster and more accurate. Advanced text selecting, copy and pasting, and cursor placement through the use of a magnified version of the text much like the Iphone's are welcome additions.