HTC is taking a different approach to this year's mid-range Desire phones. They're decidedly less modest.
With the new Desire 530, 630, and 825 phones unveiled at Mobile World Congress, HTC is deploying what it calls a micro splash design. We call the look sparkly. HTC says the look comes from the use of spray nozzles using different settings of pressure and paint viscosity. It's the design @evleaks leaked earlier today.
The provided press image was spot on. All three of these devices are polycarbonate with rear cameras in the upper corner, zigzagging speaker grills, and holes in the back for a phone lanyard. And each one is particularly sparkly.
The Desire 530 comes with a Snapdragon 210, while the two higher models sport the 400. The low-end model has 1.5GB of RAM versus 2GB on the other two. It also has an 8MP rear shooter compared to the 13MP. All three have a 5MP front-facing camera and 16GB of internal memory supplemented by a microSD card slot.
The 530 and 630 have 5.0 inch screens, while the 825 is a larger device with a 5.5-inch display. All have the same 720p screen resolution, and all three will show you HTC Sense running atop Android 6.0. The 630 and 825 have BoomSound and Hi-Res earphones.
The phones will begin hitting retailers and HTC.com starting next month. Prices and availability remain to be seen.
PRESS RELEASE
STREETWEAR FASHION SPARKS DESIGN FOR LATEST HTC SMARTPHONES
Unique micro splash effect launches a new look for the Desire range
Barcelona, Mobile World Congress, February 21, 2016 – With the ambition of creating one-of-a-kind devices, HTC today lifted the lid on its latest smartphones. Inspired by urban street wear, the design of the three newest editions to the Desire range – the HTC DesireTM 530, 630 and 825 - bridge the gap between fashion and consumer electronics. Using a specially created micro splash effect on the polycarbonate shell, every single phone is both personal and unique.
Standing out - From Fashion to Phones
Playing to people’s personal tastes, their desire to be different and the fact that smartphones are now as much of a fashion accessory as they are a personal hub, HTC’s design team employed a paint process that treats each phone as a canvas. Utilizing specially designed spray nozzles and different settings of pressure and paint viscosity, they were able create an object that not only looks different, but that looks like nothing else on the market.
Coming in a choice of colors - Stratus White Remix with duo color micro splash and Graphite Gray Remix with gold micro splash for the Desire 630 and 825, and Graphite Grey and Solid Stratus White block colors for the Desire 530, these phones deliver something personal for everyone.
Knowing that people like to customize their style and stay ahead of the trends, our design experts also created two-tone snap on cases that split into parts, a lanyard inspired by hand straps on bags and over 25,000 themes that enable you to change your device’s color scheme and background based on your favorite photos.
“HTC has built its reputation on pairing industry-leading design with smart features”, said Chialin Chang, President of Sales, HTC. “But with customers also seeking personalization, and individuality in addition to treating their phones as fashion accessories, we have needed to create something different. So today we’re launching the most unique Desire devices yet.”
Sound as it should be heard
But it’s not just about design. Sound is also incredibly important and, whilst music choice is incredibly personal, the demand for high quality audio is shared. Both the Desire 630 and 825 are Hi-Res Audio certified and feature HTC’s revolutionary BoomSound with Dolby Audio™ technology. Combined with audio playback, that is four times more detailed than CD quality, you are guaranteed a richer and more dynamic music experience. In select regions, the Desire 630 and Desire 825 will also come bundled with a Hi-Res headset that delivers higher fidelity music straight out of the box.
With young people predicted to take up to 25,000 selfies in their lifetime, imaging quality also needs to hit the mark and so these phones have been specifically designed with a 5MP front facing camera and Auto Selfie and Voice Selfie Modes, that allow you to snap away without pressing a button. The integration of Live Make-Up on the Desire 630 and 825 ensures that your can touch up your face so that it always looks as good as your phone.
Precision engineering continues with an 8MP rear camera on the HTC Desire 530, a 13MP on the Desire 630 and Desire 825 and built-in BSI sensors that increase the amount of light captured, giving you great images whatever time of day. Additional features like burst shot and sweep panorama allow you to freeze movement and create professional looking landscape photos, with Google Photos providing an ideal storage facility for your pictures and videos.
With a phone that makes you stand out from the crowd, you want to feel as good as you look. Integrated into the Desire 825, is HTC Sensor Hub – a feature that lets you keep tabs on your wellbeing. Always on, HTC Sensor Hub records your activity, gestures and dynamic movement, providing real-time stats that can be automatically linked to some of the most popular fitness tracking applications, including Runtastic Running & Fitness, Runkeeper, Endomondo Running and Walking, and Google Fit.
The HTC Desire 530, 630 and 825 will begin rolling out both at retailers and at htc.com, from March 2016. Check with your individual market for exact dates.