HTC Desire S vs HTC Desire
When we hear the term 'smartphone' so often our thoughts are drawn to devices that are as beautifully crafted as they are powerful. Pocket computers that organise our day-to-day lives, keep us entertained and, above all else, keep us in touch with those that matter and no other company can be said to have personified these ideals more than Taiwan's HTC.
It's reputation for producing high-quality hardware has been justly earned and two of the company's finest creations, the HTC Desire, and newly unveiled HTC Desire S, offer everything a discerning smartphone could possibly want in a device, and more to boot.
But which of these two devices packs the biggest punch? Which offers the most value, the most power, the most personality? Does the original HTC Desire hold its own against its next-generation litter mate, or will it be forever condemned to live in the shadow if its successor? We aim to find out!
Drive-Train - There isn't much to separate these two devices when comparing their internals. Both Desire and Desire S come packing 1GHz Scorpion chipsets, though the newer Desire S, predictably, offers a newer version of the hardware and both offer a healthy amount of RAM though, again, the newer device includes just a little bit more with its offering of 768MB, compared to the original device's ample 576MB.
Similarly the HTC Desire S offers slightly more ROM, 1.1GB, compared to the Desire's 512MB, meaning that the newer hardware offers you more room to manoeuvre when installing apps and software. It's these slight improvements that tip the scale in favour of the Desire S for this round, but also show that the original Desire was, and still is, a device that ticks all the boxes.
Winner - HTC Desire S
Display - HTC have imbued both of these exceptional smartphones with 3.7-inch Super-LCD displays that offer good legibility, even under sunlight, do visual media justice, and offer responsive control of the device. There's not a lot more to be said for this round, as both devices are equally virtuous in the display stakes.
Winner - Tie
Optics - The original HTC Desire offers a solid, well performing 5-megapixel camera, which also features LED-flash, geo-tagging and autofocus. Results in good light are very pleasing, but the flash can sometimes wash a subject out in low-light, overall the camera is reliable and on par with the Desire's peers. The Desire S offers a similar 5-megapixel snapper, which again offers geo-tagging, autofocus and LED-flash, but adds to the feature set of its predecessor image stabilization, which makes for a far more productive experience when snapping off-the-cuff shots.
Both devices offer 720P movie capture too, so you can capture all of your favourite moments and use them later to blackmail your friends! The image stabilization may not be a ground-breaking feature, but it is significant enough to win the Desire S this round, as it makes using the device, especially single-handed, to take snaps a much more pleasant experience.
Winner - HTC Desire S
Software - Both devices utilise Google's popular Android operating system, which is a highly usable and responsive smartphone platform. The original Desire operates on version 2.2 of the software, while the Desire S runs on the newest iteration, version 2.3, which offers numerous bug-fixes, speed enhancements, graphical improvements and stability fixes.
Both devices also boast HTC's excellent Sense UI overlay, which makes Android eminently more usable with widgets and social networking integration. There is no word yet whether HTC plans on upgrading the original device to Android version 2.3, so we can't comment on the future so, for now at least, the Desire S is the victor in this round.
Winner - HTC Desire S
Build - HTC's reputation for building stellar devices will not be tarnished by these two smartphones. Both are hugely impressive pieces of kit, which feel balanced in the hand, light enough to be comfortable yet heavy enough to feel premium and are constructed of the highest grade of materials available.
The Desire S does weigh in 5g lighter than the Desire, at 130g, but that won't make or break anyone's decision in our opinion. Nor will the minor differences in size between the Desire S (115 x 59.8 x 11.6 mm) and the Desire (119 x 60 x 11.9 mm). Simply put, they are both premium smartphones that feel, act and look the part. We love them both.
Winner - Tie
So it's a narrow win for the newer HTC Desire S, a device which isn't so much a re-invention as a re-dux of the original Desire which was, and still is, a great looking, powerful smartphone. As we've noted with other upgraded devices, the introduction of a newer, more powerful device, will likely mean huge savings can be had in acquiring the older hardware, so keep your eyes skinned for our super deals on the HTC Desire. But if you're looking to upgrade, the Desire S will not disappoint. It's a worthy successor to a truly remarkable piece of hardware.