HTC Desire vs HTC Desire S
The world of mobile communications seems to change in the blink of an eye and before you know it, your trusty device is yesterday’s news. But is newer always better? Here, we compare the HTC Desire with its younger sibling, the Desire S, to find out.
Camera – These days, everyone wants the best camera possible integrated into their mobile phone to grab those photo opportunities whilst on the go. The Desire and the Desire S actually ship with an identical 5-megapixel snapper with autofocus and an LED flash which means that, in terms of hardware, they’re on par with each other. However, the Desire S comes with increased functionality through a software upgrade, allowing for touch-focus and image stabilisation, giving the newer handset the edge in terms of picture quality.
Winner – Desire S
Operation System – HTC has continued its successful and popular relationship with Google by using its ever popular Android operating system on both the Desire and the Desire S. However, whilst the Desire ships with Android 2.1 (Éclair) and is upgradeable to 2.2 (Froyo), the Desire S comes fully loaded with Android 2.3 (Gingerbread), a newer iteration of the OS, which features a number of tweaks and upgrades and will really bring out the best in any phone. It also ensures a certain amount of future-proofing for your handset, as you’ll want to have the best software possible at the time of purchase.
Winner – Desire S
Media – Both devices have large, vivid screens and what better way to take advantage of that than to utilise all of the media functions that these phones boast. They each have an FM radio with RDS, both play MP3, AAC , WAV andWMA9 right out-of-the-box, and have an integrated YouTube programme, which should keep you entertained with funny cats and fails for as long as you need it to. The Desire S does, however, sneak ahead again in this category as it also plays DivX and XviD, which is essential if you want to get as much as you can out of your portable media without having for fork out for third-party apps.
Winner – Desire S
Battery Life – It’s all very well having all of these functions, but if the devices don’t have a decent enough battery you’ll be in the red before you’ve even finished your commute and in this day and age being without your mobile is often a disaster. The HTC Desire comes with a 1400 mAh Li-Ion battery, which will afford you up to 360 hours of 3G standby, and six and a half hours of talk time. The Desire S has had a slight upgrade, to a 1430 mAh Li-Ion battery, which increases your standby time to 455 hours using 3G and seven hours and ten minutes of talk time. Obviously, given the choice, we’d go for bigger and better every time when it comes to battery.
Winner – Desire S
Power – This is the category that really sets the two devices apart. The HTC Desire came with a fairly impressive 576 MB RAM and 512 MB ROM, with a 1 GHz Scorpion processor, Adreno 200 GPU and Qualcomm QSD8250 Snapdragon chipset. The Desire S has been given a big power upgrade, with HTC packing in 1.1 GB ROM and 768 MB RAM, and although it had the same 1GHz processor, the Adreno 205 GPU and Qualcomm MSM8255 Snapdragon are an improvement on the original, making for smoother running and improved efficiency for the new kid.
Winner – Desire S
So there you have it, a complete whitewash, in favour of the HTC Desire S. The Desire is a worthy competitor, and will no doubt come down in price now that the Desire S is out, which means that it’s still a viable option for those wanting a decent and reliable handset. However, if it’s power and functionality that floats your boat, then the Desire S could be the device for you.