Taiwanese technology maker HTC has not been very happy with users lately and, as a result, is suffering losses. In the competitive environment of modern technology, Korean competitors occupy more winning positions. HTC is forced to go for regular experiments, one of which is the Desire V smartphone, which has dual SIM support.
However, the performance of this unit was not the best, especially against the background of its rather high price. Therefore, in 2012, the company introduced the new HTC Desire SV phone. It also supports two SIM cards and has much more attractive features, namely it has a larger screen, a powerful processor, as well as an increased amount of RAM.
Key Features of HTC Desire SV
The improved model is armed with a processor of greater performance (Snapdragon S4 Play), as well as a qualitatively new graphics core. The phone memory is 4 gigabytes and is distributed as follows:
- 256 MB - online cache;
- 1232 MB - user data memory;
- 1128 MB - internal memory of the smartphone;
- 958 MB - Android + Sense.
It remains incomprehensible to cut down the capabilities of the camera to the level of 800 x 480 (despite the fact that it is 8 megapixel). And this is against the background of the fact that the cheaper Fly IQ440 and Samsung Galaxy S Duos, which release was accompanied by a surge in marketing activity of the company, were preparing for release at that time.
Smartphone Design Solutions
In the following sections, we’ll take a closer look at HTC Desire SV. The review of the phone will most likely begin with its appearance. The official color of the smart is black, but there is also a brighter - orange case solution, which, along with the absence of such an option from competitors, plays into the hands of the Taiwanese manufacturer.
The design of HTC Desire SV does not stand out much: the corners are rounded, the side part is decorated with a trapezoid, the back side is convex. The front of the smartphone is made using tempered glass Gorilla Glass 2. At the top there is a slot for the speaker, as well as recesses for proximity sensors and lighting, as well as an event indicator. Below is the screen under which there are three active touch keys: “Application Manager”, “Home” and “Back”. The distance between them allows you to use them quite comfortably.
The left side of the smartphone is without keys, on the right is the two-way volume control key, which can be easily found thanks to the deepening in the center.
The bottom of the device contains a Micro-USB connector, which is also used to charge the device, as well as a microphone. The upper part is marked by a power button and a headphone jack. The power button does not fit well into the ergonomics of the device, since it is on the same level with the body, which can complicate its search.
All connectors and keys are located on graphite-colored plastic. The back panel of the phone is removable and made of soft-touch plastic. On top of it is an 8-megapixel camera and its LED flash. The logo of the manufacturer is located in the center of the smartphone, at the bottom are the openings of the multimedia speaker with the Beats Audio logo.
The cover is removed by prying around the Micro-USB-connector. With the back surface removed, you can install or replace MicroSD and SIM cards. If the decision to purchase a smartphone of this model has already been made, care should be taken to replace standard communication cards with microSIM cards. There is also a smaller battery with a capacity of 1620 mA / h compared to the model predecessor, which is rather strange considering the high power of the device and the presence of two SIM cards.
Phone screen
For a phone with a diagonal of 4.3 inches, a resolution of 480 x 800 seems insufficient, but its increase would have pulled the price of the device up, so, apparently, the manufacturer chose a compromise solution. The phone is very sensitive to touch due to the use of scratch-resistant high-quality glass Gorilla Glass.
Adequate color rendition Super LCD 2 display provides a natural and natural display of pictures and photographs. Using proximity sensors and brightness control sensors provides comfortable use of the device in various lighting conditions, however, under direct sunlight, the screen fades.
What were the results of a study of HTC Desire SV? The brightness characteristics were 298 cd / m2 and the contrast ratio was 900: 1. The color gamut completely covers the spectrum, and in some places exceeds it. At the same time, the shade is slightly chilly. That is why the display of the device in question looks advantageous in comparison with other exhibits of this class.
Smartphone performance
We can say with confidence that Taiwanese manufacturers have seriously approached the question of how to flash HTC Desire SV. That is why with the performance of this model, everything is fine. The return of the smartphone in the AnTuTu benchmark corresponds to the leader of the previous period LG Optimus 2X. Summing up, we can say that the smartphone in question almost twice as fast as its competitors.
Battery and hardware
The Qualcomm MSM8225 processor in this smartphone is dual-core with 768 MB of RAM. Own memory is 4 GB, of which 1 GB is used for data storage. The load to the internal memory also provides for the installation of microSD up to 32 GB. The new processor is characterized by significantly greater power characteristics compared to its predecessor, which affects the smoothness of the menu and the lack of braking and lags.
The battery with intensive use is quietly enough for one day of battery life. If the screen is constantly active, then the charge will last about 5 hours, which is pretty good for a gadget with a medium-capacity battery. This indicator is better than its predecessor.
The model is equipped with more modern than its predecessors, versions of Sense 4.1 and Android 4.0.4. But there are also flaws in the HTC Desire SV model. Phone settings do not include 3D widgets and complex (like the more expensive devices in the series) screen lock animations.
Along with this, one cannot fail to notice the convenience and aesthetic beauty of the smartphone screen, on which a variety of notifications and events accumulate, starting with unread messages and missed calls and ending with a calendar and hours. On the main screen, you can create shortcuts, as well as special widgets, for example, with the weather or the latest news. Also, in order to simplify the work with the gadget, you can configure "desktops" for yourself, create shortcuts for the most frequently used applications and programs on them, which, in turn, can be sorted into folders. If the standardized desktop device bothers and wants something new, you can download and install new styles and themes using the specialized section of HTC Hub.
Ease of use of SIM cards
The model was the first device on the market that uses two small microSIM cards. This is a general trend, but not all users are used to this standard. When rearranging cards, it is not necessary to restart the smartphone, it will immediately detect them.
The numbers displayed in the call log have an indicative mark that indicates which SIM card was used during the conversation. When dialing a number, a menu is also given for selecting a card priority for the call.
SIM cards are located under the removable panel. Moreover, one of them has the function of connecting to high-speed Internet 3G, the other is intended only for non-fast networks of the second generation.
An extra slot is turned off in the HTC Desire SV menu, you can rename the card, as well as select a priority for the Internet. Both SIM cards have the option to select a call, which greatly facilitates the specification of incoming messages. For SMS alerts, unfortunately, you can select only one ringtone for both cards. One radio module eliminates the possibility of simultaneous conversation on two SIMs.
The number of entries that can be entered in the phone book is unlimited and has several fields for contact information. The smartphone will store:
- name and surname of the subscriber;
- Phones
- Addresses
- Date of Birth;
- notes.
When you select a contact without going to another section, information about the date of the last call, and even the history of correspondence, becomes available.
Means of communication
The micro-USB connection device is combined with the charger connector and is located on the bottom of the device. From the opposite side there is an audio port for a headset and headphones. Wi-Fi 802.11n is also provided, which is used as an access point and modem. To connect to other devices and transfer data, you can still use Bluetooth 4.0.
Which camera is built into the smartphone?
The camera, unfortunately, is the HTC Desire SV weakness. Photos (both in cloudy weather and indoors) will slightly please the experienced eye. Based on this, the question arises about the advisability of using an 8-megapixel camera in the phone (maybe it was worth being limited to a 5-megapixel camera?). As for the video, you should once again think about the quality of the video recording: 800 x 480 for such a price is somehow not enough.
Media features
The smartphone is able to play a wide variety of formats, including MP4, 3G2, 3GP, AVI, 3GP, WMV. View files from the device’s memory almost instantly. A photo gallery leaves a good impression, which allows you to quickly view files, as well as take pictures with various effects.
The HTC Desire SV does not include an equalizer with a user settings function (only the Beats Audio automatic mode is available), but it works with any type of headphone.
Standard headphones will not please a true music lover, so it is advisable to replace them with more expensive counterparts. As for other media applications, it should be noted that the standard for the model are a voice recorder, radio and a program for recognizing songs by the sound series Soundhound.
To summarize
The Taiwanese company worked very well on the bugs, eliminating most of the shortcomings noted, while significantly increasing the price. Despite this, the model has good sales figures. You can buy it at a price of 6.5 thousand rubles. By and large, the smartphone has practically no serious shortcomings, with the exception of insufficient video quality. It can also confuse the quality of the display, namely viewing angles, but this is not the most important indicator of the smartphone. More significant flaws of HTC Desire SV were not found.
Pros and cons of the model
What attracted the attention of users in HTC Desire SV? Owner reviews contain a lot of useful information. Moreover, they reflect both positive and negative aspects of using this mobile device. So, the advantages of a smartphone include:
- Display screen size.
- Increased cache memory.
- Body material.
- Android 4.0
- HTC Sense 4.1.
- High performance.
- Long run time.
At the same time, some users did not like the following features:
- Not the best quality photos.
- Not high enough video recording quality.
- Limited viewing angles.
- The lack of an additional front camera.
We hope the article will help to make the right choice on the issue of acquiring a smartphone, the chosen model will bring many benefits and will facilitate work, leisure, communication and life in general.