HTC decided to quietly push out this handset here in Barcelona. No big launch, no explosions, just a funky mid-range handset. Well, three actually, but we’ll get to the other two in a minute. They all have an extremely similar design and this, the HTC Desire 530, packs a quad-core 1.1GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 210 CPU. The screen is a 5″ HD 720p Super LCD and it has 1.5GB of RAM (yes, one and a half) with 16GB of on-board storage with a microSD slot for more.
The usual specs are in play – Bluetooth 4.1, WiFi, NFC and GPS. It has an 8 megapixel f/2.4 aperture shooter at the back with a 5 megapixel unit up front. Both do HDR and the front one will do auto-selfies and voice-selfies. It has a 2200mAh battery and it’s powered by Android 6.0 with HTC Sense on top. We got a hands-on with it at the HTC stand. The company is already teasing the M10 but there’s no sign of that here in Spain.
There were two different versions on show – a darker one and a white one. Both had a cool paint-splatter effect and bright red power keys on the side with a good grip. They’re aimed squarely at the youth market by the look of it, and are mainly plastic so feel light in the hand. Here’s a look at it in video..
The HTC Desire 530 will be available from htc.com from March 2016. If you want to get your name down, head to this HTC webpage.
You may have also heard about the Desire 630 and Desire 825 too. When you look at them together they all look fairly similar. Here’s the Desire 825, which comes with front-mounted BoomSound speakers…
What’s the difference? Well, as the numbers increase, so does the spec level. The 530 and 630 have the same display, but the 630 has a faster CPU, more RAM, better cameras, Dolby Audio, dual SIM slot and a faster CPU. The 825 has a bigger (but same resolution) screen has the same 2GB RAM, Dolby Audio and cameras as the 630, but with those BoomSound speakers..
| HTC Desire 530 | HTC Desire 630 | HTC Desire 825 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Display | 5.0-inch Super LCD display 1280 x 720 resolution |
5.0-inch Super LCD display 1280 x 720 resolution |
5.5-inch Super LCD display 1280 x 720 resolution |
| Processor | 1.1GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 210 | 1.6GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 | 1.6GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 |
| RAM | 1.5GB | 2GB | 2GB |
| Storage | 16GB | 16BGB | 16BGB |
| MicroSD | Yes, up to 2TB | Yes, up to 2TB | Yes, up to 2TB |
| Connectivity | MicroUSB 2.0 Bluetooth 4.1 Wi-Fi: 802.11 b/g/n (2.4GHz) NFC (availability varies by region) |
MicroUSB 2.0 Bluetooth 4.1 Wi-Fi: 802.11 b/g/n (2.4GHz) |
MicroUSB 2.0 Bluetooth 4.1 Wi-Fi: 802.11 b/g/n (2.4GHz) |
| Cameras | 8MP rear camera 5MP front camera |
13MP rear camera 5MP front camera |
13MP rear camera 5MP front camera |
| Battery | Non-removable 2200mAh | Non-removable 2200mAh | Non-removable 2700mAh Fast charging |
| SIM | Nano SIM | Dual Nano SIM | Single/Dual Nano SIM |
| Sound | HTC BoomSound profile for headset | Hi-Res Audio certified HTC BoomSound profile for headset Dolby Audio 5 |
HTC BoomSound speakers Hi-Res Audio certified Dolby Audio 5 |
| Software | Android 6.0 Marshmallow with HTC Sense | Android 6.0 Marshmallow with HTC Sense | Android 6.0 Marshmallow with HTC Sense |
| Dimensions | 146.9 x 70.9 x 8.3mm 140g |
146.9 x 70.9 x 8.3mm 140g |
156.9 x 76.9 x 7.4mm 155g |
| Colors | Graphite Grey, Solid Stratus White | Stratus White Remix with duo color micro splash, Graphite Gray Remix with gold micro splash | Stratus White Remix with duo color micro splash, Graphite Gray Remix with gold micro splash |
We’re hoping to get hold of a Desire 530, which appears to be the only one heading to the UK, to review fairly soon.
