What htc desire 601 looks like. Hardware and operating system

The Taiwanese company HTC needs no introduction - it is one of the leading smartphone manufacturers that has long earned an excellent reputation. The Desire 601 model, kindly provided to us by the Yulmart cybermarket, belongs to the mid-budget Desire series, just like the HTC Desire 300 that was in the laboratory.

The hero of the review is the older model in its line (for now, its successor with index 610 has already been announced). For a price of around 10,000 rubles, we are offered a smartphone with a 4.5" diagonal screen and qHD resolution (960 x 640), built on the Snapdragon 400 SoC, has two front stereo speakers and supports networks fourth generation LTE.

Specifications

The combination of characteristics is interesting (if not peculiar). In addition to what has already been listed, we also note support for memory cards and not the worst battery capacity; but at the same time – not very “advanced” cameras, especially the front one.

The smartphone also comes in a dual-SIM version. Such a smartphone will cost 500–1000 rubles more. For those who need it - a good assortment offer. But during testing we had a regular, single-SIM version.

Let's start our review of HTC Desire 601, as usual, with packaging and delivery.

Packaging and equipment

HTC Desire 601 comes in a fairly large square white box made of thin but dense cardboard.

The front side of the package shows the smartphone itself; the back side of the package contains information about the characteristics and configuration of the device in Russian. Separate inscriptions notify us that the packaging is environmentally friendly, and the inscriptions and images on it are printed with soy ink.

Inside, the first thing we are greeted with is the smartphone itself in shipping plastic.

And all the included accessories are hidden underneath. HTC Desire 601 comes with:

• Charger (TC E250, 100–240 V, 50/60 Hz, 0.2 A; 5 V, 1.0 A);
• Micro-USB cable;
• A simple wired stereo headset;
• Quick user guide and warranty card.

The equipment of the device is not particularly rich, but everything you need is present. This means that the main thing here is the smartphone itself. Well, the HTC Desire 601 test will show everything.

Appearance and design

The smartphone is made in a classic form factor - a candy bar with touch screen. Its dimensions by the standards of modern shovel-like flagships can be called quite acceptable: 134.5 x 66.7 x 9.9 mm. The same applies to the mass - 130 g.

In terms of design, the “mid-range” tries to resemble the flagship - HTC One. And, I must say, he does it well. The smartphone looks very neat, although its body is made entirely of plastic.

Front inserts above and below the screen are finished in brushed metal; and the back cover and sides have a soft-touch coating.

The device is not distinguished by either particularly narrow frames or any record-breaking modest thickness. But thanks not to myself big screen, convenient shape and tenacious plastic make it comfortable to hold, and the grip is reliable. Yes, and it’s quite possible to operate a smartphone with one hand if you wish.

Another advantage of such a case is that it gets dirty less: the cover of the HTC Desire 601 collects fingerprints, but they are not too noticeable and can be easily removed.

With the screen coating, everything is as good as it can be with glass: there is an oleophobic coating and it copes with its duties normally; if you wipe it regularly, there will be no problems. Corning glass protects the screen Gorilla Glass 2.

HTC Desire 601 is available in three colors: black, white and red. We received a black smartphone for testing.

On the front side at the top there are: a speaker behind a large grid of holes in the case, light and proximity sensors, front-camera and LED indicator.

The latter - the scourge of all HTCs since the One X - is hidden under the speaker grille, which is why it is not visible from any angle. And then the brightness of the LED failed.

For example, in the photo above it is actually on fire, but it is impossible to notice it from this angle. The indicator becomes visible only if you hover directly over the smartphone:

The LED glows orange continuously when connected. charger, and with new notifications it blinks green. The indicator is customizable: in the HTC Sense menu you can choose which events it will notify the smartphone owner about.

The earpiece also serves as a calling speaker - and is duplicated at the bottom by another one of the same type. Above the latter there is a block of two touch keys “Home” and “Back” - to the right and left of the central manufacturer logo. Here again is a repetition of an unsuccessful solution, this time appearing in HTC One. Design-by-design, but the “Menu” button on the front panel is different more needed than a logo brands. The two keys that are there please with good sensitivity, but the backlight could be brighter and more uniform.

On the back of the smartphone at the top there is a peephole for the five-megapixel main camera and a single LED flash. Why the designers decided to focus on the lens, highlighting it with a wide rim, is a mystery, since the smartphone cannot boast of outstanding characteristics in this regard.

In the center is a large, but very neatly executed and not conspicuous HTC logo.

On the left side of the Desire 601 there are separate volume keys.

The right one is empty - the power/lock button, by analogy with some other smartphones from the manufacturer, is located on top. Many people criticize HTC for this, but I personally don’t find this button placement inconvenient. Unlike the absence of a third key on the front panel and the unsuccessful implementation of the indicator, we will not write this down as a design flaw.

Otherwise, everything is standard: 3.5 mm jack on top, Micro-USB port on bottom end devices.

The build quality is excellent: before reading the instructions, I generally had the feeling that the device was not disassembled - the back cover was so tightly fitted to the body. True, this is a double-edged sword: removing the back cover here is an extremely non-trivial process. You can get the hang of it, but, for example, I wouldn’t recommend trying to open the back cover with frozen hands in the cold - this risks breaking the phone.

In calm conditions, it is enough to carefully pry it near the Micro-USB connector, and the cover snaps off. Under it there is a battery with a capacity of 2100 mAh (3.8 V, 7.98 W), a slot for Micro-SIM cards and a microSD card slot.

Otherwise, I repeat, the quality of assembly and materials does not cause the slightest criticism: everything is done very well, without a single hint of play, without extraneous creaks - the performance here is almost better than that of the flagships of the HTC One series.

The smartphone looks great and fits comfortably in the hand. But with technical characteristics everything is not so good. Let's start testing from the screen.

Design and controls

The body of the HTC Desire 601 is made of high-quality soft-touch plastic that is pleasant to the touch, which, among other things, does not leave fingerprints. The sides of the smartphone, as well as the protection of the stereo speakers, are made of metal painted in the color of the smartphone. The similarities with the models of the HTC One line are obvious: the location of the proximity and light sensors, a grid of stereo speakers, and only two touch keys. Under the top speaker grille there is an LED indicator, which is sorely lacking in brightness. By the way, you can notice that it is working only if you turn the smartphone at a certain angle.

At the top end there is a power key — the good old Nokia trick, completely irrelevant for new generation smartphones. Next to it is a mini-jack and MicroUSB connector. Volume buttons are on the right side of the smartphone, while the left one remains empty. With dimensions of 134x66.7x9.88 mm and a weight of only 130 grams, the functional buttons could be located more conveniently, but it is what it is. The build quality of the smartphone is quite high, but when you lightly press the left side of the back cover, it begins to squeak and “lobble” noticeably.

Display and camera

The 4.5″ display of the HTC Desire 601 operates on an IPS matrix and has a resolution of 960×540, which is standard for smartphones with screens of this size. The oleophobic coating should theoretically help to easily clean the screen from “fingers,” but in practice, it’s nothing like that. It will take a lot of time to bring your smartphone into adequate shape. The minimum brightness is only 15 cd/m², but this is unexpectedly enough even for comfortable use of some functions of the HTC Desire 601 in pitch darkness.

The display of this model has one pronounced drawback - uneven backlighting. You can notice this when using a smartphone in the dark - “lights” are formed in places where the touch keys are illuminated, especially pronounced on dark background. During the day this defect is invisible. The screen copes well with bright sunlight, but reading a book may not be very easy at midday.

Main HTC camera The 5 MP Desire 601 is made using a BSI sensor with an f/2.0 aperture. It is even more strange that the quality of the photographs is frankly below average. HTC apparently still believes that the camera is far from the most important thing in modern smartphone. There’s nothing to say about the 0.3 MP front camera - it’s good for Skype, and only if you can’t sit down at a computer.

"Iron" and operating system

OS Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean does not add any market advantage to the HTC Desire 601, as it is slowly but surely starting to become obsolete. But things are even worse with HTC’s own Sense 5.0 shell, which contains the obligatory non-deletable Blink Feed — from not the newest, but quite familiar operating system Google systems only “horns and legs” remained.

Immediately after unlocking the smartphone, it is automatically redirected to the Blink Feed, which is not possible to refuse. So every time you want to make a call, you will have to contemplate the icons of popular social networks. Additionally, you can also select news feeds that will broadcast the latest events every time you turn on the device.

The basis for the smartphone is a dual-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 processor with a power of 1.4 GHz - it doesn’t slow down, but if you put it next to the HTC One Max, the difference is felt. The Adreno 305 graphics accelerator can handle most of the games on the market, but it is inferior to the accelerator presented in the same One Max. Built-in memory is only 8 GB, of which only 4.5 GB is free. But don’t rush to write off the smartphone—unlike the One Mini, this one at least has a memory card slot.

Pros of HTC Desire 601

• High-quality case materials;
• Stereo speakers;
• Normal display.

Cons of HTC Desire 601

• Bad cameras;
• Shell for Android;
• Power key location;
• Glare due to sensors.

Since the HTC Desire 601 is a smartphone located in the middle segment of the market, it would be strange to place increased demands on it. The price fully corresponds to the build quality and capabilities of the smartphone.

HTC is slowly building an army of mid-range smartphones price category, and HTC Desire 601 is the newest soldier of the Taiwanese company. Featuring a 4.5-inch pHD display, Snapdragon 400 processor, and a 5-megapixel camera, HTC smartphone Desire 601 is unlikely to scare any of the rival armies, however, who knows, maybe it is destined to play a decisive role in the battle for the mid-price segment among global manufacturers.

What else is interesting, on at this stage It is by looking at the HTC Desire 601 that one can judge in which direction the mid-price smartphone market will develop in the next six months. Don't know what to expect from a mid-range Android? Then let's figure it out together!

HTC Desire 601 Design and ergonomics

The location of the proximity and light sensors, two hardware touch keys, the power/lock button and speaker grids - all these details immediately recognize the design of the One line. In the lower right corner of the earpiece grille there is a barely noticeable LED indicator. With not so large dimensions, 134 * 66.7 * 9.9 mm, the power/lock button located on the top edge can cause inconvenience when active use. The weight of the device is 130 g. On the right side there are two volume buttons, while the left side is completely empty. At the top end, in addition to the power button, there is a socket for a 3.5 mm audio jack; at the bottom, on the right side, there is a connector Micro USB. The cover on the back is made of translucent soft-touch plastic and fits tightly to the edges, but if you press a little on the place to the left of the logo, you can hear a creak. In addition to the HTC branding, it contains a flash, a camera and an additional microphone. Under the cover of the case there is a 2100 mAh Li-Ion battery, MicroSD and MicroSIM slots.

HTC Desire 601 rear view

HTC is not used to saving on materials, so in addition to high-quality plastic, metal is also used. Metal casings cover both the speakers and both sides of the display.

So, quality materials- undoubtedly a big plus, this is especially noticeable during operation - special plastic does not allow it to slip in the hand.

But still, the power button in its usual place causes some inconvenience. And the LED indicator is hidden so that its active state is visible only at a certain angle, and its low power only aggravates the situation.

HTC Desire 601 - Operating system and shell

The operating system of the smartphone is Android 4.2.2 (Jelly Bean). Software module HTC Sense 5.0 and Blink Feed have changed standard view GUI Google is almost unrecognizable.

Unlocking the gadget is done by dragging the lock shortcut up. From the lock screen, you can quickly navigate to your contacts, browser, instant messages, mail, and camera. In addition, you can view missed calls and other events without unlocking, and also change the main operating mode, for example to silent, just by pulling the curtain.

HTC Desire 601 front view

After the smartphone is unlocked, the Blink Feed appears in the foreground, which is set by default as the start screen. Its rectangular windows display messages from Twitter, Facebook, as well as information from the gallery and diary. Among other things, it is possible to add popular news feed sources (RSS). You can set any other desktop window as the main screen.

Basically, the shell on Desire 601 is no different from that installed on One mini and One Dual SIM. As with other One Series models, you can access the interface settings menu by pulling down on the top of the Blink Feed. There are six lock screen styles offered here, change background picture, ringtone, notification sound and alarm type.

The smoothness of movements and thoughtfulness of the HTC Sense 5.0 shell cannot but rejoice. Every action is accompanied by beautiful and vibrant animation, which makes operating your smartphone more enjoyable.

HTC Desire 601 - Hardware platform

The heart of the smartphone is the Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 processor with two Krait 200 computing cores with a maximum operating frequency of 1400 MHz. The HTC One mini is equipped with the same. Adreno 305 is used as the graphics subsystem. RAM is 1 GiB, of which approximately 450 MiB is allocated for user applications. To store information, there is a built-in permanent memory of 8 GiB, 4.5 GiB is allocated to the user, and the available space can be expanded using a card MicroSD memory, something that HTC One mini owners cannot afford.

In terms of performance, the Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 is not much inferior to NVIDIA Tegra 3 or MediaTek MT6589T, considering that its competitors have four cores. Computing power of this processor enough to run Asphalt 8 with set parameters graphics for the intermediate level. On average, when playing games, the HTC Desire 601 heats up an order of magnitude less than most of its other brothers.

Quality wireless communication, microphone sensitivity and speaker volume are at their best as always. The headphones sound excellent even without Beats Audio support. A special difference can be considered the presence of stereo speakers that produce high-quality stereo sound. Compared to other smartphones, in particular Xiaomi Mi2 and Google Nexus 4, in terms of the ratio of sound quality and output volume, HTC Desire 601 has a clear superiority.

In the process of exchanging data via Mobile Internet GPS satellites are detected quickly. Wi-Fi operation also does not cause any complaints. In the settings list, you can select the Wi-Fi frequency band: 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz and auto. Additionally, a number of settings are provided to reduce energy consumption.

HTC Desire 601 - Autonomy

The relatively low processor power and capacious battery should probably provide good performance. The device can easily withstand a day of intensive use, and if you don’t take it out again, it will work for two days.

The battery test in the Antutu Tester program gave a result of 583 points, after a little more than three hours. HTC One mini remains at the same level.

HTC Desire 601 - Display

The 4.5-inch IPS matrix operates at a resolution of 960 * 540 pixels with a density of 245 PPI. A special oleophobic coating allows you to easily remove fingerprints from the display.

Minimum brightness - 15 cd/m², maximum - 450 cd/m², average - 140 cd/m². The minimum brightness is enough to use the smartphone in the dark without straining your eyes. In clear weather, the screen does not lose its position - the information can still be read in direct sunlight.

The only drawback of the display is the unevenness of the backlight. This is especially visible in the dark in a dark image. The reason for this annoying phenomenon is the backlight areas under the hardware touch keys, the so-called backlight. But during the day or in good lighting they are not visible.

HTC Desire 601 - Cameras

Desire 601 is equipped with a main 5-megapixel camera and a 0.3-megapixel front camera. The front one, of course, is no good except for Skype. But the main one shows much greater promise, because on the manufacturer’s website the manufacturer indicates the presence of a BSI sensor with an f/2.0 aperture, as well as an HTC Zoe mode. The remaining parameters are quite ordinary, so there is no point in touching on them. Rosy descriptions and attractive characteristics are one thing, but in reality reality has put everything in its place. The quality of the images leaves much to be desired - the photos turn out to be a solid C. The HDR mode not only slows down, but also overexposes the photo. However, the camera is capable of shooting video in Full HD format.

Results

HTC Desire 601 is a mid-class smartphone, both in price and in features. Strengths include good quality assembly, excellent display, excellent sound and HTC Sense 5.0 shell. There aren't many downsides - the location of the power button, the screen resolution and the passable camera.

The Taiwanese company HTC needs no introduction - it is one of the leading smartphone manufacturers that has long earned an excellent reputation. The Desire 601 model, kindly provided to us by the Yulmart cybermarket, belongs to the mid-budget Desire series, just like the HTC Desire 300 that was in the laboratory.

The hero of the review is the older model in its line (for now, its successor with index 610 has already been announced). For a price of around 10,000 rubles, we are offered a smartphone with a 4.5" screen and qHD resolution (960 x 640), built on the Snapdragon 400 SoC, has two front stereo speakers and supports fourth-generation LTE networks.

Specifications

The combination of characteristics is interesting (if not peculiar). In addition to what has already been listed, we also note support for memory cards and not the worst battery capacity; but at the same time – not very “advanced” cameras, especially the front one.

The smartphone also comes in a dual-SIM version. Such a smartphone will cost 500–1000 rubles more. For those who need it - a good assortment offer. But during testing we had a regular, single-SIM version.

Let's start our review of HTC Desire 601, as usual, with packaging and delivery.

Packaging and equipment

HTC Desire 601 comes in a fairly large square white box made of thin but dense cardboard.

The front side of the package shows the smartphone itself; the back side of the package contains information about the characteristics and configuration of the device in Russian. Separate inscriptions notify us that the packaging is environmentally friendly, and the inscriptions and images on it are printed with soy ink.

Inside, the first thing we are greeted with is the smartphone itself in shipping plastic.

And all the included accessories are hidden underneath. HTC Desire 601 comes with:

• Charger (TC E250, 100–240 V, 50/60 Hz, 0.2 A; 5 V, 1.0 A);
• Micro-USB cable;
• A simple wired stereo headset;
• Quick user guide and warranty card.

The equipment of the device is not particularly rich, but everything you need is present. This means that the main thing here is the smartphone itself. Well, the HTC Desire 601 test will show everything.

Appearance and design

The smartphone is made in a classic form factor - a candy bar with a touch screen. Its dimensions by the standards of modern shovel-like flagships can be called quite acceptable: 134.5 x 66.7 x 9.9 mm. The same applies to the mass - 130 g.

In terms of design, the “mid-ranger” tries to resemble the flagship – HTC One. And, I must say, he does it well. The smartphone looks very neat, although its body is made entirely of plastic.

Front inserts above and below the screen are finished in brushed metal; and the back cover and sides have a soft-touch coating.

The device is not distinguished by either particularly narrow frames or any record-breaking modest thickness. But thanks to the not very large screen, convenient shape and grippy plastic, it is comfortable to hold, and the grip is reliable. Yes, and it’s quite possible to operate a smartphone with one hand if you wish.

Another advantage of such a case is that it gets dirty less: the cover of the HTC Desire 601 collects fingerprints, but they are not too noticeable and can be easily removed.

With the screen coating, everything is as good as it can be with glass: there is an oleophobic coating and it copes with its duties normally; if you wipe it regularly, there will be no problems. The screen is protected by Corning Gorilla Glass 2.

HTC Desire 601 is available in three colors: black, white and red. We received a black smartphone for testing.

On the front side at the top there are: a speaker behind a large grid of holes in the case, light and proximity sensors, a front camera and an LED indicator.

The latter - the scourge of all HTCs since the One X - is hidden under the speaker grille, which is why it is not visible from any angle. And then the brightness of the LED failed.

For example, in the photo above it is actually on fire, but it is impossible to notice it from this angle. The indicator becomes visible only if you hover directly over the smartphone:

The LED constantly glows orange when the charger is connected, and blinks green when there are new notifications. The indicator is customizable: in the HTC Sense menu you can choose which events it will notify the smartphone owner about.

The earpiece also serves as a calling speaker - and is duplicated at the bottom by another one of the same type. Above the latter there is a block of two touch keys “Home” and “Back” - to the right and left of the central manufacturer logo. Here again is a repetition of an unsuccessful solution, this time appearing in HTC One. Design-by-design, but the “Menu” button on the front panel is more necessary than the brand logo. The two keys that are there please with good sensitivity, but the backlight could be brighter and more uniform.

On the back of the smartphone at the top there is a peephole for the five-megapixel main camera and a single LED flash. Why the designers decided to focus on the lens, highlighting it with a wide rim, is a mystery, since the smartphone cannot boast of outstanding characteristics in this regard.

In the center is a large, but very neatly executed and not conspicuous HTC logo.

On the left side of the Desire 601 there are separate volume keys.

The right one is empty - the power/lock button, by analogy with some other smartphones from the manufacturer, is located on top. Many people criticize HTC for this, but I personally don’t find this button placement inconvenient. Unlike the absence of a third key on the front panel and the unsuccessful implementation of the indicator, we will not write this down as a design flaw.

Otherwise, everything is standard: a 3.5 mm jack on top, a Micro-USB port on the bottom of the device.

The build quality is excellent: before reading the instructions, I generally had the feeling that the device was not disassembled - the back cover was so tightly fitted to the body. True, this is a double-edged sword: removing the back cover here is an extremely non-trivial process. You can get the hang of it, but, for example, I wouldn’t recommend trying to open the back cover with frozen hands in the cold - this risks breaking the phone.

In calm conditions, it is enough to carefully pry it near the Micro-USB connector, and the cover snaps off. Underneath it is a 2100 mAh battery (3.8 V, 7.98 W), a Micro-SIM card slot and a MicroSD card slot.

Otherwise, I repeat, the quality of assembly and materials does not cause the slightest criticism: everything is done very well, without a single hint of play, without extraneous creaks - the performance here is almost better than that of the flagships of the HTC One series.

The smartphone looks great and fits comfortably in the hand. But with technical characteristics everything is not so good. Let's start testing from the screen.

The smartphone's body proportions, speakers and touch keys are reminiscent of the HTC One.

The body material of Desire 601 is polycarbonate. In terms of its structure and tactile sensations, the Desire 601 case is very similar to the One X case.

The Desire 601 comes in white (with silver bezel), black and red.

The smartphone has BoomSound stereo speakers with sound amplifiers. This means that it, on a par with One and One mini, will be able to work with .

The device is equipped with a standard camera, without enlarged pixels. The pixel size in the sensor is 1.4 nm instead of 2 nm in the “ulta-pixel” camera of older models. But the lens parameters allow us to hope for photographs of acceptable quality.

With a screen diagonal of 4.5 inches, the phone is slightly smaller in size than the 4.7-inch one, but larger than the 4.3-inch one. The resolution of 960 by 540 pixels is unlikely to inspire tech geeks, but it will be sufficient for the average user with standard everyday tasks.

The device runs on Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean with proprietary software interface HTC Sense 5.0. It contains BlinkFeed and HTC Zoe.

Photos of HTC Desire 601

Consider the HTC Desire 601 in black.