HTC Desire EYE Review :A Successful First Selfie-Phone

HTC Desire EYE

With its 13-megapixel dual sensor, the HTC Desire EYE competing for the title of best Selfie-phone. Admittedly, this is not the most affordable in its class but it has many other strings to his bow to justify its price.

2014 was the year of Selfie. These self-portraits taken at arm using a smartphone rage on social networks and manufacturers are now likely to play it. HTC was the first international group to dare to equip its flagship with a 5-megapixel sensor in the front. We are obviously talking about the One (M8). And that was just the beginning since outbid six months later by presenting a Desire EYE sensor with a 13 megapixel rear as in the front.

The smartphone is now available in all good shops for a price ranging between 450 and 500 €. It is perhaps much to the beautiful on social networks but it should not be his only interest. HTC has obviously brought the same attention to all of the data sheet to provide a versatile smartphone and
able to satisfy both addicted to Selfie that technophiles. Here is a little reminder:

• Android 4.4.4 KitKat + HTC Sense 6.0
• Full HD 5.2 "
• 801 2.3GHz Snapdragon processor
• Adreno 330 GPU
• 2GB RAM
• 16 GB internal memory + microSD
• 13 megapixel camera with dual LED flash
• 13 mégpaixels webcam with dual LED flash
• Connectivity 4G / Wi-Fi a / b / g / n / NFC / Bluetooth 4.0
• Battery 2100 mAh
• IPX7 certification
• Dimensions: 151.7 x 73.8 x 8.5 mm
• Weight: 154 grams

Sure, it has the eye!
Who says Desire, said plastic-based design but that does not mean he was not treated. It's quite the opposite. The latest smartphones from HTC resume almost all the same lines as the One released in 2013 but not the Desire EYE. The manufacturer has finally returned to his drawing board and finally book the same original smartphone will not probably the taste of everyone. The webcam is honored. It's simple. You can not see it. And the idea of ​​always having a camera pointed towards you is not necessarily reassuring.

It occupies almost the entire height of the upper row, left in a light hue to resorte more. The dual LED flash on the left is not very discreet either. Further are the usual light sensor / proximity. A small LED notification was also placed on the right. Below is a first speaker, hidden behind a black grille that blends in with the context of the screen. This course occupies most of the front and overcomes a second speaker equally discreet for HTC Boomsound technology, to release the lower band who gets the same color as the other.

HTC plays on the contrast on the edges. They are a choice of red or blue, rounded to ensure a comfortable grip. All buttons have been integrated right. We find those volume up, that of food below (up to the inch), and, surprise, another dedicated to decision below for reminding us that we are dealing with a cameraphone. The connectors share the other sides: microUSB down, 3.5mm above and microSD ports Nanosim and left. Just pull small drawer from his fingernail in the slot provided to access his last. Not always easy but it at least avoids having to lug around a prop.

On the back we find white or blue on the hood, cut around the camera and dual LED flash in the upper left corner. We have felt no vacuum pressing it or find game between the different parts of the chassis. This is quite normal because all is waterproof (IPX7, up to 1m under water for 30 minutes) and we appreciate this quality finishes and the solid feel that emerges despite the exclusive use plastic. It is also soft and makes nice grip, although it is best not to have too small.

You can also look at you in high definition!

It will not, however annoying to wake Desire EYE since if your thumb struggling to reach the dedicated button, double tap on the screen will do. The screen will light up, and it's always a pleasure. HTC has opted for a Full HD panel of 5.2 inches. The result is soft on the retina display with enough finesse to enjoy all the contents (424 dpi), warm colors (perhaps too, the white pull on the yellow) and not too aggressive brightness. In return, it should perhaps expect sunlight legibility problems. The weather has allowed us to verify it. Visions angles are open enough to comfortably enjoy the neighbors and the window slides right.

Sense 6.0 has lost none of its charm

As always with HTC, we will find Android (version 4.4.4 KitKat here) dressed the Sense overlay. The version is the same as the One (M8) is 6.0. Few surprises are waiting. The lock screen is embellished with several shortcuts, or better yet, circumvented with Motion Sense (shortcut via gestures performed on the display off, like double tap). The office is enriched Blinkfeed on the left panel and hosts different widgets and shortcuts to the applications installed and always accessible from the main menu. And the notification center incorporates the usual settings.

We have not much to report on the side of either applications. HTC adds very little, and it is appreciated. There are practical class with HTC Tools for support, drive mode for driving (simplified interface) or Kidswear to delimit the game space of your little darlings. There is the category of social networks with Zoe, Facebook and Twitter. And there was also DotView for the accessory of the same name, and Power To Give a peufarfelue an app that aims to fuel development projects under the four corners of the globe with the power of your smartphone.

You can no longer see you painting? Play or start a good movie!
Needless to say, the navigation is fluid because the Desire EYE based Snapdragon 801. A solid platform that includes a quad-core CPU based Krait 400 clocked at 2.3 GHz and Adreno GPU 330. It is further accompanied by 2GB of RAM. This is more than enough for everything multimedia. We still launched some benchmarks for form.

The results reflect the behavior of the smartphone. It is capable of running all games from the Play Store. We stuck Dead Trigger 2 and Angry Birds Go! with whom we have had no slowdown, if not first thing in the game. It is also able to decode most of video formats to 1080p to enjoy his screen while BoomSound speakers on each side, output sound clear and powerful.

The king of selfies-phone, it's him!
The time has finally come for the photo, what should be the specialty of the smartphone. The presence of physical trigger on the right spine is a sign that does not deceive or more, rather, as was a time when most of them had. However, it is more common that the equipment it controls since HTC is used here not one but two cameras of 13 megapixels. The one at the rear. The other front. Optical open at F / 2.0 but differ slightly on the focal length: 28 mm in the first case and 22 mm in the second. Each is also accompanied by a dual LED flash.

And HTC has not stopped the hardware. It also delivers a new photo application. It preserves the classical orders in the viewfinder (flash, automatic modes, ISO, exposure, white balance, effect) but incorporates EYE Experience brings several features to the basic picture-taking, self-portrait, or both at once with Double Capture. A shift to the left or right to switch to go from one to the other.

A new photo booth mode is also available in the main menu. It allows four shots in a row with the front camera. They are then automatically assembled online (vertical) or grid (2x2). You will also find new features for video conferencing, as the detection and tracking of multiple subjects in separate frames, and for photo editing, such as morphing.

Let us return to more important: the quality of the picture. Both devices produce similar results, even with landscapes. And they are quite good, especially the exchange of the usual webcams. The edges are sharp, the level of detail is acceptable and the colors are more realistic. Automatic exposure is perfectible hand. As always, the quality deteriorates as down lighting with the appearance of a slight noise and greater smoothing but the main problem lies in the focus since soon becomes hazardeuse.

The flash can be a solution. It usually illuminates the scene fairly evenly over short distances, this without too much burning issues. However, while we observe two different behaviors. The camera on the back makes more detailed images than the other, the trend is smoothing. Obviously it's better than what will most other smartphones confronted with this exercise but it's still a shame.

The front sensor? Rather than cherry gateau
2014 has been a good year at HTC. After Desire 816, we have to admit that I was seduced by this Desire EYE. Not necessarily for the quality of self-portraits it makes possible, even if it is actually better than the others in the field, but simply because it is an excellent smartphone offered at a decent price.

For less than € 500, it offers amenities of an upscale. With its large screen Full HD and Snapdragon 801 4G compatible, users can easily take advantage of all that Android has to offer. The picture is ultimately the icing on the cake. Only Chinese manufacturers can now boast to do better but they are still not very present in France. Not to mention that the software monitoring may be inadequate.