HTC’s Desire handsets have long sat at the more value end of HTC's lineup, but they’re arguably the most fun and eye-catching devices in its entire smartphone range. It’s latest, the Desire 530, is no exception, as the paint-speckle design on its rear polycarbonate shell really gives it a playful sense of character that puts other budget smartphones to shame.
Out in just a few weeks time for around £100-120, the Desire 530 is a beauty in the flesh. I don’t exactly buy HTC’s ‘designed by urban streetwear’ angle, but its small dots of colour really make it stand out. HTC calls it its ‘micro splash’ effect, which uses a specially-designed spray nozzle to apply different colours to the polycarbonate frame. The colours are applied at different pressures and paint viscosity, too, so no two phones will look the same, making each one utterly unique.
It will be available in two models at launch: a white version with a red and blue micro splash, and a grey one with a yellow splash. I saw both at HTC’s MWC booth and the grey/yellow combo is easily the most eye-catching. The micro splash dots are quite subtle, so the red and blue tended to get slightly lost on the white version, but the yellow really stood out against the grey base coat. Another great touch is the coloured, textured power button. The colour not only matches the phone’s micro splash variation, but its ridged texture makes it extremely easy to find when you run your hand alongside the side.
Admittedly, it won’t be the fastest smartphone you’ve ever seen, as it only has a quad-core 1.1GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 210 processor and 1.5GB of RAM inside it. This is the same processor that dragged down the similarly priced Microsoft Lumia 650. However, it seems to be a better fit for Android 6.0 Marshmallow, as swiping through the menus was reasonably quick and responsive and I was able to dip in and out of the app tray without much trouble at all, so I’m hoping it won’t be quite as diabolical as Microsoft’s recent effort.
Its 5in, 1,280x720 display also looked pretty decent under the harsh lights of the show floor, and there’s 16GB of onboard storage. If that isn’t enough, it can take microSD cards up to 2TB.
As the new entry-level device in its Desire range, the Desire 530 isn’t likely to be a great phone for avid photography fans, as it only has an 8-megapixel camera on the rear and a 5-megapixel camera on the front. However, selfie fans needn’t look away now, as HTC’s included its Auto Selfie and Voice Selfie modes so you can still take photos without having to press any onscreen buttons.
The Desire 530 also has HTC’s Boomsound capabilities, but you have to have a pair of headphones connected in order to use it. If you want something more convenient, it also supports HTC Connect, so you can stream your music wirelessly to your TV, speakers, home entertainment system or compatible multi-room audio speakers.
HTC wouldn’t be drawn on how long its 2,200mAh battery would last, but with the phone going on sale in just a few weeks, it shouldn’t be too long before I can give it a proper run through with our Expert Reviews battery test.
The Desire 530 isn’t going to take your breath away with amazing specs or an incredible camera, but that’s not what it’s designed to do. From what I’ve seen so far, it looks like a great budget handset that’s both colourful and a little different from the usual fare you find around the £100 mark. It’s hardly going to give the Moto G sleepless nights, but provided Android 6.0 can make a better fist of its Snapdragon 210 processor than Microsoft’s Windows 10, HTC might be onto a winner.
