HTC has recently announced a new phablet in China that offers consumers with mid-range(ish) specs with a subtle design and price tag of $269.

The device is powered by a MediaTek MT6753 chip with 64-bit 1.3GHz octa-core processor, 2GB of RAM and 16GB of expandable storage. The display is a 5.5-inch 720p IPS panel and there’s also BoomSound stereo speakers, a 13MP main camera and a 5MP selfie sensor at the front.

In the connectivity department, the Desire 728 has LTE Cat 4 along with the usual plethora of wireless connectivity features in typical smartphones. The handset is offered in only a dual-SIM version in different colors including white, gray, black and gold.

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The United States is getting a lot of attention from smartphone makers this week. Apart from the ZTE Axon, HTC has announced four new Desire models heading states side in the weeks ahead. All four phones will sport a Snapdragon 210 chip with a 1.1GHz quad-core processor, Android 5.1 Lollipop with Sense UI and 4G LTE connectivity.

The biggest of the bunch is the Desire 626 with its 5-inch HD display. It also has 1.5GB of RAM, 16GB of expandable storage, an 8MP+5MP camera combo and a 2000mAh battery. Both front and rear camera are capable of capturing HD videos and the rear one gets LED flash. In the connectivity department, the Desire 626 offers Bluetooth v4.1, Wi-Fi b/g/n, a microUSB 2.0 port and NFC.

A half notch down the Desire 626 is the Desire 626s, which packs 1GB of RAM, 8GB of expandable storage and an 8MP+2MP camera combo, while the rest of the specs are identical to that of the Desire 626.

Users with smaller hands can settle for the Desire 526. It has a 4.7-inch display with qHD resolution, 1.5GB of RAM, 8GB of expandable storage an 8MP+2MP camera combo, a 2000mAh battery, Bluetooth 4.1, Wi-Fi b/g/n and micro USB 2.0.

Finally, there’s the Desire 520, the most affordable model of the bunch. It features a 4.5-inch FWVGA screen, 1GB of RAM, 8GB of internal storage, an 8MP+2MP camera combo and a 2000mAh battery.

There’s no concrete information yet on pricing and availability, but HTC along with its carrier partners will likely announce these in the coming weeks.

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The Chinese website of HTC has just prematurely announced the One E9+. Made as a slightly cheaper version of its flagship model, the phablet sports a plastic body and sheds a few grams off its weight.

The device is built around a 5.5-inch display with a resolution of 2560 x 1440 pixels that equates to a screen ratio of 534ppi. The One E9+ is powered by a 64-bit MediaTek chipset with an octa-core processor, 2GB of RAM and 16GB of expandable storage.

HTC has also equipped the One E9+ with a 13MP camera at the back and a 4MP UltraPixel camera in the front for selfies. Moreover, the handset will also boasts two SIM card slots that support LTE connectivity, Bluetooth v4.1, NFC and dual front-facing spearkers.

The phone will have a 2800mAh battery and will run on Android 5.0 Lollipop with HTC’s Sense 7 UI on top. There’s no specific word on pricing and availability yet, but we’ll let you know once the phone becomes officially available.

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HTC’s Desire line is getting two new members this week with the Taiwanese smartphone maker’s announcement of the Desire 320 and Desire 826 smartphones at CES in Las Vegas.

The first handset is an entry-level smartphone that sports a quad-core processor. The Desire 320 plays along the line of last year’s Desire 310 and sports similar specs. These include a 4.5-inch FWVGA display (480 x 854), a 1.3GHz quad-core processor, 512MB-1GB of RAM depending on the region where it will be sold and either 4GB or 8GB of internal storage.

At the back, there’s a 5MP camera that is capable of capturing 1080p videos while on the front, there’s a VGA camera for taking selfies. Connectivity-wise, the Desire 320 comes with 3G connectivity, dual-SIM card slots, Wi-Fi b/g/n, Bluetooth v4.0 and GPS.

The phone is already available in select markets including Canada where it is sold for $99 off-contract.

Also on display at HTC’s CES booth is the new Desire 826. Designed as a mid-range to upper tier smartphone, the 826 packs a 640bit Qualcomm Snapdragon 615 chip with a 1.7GHz quad-core processor and 2GB of RAM.

There’s a 13MP camera at the back, an UltraPixel camera on the front, a 2600mAh battery, BoomSound speakers with Dolby Audio and HTC EYE software. There’s no word yet on pricing and availability but HTC says the phone will launch in the Asia-Pacific region with a global roll-out to follow shortly.

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HTC has just officially unveiled its super selfie smartphone – the Desire Eye. And just like what previous reports have indicated, the handset indeed packs a duo of 13MP cameras with dual-LED flash.

The phone is built around a 5.2-inch LCD panel with Full HD resolution. Under the hood, there’s a Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 chipset with 2GB of RAM and 16GB of expandable built-in storage. There’s also LTE connectivity, dual-band Wi-Fi, Bluetooth v4.0 and NFC.

The two cameras of the phone offer impressive optics as well. The rear 13MP camera sports dual-LED flash, a 28mm lens and an f/2.0 aperture, while the front-facing snapper comes with a 20mm f/2.2 lens. Both cameras are capable of recording 1080p@30fps videos.

Moreover, a number of apps are installed on the device that makes use of these twin cameras. For instance, there’s this Split Capture feature that divides the photo 50/5- between the front and rear cameras. There’s also the Crop-Me-In feature that pastes your image taken by the front camera into the image captured by the rear camera.

The smartphone also has IPX7 certification making it water resistant. The phone will come with a 2400mAh Li-Po battery and will run on Android 4.4 KitKat with the latest version of Sense on top.

There’s no word yet on how much HTC plans to sell the Desire Eye but shipping dates are expected to start next month.

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Samsung, Sony and Lenovo might have the biggest announcements at IFA last week primarily due to the sheer volume of products these companies introduced during the event, but there are certain one-offs that deserve our attention.
For starters, there’s the new Desire 820 smartphone from HTC. The phone is built around a 5.5-inch display with 720p resolution. Under the hood, there’s a Snapdragon 615 chip with an octa-core processor (2 quad-core processors clocked at 1.5GHz and 1.0GHz respectively), an Adreno 405 GPU, a 13MP+8MP camera combo, BoomSound speakers and Cat 4 LTE connectivity.

The Desire 820 will be available by the end of September and will be offered in different color options including marble white, tuxedo grey, Santorini white, milky-way grey, tangerine white, saffron grey, flamingo grey, blue mist and monarch orange.
Another smartphone that made a debut at IFA last week was the Alcatel OneTouch Hero 2. The phablet is touting a 6-inch TF LCD display with Full HD resolution (~367ppi) which is covered by a layer of Dragontrail glass with oleophobic coating.

Under the hood is a MediaTek MT6592 chip with an octa-core processor, 2GB of RAM and 16GB of expandable storage.  Power is delivered by a 3100mAh pack giving the Hero 2 almost 10 hours of 3G talk time. There’s also LTE, NFC and a stylus optimized for handwriting recognition.
The back of the device is graced by a 13MP camera with optical image stabilization that is capable of recoding Full HD videos. Alcatel will start selling the Hero 2 by the end of September for around $450.
Lastly, there’s the CAT S50 smartphone. The device is designed to be incredibly tough with military-grade protection including IP67 and MIL-810G certification. There’s also a shatter-proof front glass and a rugged design giving it that tough and durable look.

Performance is delivered by a 1.2GHz quad-core processor and 8GB of expandable storage. The phone also comes with a 4.7-inch HD display, an 8MP camera with LED flash and a stock version of Android 4.4 KitKat.
CAT is also installing its own CAT app store with 1000+ apps that are designed for CAT users. The phone will be offered in two different colour options – forest and slate and will cost around $500.
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LTE connectivity is certainly making its way outside the realm of top tier devices. The newest smartphone manufacturer to bring high-speed data connectivity to its mid-range audience is HTC with the Desire 510.
The phone is packing a Qualcomm Snapdragon 410 chipset with a 1.2GHz quad-core processor, an Adreno 306 GPU, 1GB of RAM and 8GB of expandable storage. There’s also a 5MP camera at the back and a VGA front-facing snapper.

HTC has utilized a 4.7-inch display with FWVGA resolution for the Desire 510 and has packed it with a 2100mAh battery. The device will run on Android 4.4 KitKat with Sense UI on top of course. 
The HTC Desire 510 will be available in selected regions in Asia and Europe in the coming weeks with pricing information to be announced at a later date. The phone will be offered in two color options – terra white and meridian grey. 
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