Compare HTC Desire Contract Mobile Phone Deals

 
Android’s Latest Nearly Phone

There is no doubting the beauty of the HTC Desire, the latest from the trend setting company to feature the much-vaunted Android operating system, but looks aren’t everything when it comes to smart phones. Nevertheless, with the of-the-moment large screen, neat and stylish appearance and lovely modernist finish the HTC Desire scores in that department very highly indeed, but how does it stack up against the opposition?

The good bits

The first thing to say is that it is a step up from the original Android phone, the love it or hate it Google G1, and the later updated Nexus One. The brick-like styling of the original has been replaced by more rounded styling, and the track ball has gone to be replaced by a much more usable touch sensitive pad, and we can’t fault the thinking in either of these areas.

Phone	Price	Tariff	Free Mins	Free Texts	Monthly	Offer Details	Buy Now
HTC Desire	£129.99	O2 100 + Unlimited 18 month contract	100 Anytime	Unlimited	£20.00		Go to Deal
HTC Desire	FREE	O2 300 + Unlimited 24 month contract	300 Anytime	Unlimited	£25.00	14 months half price line rental	Go to Deal
HTC Desire	FREE	Dolphin 25 24 month contract	300 Anytime	Unlimited	£25.00	12 months half price line rental	Go to Deal
HTC Desire	£189.99	T-Mobile £20 + Internet at £15 24 month contract	300 Anytime	300	£15.00		Go to Deal
HTC Desire	FREE	Panther 40 24 month contract	1200 Anytime	Unlimited	£40.00	8 months line rental at £0.99	Go to Deal

Phone	Price	Tariff	Free Mins	Free Texts	Monthly	Offer Details	Buy Now
HTC Desire Black	FREE	Panther 30 24 month contract	400 Anytime	Unlimited	£30.00	12 months half price line rental	Go to Deal
HTC Desire Black	FREE	Dolphin 30 at £25 18 month contract	300 Anytime	Unlimited	£25.00		Go to Deal
HTC Desire Black	FREE	Dolphin 25 24 month contract	300 Anytime	Unlimited	£25.00	3 months FREE line rental	Go to Deal
HTC Desire Black	FREE	Dolphin 30 24 month contract	500 Anytime	Unlimited	£30.00	12 months half price line rental	Go to Deal
HTC Desire Black	FREE	Dolphin 30 18 month contract	300 Anytime	Unlimited	£30.00	8 months half price line rental	Go to Deal

 
 
Interesting advances come in the shape of the inherent SD card backup system, something that is available on the Android market but readily inbuilt here, and the on screen keyboard is just about the best seen in the business so far. With neat and usable short cuts that add to the ease of operation this is a major plus point.

These are all facets of the HTC Sense skin, a neat and very impressive system that effectively covers the Android interface and replaces it with a much more user friendly system of its own. Again, this represents a sensible and clever move by HTC and renders the Desire a notch up the ladder.

We like the address book function that interfaces with social networking sites and brings in contacts from the likes of Facebook – complete with photo’s – although the system does seem to be a mite unreliable as it has a habit of losing contacts without explanation or warning. A five mega-pixel camera – the minimum standard expected of phones such as this – is decent enough and the LED light is very useful indeed, and the huge screen makes web browsing a joy.

The bad bits

First, Android; if you are an aficionado of the iPhone you will hate it, and if you are not you might still hate it! However, it has its merits, although it does remain a bit of a geek’s paradise in many senses. One problem we have found with all Android phones, and this is no exception, is that the system slows considerably when many functions are open at once, and saps the battery too. In fact, battery life on this phone is surprisingly poor – charging daily is not something that users expect to have to do with 21st century smart phones, but with the HTC Desire it is an absolute necessity.

The screen looks great to begin with, but in anything resembling daylight becomes difficult to see; again this is something that manufacturers should have overcome by now, especially with regard to flagship phones such as this.

Conclusion

The HTC Desire continues to push the Android operating system as a viable alternative to the market standards, and it is if you can live with its quirks. Not as easy to use as some rivals, and with very poor battery power, this is nevertheless a step up on many of its Android rivals, but overall is not the breakthrough phone that we are still waiting for from HTC.

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