HTC has released its Desire 10 smartphones today in certain markets, and they have an updated design.
The Desire line of smartphones sits firmly in the mid-range, and has helped HTC to earn money in the last few years. The company has struggled to break into the high-end market, and the Desire phones have been hugely important.
New grown-up design for HTC Desire 10 smartphones
HTC had previously given the Desire phones a playful design, but that has changed with the Desire 10. The new phones have a more sophisticated design compared to the almost childish look of previous models.
The company is in fact releasing two versions of the Desire 10, which will be known as a “pro” version and a “lifestyle” model. Each phone has different specs and features, but the overall design language is similarly grown up.
There are four colors available: black, navy, white and a pale blue known as “Valentine Lux.” The handsets are made of plastic, but they feature a metal trim that gives them an upscale feel.
Pro and lifestyle versions have different specs
HTC has made the Desire 10 phones look largely similar, and they have the same size screen and software. Aside from that there are a number of differences.
The Desire 10 pro features a 1080p display; 3 or 4GB of RAM; MediaTek Helio P10 processor; 32 or 64GB of storage; a 13-megapixel front camera; a 20-megapixel rear camera; and a fingerprint scanner.
In contrast the lifestyle model doesn’t have a fingerprint scanner. It has a 720p display; a Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 processor; 16 or 32GB of storage; 2 or 3GB of RAM; a 5-megapixel front camera; a 13-megapixel front camera; and Hi-Res audio certification.
The lifestyle model goes on sale today in the United Kingdom and other markets for £249 (around $324). The Desire 10 pro smartphone will be released next month, with its price still to be confirmed.
HTC hoping Desire 10 will sell well
HTC has previously said that the phones would be available around the world. However it has not yet decided whether to sell the phones in the United States.
The features of the new phones are certainly impressive, and provide further evidence that the bar is set pretty high when it comes to mid-range smartphones. On the other hand it also appears that having great specs is no guarantee of success.
The company flagship is the HTC 10, which has received warm praise from commentators since its release. Despite good technical specs, the phone has struggled to chip into Apple and Samsung’s dominance of the high-end smartphone market.
The HTC 10 is widely regarded as a high-quality, high-performance smartphone. And yet its sales have remained relatively low.
HTC must be wondering what it has to do to get people to buy its products. Perhaps the Desire 10 will continue to shore up the company’s bottom line as it keeps trying to crack the high-end market.
By bringing high-end features to a mid-range phone, HTC is also moving to head off competition from lower-priced competitors such as Motorola and Huawei. The fingerprint scanner on the pro model is one feature that has so far only been seen on premium smartphones.
At first glance it looks like the HTC Desire 10 are seriously good handsets, so now we will have to wait and see whether they record strong sales figures in the coming months.
