HTC Desire Eye Price, Specs, Features : Best Selfie Phone Ever?
It's releases like this that make me wish that HTC was still aggressively promoting and marketing their products in the country.
Last January 2014, perhaps due to declining sales and diminishing market share locally, HTC's headquarters in the Philippines finally bowed out and ceased most of its operations here.
Looking at photos of the new HTC Desire Eye and studying its technical specifications, I can't help but wish that HTC could have come up with something like this sooner -- because I think this could finally be the release that can turn things around for the Asian tech giant and put them back to the lofty position they were in three to four years ago.
HTC Desire Eye's technical specifications are very similar to what we see on the Taiwanese company's other 2014 high end releases. It is equipped with a 5.2 inch Full HD IPS display, Quad Core 2.3 GHz Krait 400 and Adreno 330 based Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 chipset running Android 4.4.2 KitKat with HTC Sense user interface, 2 GB of RAM, 16 GB of expandable storage, Non-Removable 2,400 mAh Li-Ion battery pack, and LTE connectivity support.
But it has one additional feature that puts it in a league of its own: a 13 MegaPixel front facing camera with Dual Tone LED flash and Wide Angle Lens, which makes it one heck of a smartphone for talking selfies. Donning such a powerful front cam allows HTC Desire Eye to deliver the clearest, most brilliant selfies any handset user can take in any lighting condition -- to date.
I mean, if it weren't for the 13 MegaPixel back camera's larger f/2.0 aperture and more powerful 28mm lens, we could have called HTC Desire Eye's front cam its "main camera".
To complement the stellar hardware, unique software features like HTC Eye Experience and the new HTC Zoe application are available on the HTC Desire Eye. HTC Eye Experience is basically a setting that allows you to make the most of the phone's two powerhouse cameras by letting you take 50/50 Split Capture photos and Crop-Me-In Shots. HTC Zoe, on the other hand, is just like Instagram - where you can share photos and videos - but the difference is your friends can 'remix' your uploads by adding photos and videos of everyone who was there during the experience.
According to HTC, "Sporting market-leading 13MP front and rear cameras for detailed image quality that allows you to zoom, crop and print without compromise, the HTC Desire Eye is fully equipped for those who love to take great photos, videos and selfies. BSI sensors capture crisp photos, even in low-light conditions, and intelligent dual-LED flash on both cameras provides flattering, natural tones when ambient light levels drop further."
As someone who loves taking selfies (I'm sure you guys already know that by now), I'm totally attracted to HTC Desire Eye; I can't wait to get my hands on this very cute powerhouse cameraphone. Off hand, I'm totally lovin' the blue variant!
HTC Desire Eye will become available in key markets across the world later this month. It's SRP in Europe is believe to be in the area of 529 Euros or around Php 30,000 with current conversion putting it in the same price bracket as HTC One E8. Here's to hoping HTC would formally release this device here both via retail or through its partner network carriers.
Last January 2014, perhaps due to declining sales and diminishing market share locally, HTC's headquarters in the Philippines finally bowed out and ceased most of its operations here.
Looking at photos of the new HTC Desire Eye and studying its technical specifications, I can't help but wish that HTC could have come up with something like this sooner -- because I think this could finally be the release that can turn things around for the Asian tech giant and put them back to the lofty position they were in three to four years ago.
HTC Desire Eye's technical specifications are very similar to what we see on the Taiwanese company's other 2014 high end releases. It is equipped with a 5.2 inch Full HD IPS display, Quad Core 2.3 GHz Krait 400 and Adreno 330 based Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 chipset running Android 4.4.2 KitKat with HTC Sense user interface, 2 GB of RAM, 16 GB of expandable storage, Non-Removable 2,400 mAh Li-Ion battery pack, and LTE connectivity support.
But it has one additional feature that puts it in a league of its own: a 13 MegaPixel front facing camera with Dual Tone LED flash and Wide Angle Lens, which makes it one heck of a smartphone for talking selfies. Donning such a powerful front cam allows HTC Desire Eye to deliver the clearest, most brilliant selfies any handset user can take in any lighting condition -- to date.
I mean, if it weren't for the 13 MegaPixel back camera's larger f/2.0 aperture and more powerful 28mm lens, we could have called HTC Desire Eye's front cam its "main camera".
Desire Eye is the first smartphone from HTC to flaunt a dedicated hardware camera button similar to what we see on Nokia Lumia and Sony Xperia handsets, which indicate that it was really designed by the Taiwanese company to be a more-than-capable cameraphone. (Photos by TabTech and TechStage)
To complement the stellar hardware, unique software features like HTC Eye Experience and the new HTC Zoe application are available on the HTC Desire Eye. HTC Eye Experience is basically a setting that allows you to make the most of the phone's two powerhouse cameras by letting you take 50/50 Split Capture photos and Crop-Me-In Shots. HTC Zoe, on the other hand, is just like Instagram - where you can share photos and videos - but the difference is your friends can 'remix' your uploads by adding photos and videos of everyone who was there during the experience.
Amazingly, HTC Desire Eye is also IPX7 Certified, which means that it is protected against water ingress when submerged in 1 meter of liquid for up to 30 minutes. Nope, you don't have to worry about getting this one wet.
According to HTC, "Sporting market-leading 13MP front and rear cameras for detailed image quality that allows you to zoom, crop and print without compromise, the HTC Desire Eye is fully equipped for those who love to take great photos, videos and selfies. BSI sensors capture crisp photos, even in low-light conditions, and intelligent dual-LED flash on both cameras provides flattering, natural tones when ambient light levels drop further."
As someone who loves taking selfies (I'm sure you guys already know that by now), I'm totally attracted to HTC Desire Eye; I can't wait to get my hands on this very cute powerhouse cameraphone. Off hand, I'm totally lovin' the blue variant!
HTC Desire Eye will become available in key markets across the world later this month. It's SRP in Europe is believe to be in the area of 529 Euros or around Php 30,000 with current conversion putting it in the same price bracket as HTC One E8. Here's to hoping HTC would formally release this device here both via retail or through its partner network carriers.
| Name | HTC Desire Eye |
| Type | Slate Form Factor (Full Touchscreen) |
| Price Category | High-End |
| Dimensions | 151.7 x 73.8 x 8.5 mm |
| Weight | 154 grams |
| Available Colors | White, Blue, Red |
| Operating System | Android 4.4.2 KitKat |
| Display | 5.2 inches (~424 ppi pixel density), 1080 x 1920 pixels, IPS, capacitive touchscreen, 16M colors |
| Processor | Quad Core 2.3 GHz Krait 400 CPU, Adreno 330 GPU, Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 (TBD) chipset |
| RAM | 2 GB RAM |
| Internal Storage | 16 GB, expandable via microSD card slot that supports up to 128 GB |
| Camera | Main: 13 MegaPixels, 4128 x 3096 pixels, autofocus, Dual-LED (Dual Tone) flash, HDR, f/2.0 aperture and a 28mm lens Front: Main: 13 MegaPixels, 4128 x 3096 pixels, autofocus, Dual-LED (Dual Tone) flash, HDR, f/2.2 aperture and a 20mm lens |
| Video Capture | Full HD 1080p 30 frames per second for main camera for both front and back cameras |
| Audio and Video Playback | MP4, H.264, WMV, MP3, eAAC+, WAV, WMA player |
| Ports | microUSB v2.0, 3.5 mm audio jack |
| Connectivity | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n, Wi-Fi Direct, DLNA, Wi-Fi hotspot, Bluetooth v4.0 with A2DP, EDR, 3G HSDPA 42 Mbps (21 Mbps - AT&T), HSUPA; LTE, Cat4, 50 Mbps UL, 150 Mbps DL |
| GPS | Yes, with GLONASS and A-GPS |
| Sensors | Accelerometer, Digital Compass, Gyroscope |
| Network | 2G Network GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900, 3G Network HSDPA 850 / 900 / 1900 / 2100, 4G Network LTE 700 / 900 / 1800 / 2100 / 2600 |
| SIM Card Type | nanoSIM |
| Battery | Non-removable Li-Ion 2,400 mAh battery |
| Uptime | 538 Hours of Standby 20 Hours of Talk Time |
| Value-Added Features | HTC Sense, HTC Zoe, Powerful Front Facing Camera with Dual Tone Flash, HTC Eye Experience |
| Announcement | October 9, 2014 |
| Availability | October-November 2014 |
| Price | Unconfirmed, According to Trusted Sources: 529 Euros TP Guesstimate: Php 30,000 |
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