HTC Desire Eye smartphone: An eye-opener for the selfie crowd
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Overview, Design & Features
Overview
2014 has been a year of experimentation for HTC as the company tried to level up the mobile photography experience through its devices. Earlier last year, the Taiwanese company unveiled its flagship Android smartphone - the HTC One (M8) - which is the world's first smartphone with a Duo Camera that relies on a secondary camera for capturing depth information.
Later in the year, HTC ditched the UltraPixel camera sensor on the One (M8) and switched to a 13-megapixel camera sensor for its waterproof Butterfly 2. The Butterfly 2 also sports the Duo Camera setup. Just two months ago, it took the wraps off the Desire Eye, which focuses on the selfie crowd with two 13-megapixel cameras. What new tricks does the Desire Eye bring this time and are they practical? Let's find out in this review. Before you dive into the review, here's an overview of its specs compared against the other HTC premium phones:
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Design & Handling
(Note: We've done a hands-on article with the Desire Eye, so we'll only summarize the key points and additional observations here.)
As a member of the Desire family, the Desire Eye cannot be compared to the One (M8) in terms of feel and build quality. Its chassis is entirely made of plastic and sports a similar finish as its 2012's flagship One X. We like the matte texture of the Desire Eye as it helps us have a better grip which is essential for a device of its size.
If there is one thing that HTC nailed it on the Desire Eye after what seemed like an eternity, it would be the placement of the power button on the right side of the device. The last flagship HTC device that had the same placement is the 5.9-inch One Max. The 5.5-inch Desire 816 has its power and volume controls on the left though. We cannot emphasize enough the convenience of having these controls on the sides as it makes the phone more user friendly for one-handed usage. It certainly beats having to stretch your finger to the opposite side or over the top.
It is noteworthy to mention that the Desire Eye has a dedicated camera shutter button on the bottom right side. You can activate the camera when the screen is off by pressing and holding the shutter button. All three buttons have good tactile feedback when depressed.
Another favorable aspect of its design is its durability; the Desire Eye joins the Butterfly 2 as the second dustproof and water resistant (IP57) phone in HTC's portfolio. The Desire Eye follows the same design principles; it boasts no cover over its open ports (microSD and nano-SIM card slots). This means you no longer need to fumble over flaps or covers to ensure a tight seal. Having said that, the Desire Eye can stay submerged in water up to 1 metre for up to 30 minutes. Do note that HTC does not recommend you using the phone underwater as it is not designed for such use. Rather, the IP57 protection is to help it survive accidental situations.
5.2-Inch Display and BoomSound Speakers
The Desire Eye comes with a rather unconventional screen size of 5.2 inches. In comparison, the One (M8), One (E8) and Butterfly 2 all sport a 5-inch display. The display resolution is similar at 1080p, which means that it has a tad lower pixel density. Nonetheless, you will be hard pressed to find any differences in the viewing experience across these four phones. Quality aside, one thing we immediately noticed was the bright display, even when we set it to the minimum level.
Unlike the front-facing grill-like speakers on the One (M8), the Desire Eye has slimmer and more recessed BoomSound speakers on the top and bottom of the display. You may not even immediately notice the speakers during your first few minutes of handling, but their presence is known when dust particles start to collect at the gaps along the display. While the BoomSound speakers pump out pretty loud and crisp audio, it is not as loud as the One (M8) and One (E8). Still, it's miles ahead of other phones in this aspect and is only beaten by its One siblings.
Software
Preloaded on the Desire Eye is HTC Sense 6 and Android 4.4.4 KitKat. While HTC has committed to delivering the Android 5.0 update to the One (M8) and One (M7) within 90 days from November 2014, there is no official word on whether the Desire Eye and other devices will get a similar treatment as well. While the Desire Eye is part of the HTC Advantage program, it is only eligible for advanced content backup and restore feature. Automatic software updates for up to two years is currently only available for the One family of smartphones.
If you want to know more about the HTC Sense 6 UI and its features, you can check out our past articles on the One (M8) here and here.
HTC Eye Experience
The Desire Eye is the first phone from HTC to ship with Eye Experience app, which consists of several camera tricks such as Face Tracking, Screen Share, Split Capture, Face Fusion, Live Makeup, Auto Selfie, Voice Selfie, Photo Booth and Crop Me In. Not all features are supported across the different HTC models. For now, HTC states that the Eye Experience app will be available for the One (M7), One (M8), One (E8), One Mini, One Max, Desire 816, Desire 820, and Butterfly 2 in the coming months. Let's take a look at some of its features:
Auto and Voice Selfie
HTC sure knows how to maximise its front-facing 13-megapixel camera; the Eye Experience app enables you to take selfies easier and quicker than before. You can swipe from the side of the screen to switch between the three camera modes (Normal, Selfie and Split Capture). Then, all you need to do is to go to the Settings in camera > Camera Options > Check the boxes to enable Auto Selfie and Voice Selfie. The Eye Experience app is intelligent enough to take a selfie via the following methods:
- Smile detection
- Keep your face or faces still and wait until the on-screen box turns from white to green
- Voice activation by saying "Capture" or "Cheese" to start the countdown timer
- To take a video selfie, say "Action".
We tried out the various methods of taking selfies and found that they worked as advertised. We did not encounter any slowdowns and it was a pleasant experience. On a side note, smile detection for taking selfies is nothing new; the Sony Xperia C3 also has a similar feature. Other smartphones also deploy different methods for taking selfies. For example, the LG G3 takes a timed selfie shot when it detects you executing a hand gesture (open hand and close to make a fist).
Split Capture
This is a long overdue feature; Split Capture is the ability to use the front and back camera to take a photo or video at the same time. In case you don't know, this feature has been present on smartphones as early as 2013; the LG Optimus G Pro came with it followed by the Samsung Galaxy S4. On the Desire Eye, you can swipe from the side of the screen to switch to Split Capture mode. We've also captured a video of another related video mode over here.
Live Makeup
A feature that appeals to the ladies, Live Makeup allows you to adjust the smoothness of the skin via a slider at the side of the viewfinder before taking the shot. We tried the feature and found that applying the maximum level of Live Makeup made the face look very unrealistic. Nonetheless, it is a handy tool for people who love to take selfies without having to do touch up or other forms of post processing before sharing the shot.
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