Product Listing

HTC Desire V - Dual-SIM Android Option

By Wong Casandra - 29 Aug 2012
Launch SRP: S$498

Performance & Conclusion

Performance

The HTC Desire V comes with a single-core processor clocked at 1GHz (yes, you read that right), alongside 512MB of RAM. This puts it in a similar playing field to the HTC One V, but the only difference is that the latter has a slightly better GPU. As usual, we subject the review unit to the Quadrant benchmark, which can be found on Google Play. To gauge how it performs against the competition, we matched its scores against similar devices using single-core processors such as the HTC One V, Sony Ericsson Xperia Mini and Sony Ericsson Xperia Ray.

A Quick Comparison
Device HTC Desire V HTC One V Sony Ericsson
Xperia Mini
Sony Ericsson
Xperia Ray
CPU Qualcomm MSM7227A Snapdragon 1GHz Qualcomm MSM8255
Snapdragon 1GHz
Qualcomm QSD8255
Snapdragon
1GHz
Qualcomm MSM8255
Snapdragon 1GHz
GPU Adreno 200 Adreno 205 Adreno 205 Adreno 205
RAM 512MB 512MB 512MB 512MB
OS Google Android 4.0 Google Android 4.0 Google Android 2.3 Google Android 2.3

 

The HTC Desire V fared decently against its competitors, only losing to the HTC One V by a small margin. We attribute this to its older Snapdragon 1GHz processor. Nonetheless, all phones exhibited close scores, with an average of 1800. That gives us the reassurance that all phones have about the same level of performance.

Nonetheless, we do like to stress again that numbers aren't everything. Apart from benchmarking, the HTC Desire V ran smoothly and had no problems rendering pages or apps despite its single-core chipset and 512MB RAM. We spotted slight lags while running Temple Run though, so other graphic-intensives apps might be a problem for this device. After all, single-core processor can only handle so much. This is probably the reason why the next tier of phones are usually equipped with dual-core processors that can better handle most tasks, like the Sony Xperia U, which is sold in a similar price bracket to the HTC Desire V.

 

Imaging Quality

The HTC Desire V arms itself with a 5-megapixel camera with LED flash. HTC phones often falter in the imaging department and the HTC Desire V seems to fall under the same category; details were on the fuzzy side with high levels of noise and overly saturated colors. It's highly likely that the Desire V is using an older generation of sensor than the one used on the One V, which is also capable of taking 5MP photos but with more satisfactory quality. As we peer further into the performance segment, it seems that the differences between the Desire and One series are getting more apparent.

 The HTC Desire V comes with a 5-megapixel camera but doesn't come with a front-facing camera.

Details were on the fuzzy side with high levels of noise and overly saturated colors. Check out the close-up shots below for further scrutiny.



Battery Mileage

Using the same 480 x 800-pixel resolution video that we use across all our mobile device battery tests, we set the same test parameters which includes having the video looped under the following conditions:

  • Brightness and volume at 100%
     
  • Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity turned on
     
  • Constant data streaming through email and Twitter
Test Phones Compared
Specifications/Device HTC Desire V HTC One V Sony Ericsson 
Xperia Mini
Sony Ericsson 
Xperia Ray
Processor
  • 1GHz single-core
  • 1GHz single-core
  • 1GHz single-core
  • 1GHz single-core
Display Size
  • 4.0-inch
  • 3.7-inch
  • 3.0-inch
  • 3.3-inch
Display Type
  • LCD
  • LCD
  • LED-backlit LCD
  • LED-backlit LCD
Display Resolution
  •  480 x 800 pixels
  • 480 x 800 pixels
  • 320 x 480 pixels
  • 480 x 854 pixels
Dimensions
  •  118.5 x 62.3 x 9.3 mm
  • 120.3 x 59.7 x 9.24mm
  • 88 x 52 x 16mm
  •  111 x 53 x 9.4mm
Weight
  •  114g
  • 115g
  •  99g
  •  100g



The HTC Desire V did slightly better than Sony Ericsson Xperia Ray at 305 minutes, landing itself in the third spot. Once again, the HTC One V reigned champion at 360 minutes. Given that both handsets shared very similar hardware specs, it is safe to say that the One V outperformed the Desire V in performance - be it in battery life or raw processor performance. We partially attribute it to its bigger 4.0-inch screen and less optimized processor. Nonetheless, we wouldn't say that Desire V's battery performance is abysmal but it is definitely not great and just slightly above average. For another point of comparison, its battery uptime is pretty decent when compared to some dual-core devices like the Sony Xperia U and Xperia P, both of which are more premium products. So in essence, the HTC Desire V is not too shabby.

To give you a real-world gauge, we observed that the phone could last almost a whole day on a single charge, with emails and Twitter feeds pushed constantly to it. Other activities included occasional web surfing and phone calls. So from a a general usage standpoint, the phone is able to deliver a decent day's worth of usage.
 
 

Conclusion

At S$498, the HTC Desire V aims itself squarely at those looking for an affordable smartphone with a pretty niche dual-SIM feature (especially useful for frequent travelers requiring foreign and local numbers active concurrently on the same device). Just like the HTC One V, the smartphone itself is an inexpensive option for those considering to jump onto the Android 4.0 bandwagon. Plus, it looks fashionable and sleek, like most HTC devices usually do. Nonetheless, the Desire One V is not one without flaws as it falters in its imaging performance, while running certain graphics intensive apps could be better. Those looking for an entry-level Android device are better off with the HTC One V (S$398), unless you are specifically eyeing on a phone that supports dual SIM cards or one with a 4.0-inch touch screen.

Exclusively for people who really need to use two SIM cards.


For those who don't require a dual-SIM capable phone and don't quite fancy HTC's Sense 4.0 UI, you can also opt for the 4.3-inch LG Optimus L7 (S$498). If screen size isn't important and don't mind even more compact devices, older but cheaper options include the already-mentioned Sony Ericsson Xperia Mini (from S$220) and Xperia Ray (from S$295) - both of which have received Android 4.0 updates- and the Android 2.3 3.2-inch LG Optimus L3 (S$268).

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8.0
  • Design 8.5
  • Features 8.5
  • User-Friendliness 8.5
  • Performance 7.5
  • Value 8
The Good
Excellent design and solid build quality
Crisp 4.0-inch LCD screen
Refined Sense 4.0a UI
Dual-SIM option
The Bad
Limited internal memory space
Single-core processor
Mediocre camera performance
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