HTC Desire X review: Needs and wants

Display

The HTC Desire X packs a 4" LCD display of WVGA resolution (480x800), which is more, in terms of both size and resolution, than you get with the Desire C.

The HTC Desire X display

The image quality of the screen is quite good, particularly given that we are talking a mid-range smartphone here. We expected the HTC Desire X screen to be identical to that of the HTC Desire V, but in reality it did way better in our tests. We are not sure if that's due to the smartphone having a different unit or to variances in production, but the upgrade is quite significant.

Display test	50% brightness			100% brightness
	Black, cd/m2	White, cd/m2	Contrast ratio	Black, cd/m2	White, cd/m2	Contrast ratio
HTC Desire X	0.18	226	1273	0.33	421	1275
HTC Desire V	0.33	340	1027	0.48	506	1054
Sony Xperia tipo	-	-	-	0.75	561	751
HTC Desire C	0.23	186	814	0.5	360	723
HTC One X	0.15	200	1375	0.39	550	1410
Sony Xperia U	0.35	287	831	0.55	515	930
Samsung S7500 Galaxy Ace Plus	0.27	239	873	0.6	528	888

The native contrast of the screen is actually quite good, even if the maximum brightness is lower than that of the Desire V. The viewing angles haven't improved significantly though and are still only okay. Sunlight legibility is also slightly better.

Contrast ratio

• Nokia 808 PureView
  4.698
• Samsung I9300 Galaxy S III
  3.419
• Samsung Omnia W
  3.301
• Samsung Galaxy S
  3.155
• Samsung Ativ S
  3.129
• Nokia N9
  3.069
• Samsung Galaxy Note
  2.970
• HTC One S
  2.901
• Samsung Galaxy S II
  2.832
• Huawei Ascend P1
  2.655
• Nokia Lumia 900
  2.562
• Apple iPhone 4S
  2.269
• HTC One X
  2.158
• Nokia N8
  2.144
• Apple iPhone 4
  2.016
• Sony Ericsson Xperia ray
  1.955
• HTC Desire X
  1.878
• HTC Windows Phone 8X
  1.873
• Sony Xperia U
  1.758
• LG Optimus G
  1.753
• LG Optimus 4X HD
  1.691
• HTC One V
  1.685
• LG Optimus Vu
  1.680
• HTC Desire V
  1.646
• LG Optimus 3D
  1.542
• Nokia Asha 302
  1.537
• Nokia Lumia 610
  1.432
• Gigabyte GSmart G1355
  1.361
• Sony Xperia miro
  1.324
• HTC Desire C
  1.300
• LG Optimus L7
  1.269
• Meizu MX
  1.221
• Samsung Galaxy Pocket
  1.180
• Sony Xperia tipo
  1.166
• Samsung Galaxy mini 2
  1.114

You can find more about our screen testing procedures here.

Handling

The Desire X is built to a high standard and, despite the all plastic body, it doesn't feel cheap or flimsy. There's no premium finish but the excellent grip and comfortable handling make up for that.

The only thing that feels out of place is the huge camera plate at the back. If you can live with that, you'll find the Desire X a pleasure to handle.

The HTC Desire X held in hand

That about wraps it up on the outside, Ice Cream Sandwich and Sense UI are coming up right after the break.