HTC Desire 200 Review

Introduction

HTC Desire 200 is the entry level fighter in the company's Android portfolio this season, with lowly specs and cutsy design that is clearly aiming it at the younger, rather than the affluent crowd. The phone's frontal design mimics the flagship HTC One BoomSound speaker grill, but is that enough to lure buyers towards the unassuming Desire 200? Read on to find out...

In the box

• In-ear stereo headphones
• Wall charger
• MicroUSB cable
• Warranty and information leaflets

Design

Soapy shape, thick black or white body with rounded corners and patterned back cover – the HTC Desire 200 is not bad looking at all, and since it is very small, the phone is comfortable to hold and operate with one hand, too. We mentioned that it has the signature speaker grill at the top we automatically associate with the high-end HTC One, but that seems to be just a design exploit, as the main speaker is actually on the back.


The power/lock key at the top, and the volume rocker on the right are wide, easy to feel and press without looking, and with pretty deep tactile feedback. There are three capacitive navigational keys underneath the smallish display, which are sensitive just enough, and responsive to the touch.


Display

The basic 3.5” screen comes with 320x480 pixels resolution, which even at that small size only returns 165 ppi density, so it's unlikely that you will use it for anything but basic tasks, rather than staring at it for hours browsing or watching vids.

It is otherwise sufficiently bright outside, with good color representation and tolerable viewing angles, but due to the low resolution everything looks pretty ugly and pixelated.