HTC expected great things from its latest Desire S phone. The phone itself is the replacement for the original Desire that proved to be a hit with consumers and industry insiders. However, since its launch, other manufacturers have been releasing some notable high-spec phones, such as the Samsung Galaxy S2. In response to this, HTC has launched its own heavyweight in the form of the Sensation, the brand’s new flagship model. So is this new model worth spending a bit more for, or is the Desire S suitable for the average phone user?
It’s obvious that the Sensation will emerge victorious from this battle thanks to its remarkable specs, but the question is exactly how do these additional facilities benefit the average consumer to ensure the higher initial cost of the phone. Screen size is one area where the two models have a big difference. While the Desire S has launched squarely in line with the likes of the iPhone 4 with its 3.5-inch screen, the Sensation has upped the ante by opting for a very large 4.3-inch screen. In terms of the respective quality of these two screens, there is very little to choose between the two, as both units use the same S-LCD panel to produce vivid colors and great image clarity. Although the Sensation weighs in with a high resolution of 540 x 960 pixels, this additional quality is necessary due to the larger screen. Although the Desire S has a lower resolution of 480 x 800, the smaller screen means it looks just as clear as the higher-spec model. So, with little difference in quality, the consumer should really weigh whether they want the Desire S’s more compact design or the larger Sensation which may be better suited to a variety of multimedia uses.
In the power department, the HTC Sensation packs a real party piece in the form of a 1.2 Ghz dual-core processor. These two cores ensure that the phone runs at a great rate, but the Desire S is certainly no slouch. With a 1 Ghz Scorpion processor and 768 MB of RAM, the phone will please even the most demanding users. Larger screens can show more imperfections in image quality and for this reason, HTC chose to install an 8-megapixel camera on the Sensation instead of the 5-megapixel feature offered on the Desire S. Working with A similar principle to screen resolution, the two resulting images are of similar quality on both devices, although the added impact Sensation brings means that if these images are transferred to a larger screen, the extra quality will become apparent.
Although the HTC Sensation beats the Desire S in almost every area of its specs, the resulting differences aren’t too obvious, as this extra quality is needed thanks to the Sensations’ larger size. It all boils down to whether the consumer wants a high-quality phone in a compact size or a powerful multimedia device that isn’t as easy to slip into a pocket or bag.
