Taiwanese smartphone maker, HTC has released a mid-range handset dubbed Desire 516 in India via online store.
HTC Desire 516 was first announced in China, few months ago. It sports a 5.0-inch qHD (940 x 560p) display with pixel density of 220 ppi (pixels per inch) and ships with the out-dated Android v4.2.2 Jelly Bean with custom HTC v5.1 Sense UI out-of-the-box.
Under the hood, it houses Qualcomm Snapdragon 200 series quad-core CPU, Adreno 302 graphics engine, 1GB RAM, 4GB inbuilt storage (expandable up to 32GB), 5.0-megapixel main camera (with LED flash, HDR, BSI sensor, f/2.8 aperture, HD (720p) video recording ability), 2.0-megapixel camera and a 1,950 mAh battery which can run the phone for up to 9 hours of talk time (3G).
As of now, the new HTC Desire 516 is available at e-commerce shop, eBay for ₹13,302, reported Maktechblog.com. However, there is no word from HTC when the company would expand the availability of the new phone in other retail shops (online/brick-and-mortar) across India.
Being placed as a mid-range smartphone, HTC Desire 516 will be up against popular Motorola Moto G, Micromax Canvas Turbo A250, Sony Xperia C, Xperia L, Samsung Galaxy Grand Quattro, Lenovo P780 and many other brands.
Earlier on Wednesday (25 June), similar mid-range segment phone BlackBerry Z3 got launched in India for ₹15,990. It features 5.0-inch qHD (960 x 540p) display and ships with the newly updated OS (v10.2.1) powered by a 1.2GHz snapdragon dual-core processor with Adreno 305 graphics engine, 1.5GB RAM and 8GB inbuilt storage (expandable up to 32GB). It is backed by a 2,500 mAh battery (non-removable) which can run the device for up to 15.5 hours and close to 16 days under standby mode.
Key Specifications of HTC Desire 516 and BlackBerry Z3:
| Model | HTC Desire 516 | BlackBerry Z3 |
| Display | 5.0-inch qHD (560x940p) screenPixel density: 220 (ppi) | 5.0-inch qHD (960x540p) screen |
| OS | Android v4.2.2 Jelly Bean with custom HTC v5.1 Sense UI | BlackBerry v10.2.1 |
| Processor | Qualcomm Snapdragon 200 series quad-core CPU | 1.2GHz Qualcomm Dual-core CPU (chipset: MSM8230) |
| GPU | Adreno 302 | Adreno 305 |
| RAM | 1GB | 1.5GB |
| Storage capacity | 4GB, expandable up to 32GB | 8GB, expandable up to 32GB |
| Camera | Main: 5.0-megapixel camera with LED flash, HDR, BSI sensor, f/2.8 aperture, HD (720p) video recordingFront: 2.0-megapixel camera | Main: 5.0-megapixel camera with flash, 5 x digital zoom, image stabilization, full HD video recording and more Front: 1.1-megapixel camera fixed-focus camera, HD (720p) video recording ability |
| Battery | 1,950 mAh;Talk time: up to 9 hours (3G) | 2,500 mAh (non-removable);Talk time: up to 15.5 hoursStandby mode: close to 16.2 days |
| Network | 3G | 3G |
| Add-ons | Dual-SIM slots, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, | Bluetooth v4.0 LE (Low Energy) with aptX, Wi-Fi (802.11 b/g/n; 2.4GHz), Assisted-GPS, NFC,FM Radio, dual-microphone for noise cancellation, on-screen LED indicator, proprietary BlackBerry® Balance™ technology offering dedicated profiles to keep work and personal data separate and secure |
| Price | ₹13,302 | ₹15,990 |
