HTC Desire C

HTC has stepped out of its comfort zone with this one. It's not their first attempt at a smartphone for the masses and the Taiwanese are definitely getting the hang of it. The Desire C is firmly in the tradition of the two Wildfires and the Explorer. By another tradition honored by HTC, even their entry level offerings get the latest software and the combination of Ice Cream Sandwich and Sense 4.0 is the phone's key selling point.

The flipside is, the hardware doesn't quite keep up.read more →

The HTC Desire C is better than the handsets it's come in to replace, but not by much.

The intuitive interface, attractive design and competitive price tag means the Desire C certainly has the opportunity to do well at the low end of the market – especially against the likes of the Samsung Galaxy Y and LG Optimus L3.read more →

The HTC Desire C is a fine low-end smartphone. It's compact and cute, and will certainly get the job done for most standard tasks. The price for this phone is just right. It's priced very closely to rivals such as the Sony Ericsson Xperia ray and Motorola Defy+ or Mini. You should be able to find the Samsung Galaxy Mini 2 at a better price, and it will probably perform a bit better than the Desire C, but the HTC is superior in terms of design and comes with ICS, so you'll have to make a decision as to what's more important to you.read more →

The biggest rival the HTC Desire C faces is, ironically, the HTC One V which costs a little more but boosts screen size, processor and more for around £50 extra. If decent performance from a palm sized phone is key, the the HTC Desire C is an excellent choice with a quality build and Android 4.0 skills out of the box.

There’s no doubt the HTC Desire C offers value for money but it’s the prospect of bigger screen that could ultimately tempt you away from a purchase.read more →

It's always a difficult task to judge a budget phone as for some people the compromises made won't matter but for others they'll be fundamental – like the missing LED on the flash in this instance. Also, there's always the competition from second hand models to consider. But overall we think HTC has done enough to make this a sensible option if you're looking for a first mobile for a child or just for a stylish low cost handset for yourself.read more →