Review: HTC Desire 628 is a Feel Good Phone, But a Bit Overpriced

HTC Desire 628 is here, and it doesn’t pinch your pocket. But should you still buy it? Read our review to decide.

HTC Desire 628 works well in the budget, but fails to beat competition. (Photo: TheQuint)

HTC, the Taiwanese smartphone maker, is grappling with the rise of its Chinese counterparts, not just in India, but globally too. To stay relevant, the brand has launched a slew of new models across various price ranges. Targeting the mid-budget segment is the new HTC Desire 628 dual SIM. The phone is priced at Rs 13,990, but did it impress us? Read on.

Pros:

• Premium build
  
• Decent cameras
  
• 3 GB RAM
  

Cons:

• Battery life
  
• Price
  

What’s Good

The first thing you notice is the compact form factor of the device, which has a 5-inch HD display on the front and a non-removable, glossy panel at the back. The phone is quite thin and light, but straight edges give it a very solid feel. An accented strip runs along the sides which gives the smartphone a dual-tone look.

HTC Desire 628 Dual SIM hasd a 5-inch display. (Photo: The Quint)

Two speaker grilles on either side of the screen give it a very symmetric, aesthetic look, which come with HTC’s proprietary ‘BoomSound’ technology.

The HTC Desire 628 comes with ‘BoomSound’ Technology. (Photo: The Quint)

The dual SIM 4G phone is snappy with a 3GB RAM and a 1.3 GHz MediaTek octa-core processor, and zipped through multiple tabs and apps I threw at it. It comes with 32GB on-board which can be expanded upto 2TB via microSD.

HTC Desire 628 comes with 1.3 GHz MediaTek octa-core processor. (Photo: The Quint)

Things are quite decent on the camera front, with the13-megapixel rear snapper producing sharp, quickly focused images. The 5-megapixel selfie camera has a Live Makeup feature which although clicks well-lit photos, gives a pastel appearance while hiding the blemishes. Both the cameras record 1080p videos.

Primary camera sample on HTC Desire 628 Dual SIM. (Photo: The Quint)

What’s Bad?

The smartphone strives to pack a punch with its performance but falters on the juice to make it possible. HTC Desire 628 comes with a 2200mAh battery which may need a recharge after about 6-7 hours if you are an active user.

The phone has a 2200mAh battery. (Photo: The Quint)

Also, for the price, one would expect more. For example, it comes with a 1280x720 screen, when competing models have established 1920x1080 Full HD resolution as a standard.

HTC Desire 628 has a 1280x720 screen. (Photo: The Quint)

Why Buy It?

The smartphone makes you feel good because it offers pretty much everything that an average smartphone user may need. But if you compare it to other phones in the same price-range, such as Xiaomi Redmi Note 3, Motorola G4, and even the latest LeEco Le 2, the HTC Desire 628 doesn’t stack up quite well. It would have been a perfect buy if it was priced a few thousands lower.

Go for this if you are an HTC fan looking for a desirable device that doesn’t pinch your pocket.