HTC Desire 610 hands-on

Just yesterday, news broke out about the upcoming HTC Desire 610 for AT&T, which increasingly became more interesting after it was known that the phone would be sporting a no-contract price of $200. Well, we managed to get our first hands-on look at the smartphone during AT&T’s Holiday Showcase event held in New York City. The HTC One M8 continues to be making a lot of waves, but you’ll be surprised by how the HTC Desire 610 bears some similarities – at a cheaper price point though.

Design

Right off the bat, we can’t help but to mention how it looks exactly like HTC’s current flagship phone in the HTC One M8, but it’s sporting an all-plastic construction instead. We know, the material isn’t as premium as the former, but heck, we have to say that it comes off swell here, as its polished plastic casing recreates the iconic looks of the One M8's look and feel. Indeed, the transition to plastic makes the phone significantly lighter – a common expected outcome. At the end of the day, the humbler design of the Desire 610 is something we appreciate, especially when it’s sporting a solid construction.

Display

Visually, the phone’s design earns HTC some high marks for recreating the distinct styling of its flagship, but there’s a compromise somewhere – and in this case, it’s with the display. Outfitted with a smaller 4.7-inch 540 x 960 (qHD) display, there’s no arguing that it’s of lower quality. Not solely for its detail, but also for its washed out tones and weak viewing angles. However, when it’s viewed directly from a 90-degree angle, we’re able to make out everything without fault – though, at a slight angle, we begin to see the elements of its inferiority.