We’ll be taking a closer look at HTC to see what caused a massive drop in popularity. Also, what are they doing now?

HTC Malaysia is currently offering some promotions on their HTC smartphones and devices for the upcoming Chinese New Year. According to their Facebook page, this means that you could get some extra freebies like flash memory cards or official cases with your next HTC purchase. These HTC devices include the HTC Desire EYE and some other HTC Desire smartphones, the HTC Butterfly 2 and the Nexus 9 and will be valid until 1 March 2015. To get these freebies, check out their site and fill up your particulars with your proof of purchase.

According to the latest poster released by HTC on its Weibo page, the Taiwanese smartphone manufacturer will unveil at least one Desire smartphone at the upcoming CES 2015 event which will be held at Las Vegas starting 5 January 2015. The teaser image says 'Always Desire more' which probably hints at a new HTC Desire smartphone from the company this year. HTC's Desire range has shown some promise recently especially with the Desire Eye smartphone and the Desire 820. The Desire range usually offer  mid-range specs and the new Desire phone expected to be unveiled on 6 January 2015 will most likely be a mid-range smartphone as well. Given that HTC has not yet hinted at a new 'One' branded phone, it's very likely that the company won't announce a flagship device at the event. Traditionally, HTC announces its 'HTC One' flagship sometime later during the Mobile World Congress (MWC) which happens in February 2015. Hence, the leaked HTC One (M9) Hima flagship model could debut around March this year too. As for the new Desire smartphone, there aren't many details like Malaysia release dates or pricing available just yet. It could be something new and big like the unique Desire Eye smartphone with a 13MP front camera. Stay tuned for more updates from CES 2015 in the coming days.

Just yesterday we reported on the upcoming mid-range HTC device called the HTC Desire 620 and already the company has officially unveiled the device in its home country of Taiwan. It comes with the same tech specs as mentioned in our previous article but in two different variants, namely the Desire 620 and the Desire 620G. The former features a 64-bit Snapdragon 410 Quad Core processor, while the latter comes with a Mediatek MTK6592 Octa Core processor. The Snapdragon powered model supports LTE unlike the Mediatek one which supports WCDMA. Other than these, both the models have the same tech specs that includes 1GB RAM, 8GB internal storage expandable via MicroSD and a 5-inch display with a resolution of 1280 x 720 pixels. An 8MP rear camera is placed at the back with HTC's Eye experience while a 5MP front camera takes care of the selfies. Other features include dual sim support, a 2100mah battery and Android 4.4 KitKat out of the box. The Snapdragon version is slightly costlier at NT$6,990 (RM762) as compared to the Mediatek version which is available for NT$4990 (RM544). No Malaysia release dates or pricing yet but we should get these details soon.

HTC will most likely make another addition to its already crowded mid-range Desire lineup with recently leaked HTC Desire 620. The news comes from a Bulgarian website called Nixanbal.com, who managed to get hands on with the device. Those guys were kind enough to present it for us remaining folks; however, the article has now not been pulled down from the website. Tech specs include a 1.2GHz quad-core processor clocked, probably the same 64 bit Snapdragon 410 processor found on the Desire 510. Other features include 1GB RAM, 8GB storage, 8MP rear camera with LED flash, 5MP front camera and 2100 mAh battery. Like all Desire models, the phone is made of plastic and looks a lot like HTC One E8 model complete with dual front facing speakers. The device runs on Android 4.4.4 Kitkat OS with the latest HTC Sense 6 UI on top. We expect more details on the Malaysia release date and pricing once the device is officially announced by HTC.

HTC just announced the HTC Desire 820s, featuring a 64-bit processor from MediaTek. While there is already a 64-bit HTC Desire 820 smartphone, this one was powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 615 processor. Tech specs for the HTC Desire 820s on the other hand include a 1.7GHz octa-core MediaTek MT6752 processor with Mali T760 graphics. Other tech specs and features include 2GB RAM, 16GB storage, a 5.5-inch display with 720p resolution, dual front BoomSound speakers, 4G LTE, 13MP rear camera and an 8MP front camera. No news or details on Malaysia release dates or pricing yet but we expect it to be a bit lower priced than the earlier HTC Desire 820 due to the change in processor.

More and more affordable 4G LTE devices are coming and this is evident with the official announcement of the HTC Desire 510. The smartphone offers midrange tech specs and 4G LTE connectivity, but what really makes it tempting is it's supposedly low price tag. Tech specs and features for the HTC Desire 510 include a 1.2GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 410 processor, 1GB RAM, 8GB storage, microSD card support, a 4.7-inch with 854 x 480 pixel resolution, 5MP rear camera and VGA front camera. The smartphone measures in at 139.9 x 69.8 x 9.99mm but is quite hefty at 158g. It runs on a 2100 mAh battery and Android 4.4 KitKat.  No specific Malaysia release dates or pricing yet but we should find out soon.

HTC proved their design chops with the HTC One and have finally come out with something fresh with the announcement of the HTC Desire 816 and HTC Desire 610 smartphones. Targeting the midrange both smartphones offer a very nice looking design with less common colours than most smartphones. True, the two smartphones do come in black and white still but their front dual speakers and super slim bezels help them stand out from all the rest. Tech specs for the HTC Desire 816 and 610 can be seen below:

• HTC Desire 816
• 1.6GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 processor
• 1.5GB RAM
• 8GB storage + microSD
• 5.5-inch display (720p)
• 13MP rear camera (LED flash) + 5MP front camera
• Supports 4G LTE, WiFi, Bluetooth, GPS, dual speakers
• 7.99mm thin | 165g
• 2600 mAh battery

The HTC Incredible S is a worthy heir of HTC Desire. The device boasts a refined design with a slightly convex case.

HTC Incredible S - Start-up time:

The HTC Incredible S takes about 25 seconds to start. Overall, the device benefits from the “fast boot” technology. The smartphone can restart in five short seconds, provided you do not previously remove the battery.
Navigation can be done with greater fluidity and latency is almost non-existent. When loading an application, even when a Web connection is required, it is done almost instantaneously.The Incredible S works well with EDGE or 3G; unfortunately it doesn’t have 4G (LTE) support.

The original HTC Desire became one of the most popular Android smartphones of 2010, a compelling balance of screen-size, functionality and pricing that convinced us in our review and continued to convince buyers throughout the year. Now, HTC is back with the follow-up, the HTC Desire S.

HTC Desire S - Great hardware and UI:

Side by side, the Desire S is slightly shorter in the body, but differences are minimal. The familiar Android buttons have become softkeys, and the central optical trackpad has disappeared. The phone body is sculpted out of a single chunk of aluminium, apart from two oblong rubberised sections on the rear – one housing the 5MP camera and LED flash, the other being the battery cover with a cunning integrated antenna.