I've had this phone for a few days now. Here are some early observations:
Audio quality is great! I record a lot of material with a home theater PC setup, and playback of concerts on this phone impresses everyone. Since I also watch or listen to a lot of news programming, the loud and clear speakers are excellent for catching up to my favorite sources while walking the dog, even with the phone burried in a winter coat pocket. I no longer HAVE TO use headphones. Hey - it's an option that wasn't practical with any other phone I've had or might have bought.
Audio volume is also sufficient to use GPS in the car without connecting to the stereo through Bluetooth. This allows me to listen to the car radio without switching to aux mode for the sake of hearing GPS directions.
Screen quality is more than adequate. Most people will be thrilled. Seems fine in any lighting conditions, including direct sunlight.
This phone is about 2/3 the thickness of my last phone. Seems rather lighter, too. Build quality feels to be mid-pack. The back cover plastic is comfortable and grippy enough. The back cover also wraps around the edges of the phone, so any sidewalk dings are likely to scratch the replacable cover and not the edges of the phone. I feel no need to add a bulky case.
Gorilla Glass or not, I'm getting a screen protector. FWIW, I like Phantom Skinz. I've used them on my last several phones, and will do the same for this one.
Sense is just fine. Blinkfeed is a waste of space. If I could select my own news sources, it would be useful. As it is today, I want it gone.
4G reception is excellent! Well, actually, I'm just thrilled that it works at all. My prior phone, an HTC Evo V 4G (Evo 3D) could never connect at 4G speeds, anywhere. The Desire 601 picks up 4G everywhere I go.
Wifi reception is weaker than my HTC Evo V 4G (Evo 3D) was. Rooms in my house that sustained a connection to a moderately strong signal from elsewhere in the house now drop wifi connections frequently with the Desire. I'll add another access point to solve that problem.
Love that the phone can also use 5GHz wifi. I have both 2.4 and 5GHz at home, and the Desire connects to both. However, range is still an issue - actually a bit more of a problem with 5GHz, but that's the nature of the band.
One of my cheap car chargers - a no-name 12 volt plug with two USB ports - won't work with the Desire 601. The Desire comes up with a message about it being a non-HTC charger, that it could harm the phone and to disconnect it. Charging doesn't seem to be going on. Another cheap charger works fine.
My residential chargers all seem to work. These include two HTC chargers (from the Desire and from my old Evo V 4G) as well as a number of old Palm Pre chargers. (Yes, I had a Pre!)
Charger/USB port is on the bottom, so a "dock" program will help to view the screen in landscape mode while charging. HTC's "Car" docking app automatically rotates as needed, and will keep the screen on with a large-digit clock and a weather app. I also use it at home as a night-stand clock.
Removable battery and a Micro-SD card slot actually make this phone preferable over the HTC One, at least for my purposes. Having a few hundred bucks still in my pocket is also preferable!
That's all for now. If I think of anything else, I'll be back.
Questions?
Audio quality is great! I record a lot of material with a home theater PC setup, and playback of concerts on this phone impresses everyone. Since I also watch or listen to a lot of news programming, the loud and clear speakers are excellent for catching up to my favorite sources while walking the dog, even with the phone burried in a winter coat pocket. I no longer HAVE TO use headphones. Hey - it's an option that wasn't practical with any other phone I've had or might have bought.
Audio volume is also sufficient to use GPS in the car without connecting to the stereo through Bluetooth. This allows me to listen to the car radio without switching to aux mode for the sake of hearing GPS directions.
Screen quality is more than adequate. Most people will be thrilled. Seems fine in any lighting conditions, including direct sunlight.
This phone is about 2/3 the thickness of my last phone. Seems rather lighter, too. Build quality feels to be mid-pack. The back cover plastic is comfortable and grippy enough. The back cover also wraps around the edges of the phone, so any sidewalk dings are likely to scratch the replacable cover and not the edges of the phone. I feel no need to add a bulky case.
Gorilla Glass or not, I'm getting a screen protector. FWIW, I like Phantom Skinz. I've used them on my last several phones, and will do the same for this one.
Sense is just fine. Blinkfeed is a waste of space. If I could select my own news sources, it would be useful. As it is today, I want it gone.
4G reception is excellent! Well, actually, I'm just thrilled that it works at all. My prior phone, an HTC Evo V 4G (Evo 3D) could never connect at 4G speeds, anywhere. The Desire 601 picks up 4G everywhere I go.
Wifi reception is weaker than my HTC Evo V 4G (Evo 3D) was. Rooms in my house that sustained a connection to a moderately strong signal from elsewhere in the house now drop wifi connections frequently with the Desire. I'll add another access point to solve that problem.
Love that the phone can also use 5GHz wifi. I have both 2.4 and 5GHz at home, and the Desire connects to both. However, range is still an issue - actually a bit more of a problem with 5GHz, but that's the nature of the band.
One of my cheap car chargers - a no-name 12 volt plug with two USB ports - won't work with the Desire 601. The Desire comes up with a message about it being a non-HTC charger, that it could harm the phone and to disconnect it. Charging doesn't seem to be going on. Another cheap charger works fine.
My residential chargers all seem to work. These include two HTC chargers (from the Desire and from my old Evo V 4G) as well as a number of old Palm Pre chargers. (Yes, I had a Pre!)
Charger/USB port is on the bottom, so a "dock" program will help to view the screen in landscape mode while charging. HTC's "Car" docking app automatically rotates as needed, and will keep the screen on with a large-digit clock and a weather app. I also use it at home as a night-stand clock.
Removable battery and a Micro-SD card slot actually make this phone preferable over the HTC One, at least for my purposes. Having a few hundred bucks still in my pocket is also preferable!
That's all for now. If I think of anything else, I'll be back.
Questions?