HTC Desire 601 Introduced As Mid-Range Smartphone

At IFA 2013, HTC introduces the HTC Desire 601, a mid-range smartphone that is built around the same design language as the HTC One (not exactly the same), but optimized to reach a price point that would make it much more affordable. HTC hasn’t revealed any pricing yet, most likely because wireless carriers will define and announce their own prices.

The HTC Desire 601 looks pretty good in the photos, and here’s what the specs sheet is telling us: The main chip is a Snapdragon 400 (dual-core) running at 1.4GHz (1GB of RAM). It’s the same chip that we have seen in the Galaxy Mega 6.3 and a few other phones, so we know that it can deliver “Galaxy Note 2” levels of performance, just to provide you a frame of reference.

Inside there’s 8GB of internal storage, which is typical in this segment, but the presence of a microSD expansion slot should reassure users who fear running out of storage for their media files. The main Camera has a 5 Megapixel BSI sensor (backside illuminated) which should be good for low-lighting photos (the f2.0 lens helps too!) and it is connected to an “HTC Image Chip” that will convert sensor analog data into a viewable image.

HTC has included all the HTC Sense goodness, including the camera app, Blinkfeed and HTC Zoe, just to mention the big ones. If you are not familiar with those, I recommend reading our complete HTC One review since the software and overall user experience will be very similar, if not exactly the same.

In terms of connectivity, you will find WiFi a/b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.0 and the phone is designed to work on GSM networks (2G to HSPA+) and LTE networks. HTC did not provide the exact: LTE bands, so you may have to wait for specific carrier deals to be made public.

The HTC Desire 601 is targeted to the EMEA markets at this point, and if it was to come to the U.S, it would possibly do so under a different name.

Key HTC Desire 601 Specifications

• 4.5” qHD display
• Android version: N/A
• Snapdragon 400, 1.4GHz (1GB of RAM)
• HTC Sense, HTC Blinkfeed
• 5 Megapixel Camera, BSI sensor, f2.0 aperture and 28mm lens
• HTC ZOE photo application
• Dimensions: 134.5×66.7×9.88mm, 130grams
• Bluetooth 4.0 with aptX
• WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n
• Battery: 2100 mAh

Eliane Fiolet
Categories: Breaking, Cellphones
Tags: desire 601, HTC