This article was published on May 23, 2013
HTC Desire 600 debuts with a quad-core processor, Sense 5 and dual BoomSound front-facing speakers
Nick Summers is a technology journalist for The Next Web. He writes on all sorts of topics, although he has a passion for gadgets, apps and (show all) Nick Summers is a technology journalist for The Next Web. He writes on all sorts of topics, although he has a passion for gadgets, apps and video games in particular. You can reach him on Twitter, circle him on Google+ and connect with him on LinkedIn.
HTC unveiled the Desire 600 today, the first mid-range smartphone to be equipped with dual BoomSound speakers and run its new Sense 5 Android skin, including its Flipboard-inspired BlinkFeed home screen.
The device offers a 4.5-inch super LCD2 display – no pixel resolution just yet – and runs on an unspecified 1.2 GHz quad-core processor.
Interestingly, there's an 8-megapixel rear-facing camera that appears to forgo the new 'UltraPixel' philosophy bestowed upon HTC's latest flagship Android smartphone, the HTC One. There's also a 1.6-megapixel front-facing camera for video calls and the like, as well as HTC's dedicated camera app for burst mode shooting and ZOE animations.
The original HTC Desire was a popular device and it therefore comes as no surprise to see the moniker carried on HTC's next range of low and mid-end Android smartphones. We've already seen the HTC Desire X and HTC Desire C fill this space, which made sense last year given the refreshed HTC One X, S and V naming system – however the Desire 600 seems to stand all on its own.
That's perhaps not surprising, given the relatively small room for maneuverability created by the refreshed HTC One branding. The Desire 600 is also notable because it supports two SIM cards, which suggests that the device is being targeted at emerging markets, or at least those with inconsistent network connectivity. It also uses HTCs "dual active" system, which means that the user can receive a call on one line, even if they're already using the other.
They're not as pronounced as the HTC One, but the Desire 600 is also equipped with dual front-facing speakers. These 'BoomSound' amplifiers were one of the stand-out features of the HTC One – we've never experienced sound quality like it on a smartphone – and should help to provide a clearer and more balanced listening experience.
HTC says its new mid-range smartphone runs on Android Jelly Bean, although the exact firmware version hasn't been disclosed. It will be available in either silver/red or black "in a number of markets" from early June. When we have more specific details, we'll be sure to let you know.
Related: HTC One review: An absolutely superb Android smartphone with software flaws
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Published May 23, 2013 - 12:07 pm UTC