Wednesday, November 14, 2012

Hands-on with the new $199 HTC Droid DNA

HTC jumps into phablets with Droid DNA (hands-on)




Design

On the surface, the slab-shaped HTC Droid DNA looks like just about every other Android smartphone on the market. The only touch of flair are signature Verizon-red highlights which circle the 8-megapixel megapixel camera lens and form a thin line above the screen. Frankly it gives the handset a classic Droid Incredible flavor similar to the HTC Droid Incredible 4G LTE That said I really like the long red stripes which run along both the left and right edges of the phone. HTC says it was inspired by Lamborghini supercars when crafting them. As for me, I just think the stripes, which are metallic and perferated by tiny holes, look futuristic and striking.

On back, the phone’s soft-touch surface cut from premium polycarbonate reminds me more of the HTC One X and One X+’s design language though. You’ll need that soft-touch coating too since its rubber feel provides a sure grip. The device is large, yet thin. Its 0.16-inch profile makes it thinner than the Samsung Galaxy S III. Picking up both handsets and placing them side-by-side, however, they seem to be of equal thickness, or shall I say thiness. This phone is razor-sharp, there's no doubt about that and its metal buttons and trim give it a much more premium feel than the Galaxy S III's plastic parts.


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