HTC DROID DNA preview: First look

HTC DROID DNA hands-on

The HTC DROID DNA is the company's first 5" Android smartphone - it can almost qualify as a phablet. Still, the designers and engineers have taken care to keep the device as compact as the monstrous screen allows, reducing the bezel size to a minimum.

The screen is nothing short of amazing. The lighting in the event room isn't perfect, but we're impressed by what we're seeing. The One X screen was one of the best we've seen, but this one is even better. And it's not just the pixel count (though that certainly helps a great deal) - the new Super LCD3 tech seems to provide even nicer colors.

HTC DROID DNA hands-on photos

The bezel around the 5" screen is as skinny as it gets (especially on the left and right) and as a result, the phone isn't much bigger than the One X. The DROID DNA is also very light in the hand, virtually the same weight as the former flagship.

The screen is amazing

The DROID DNA is slightly thicker than its predecessor though - 9.7mm vs. 8.9mm - but the body shape with tapered edges successfully hides that extra girth. The back has a soft plastic feel, similar to the polycarbonate designs we've seen from HTC recently.

The screen is amazing

Something that sets it apart are the red strips that runs on either side of the phone. The red accents are present on other parts of the smartphone like the red Power/Lock key on top, the red ring around the camera at the back and the red earpiece strip. The three capacitive keys below the display are white though, unlike the One X+ keys.

By the way, the red strips on the side of the phone have a grill-like pattern, but do not actually cover loudspeakers. The DROID DNA has two amps built in - one for the headset jack and one for the loudspeaker (which is on the back).

HTC DROID DNA has a new soft, plastic and red accents

The microUSB port on the bottom of the HTC DROID DNA is covered with a small plastic cover, but the 3.5mm audio jack is left exposed.

Sadly, there's no microSD card slot on board the DROID DNA so you are limited to the 16GB of preinstalled storage the smartphone comes with. You should also keep in mind that only 11GB of those are user-available, so it might get tight faster than you expect.

The microUSB port and the 3.5mm audio jack

The HTC DROID DNA results await you on the next page. Also make sure to stop by Page 5 for more high quality photos of the smartphone from our studio.