HTC Desire 510 review: Inbetweener

HTC Desire 510 360-degree view

The HTC Desire 510 isn't particularly keen on making every millimeter count. At 139.9 x 69.8 x 10mm it weighs 158g and looks it. Compared to another 4.7-incher, the Galaxy Alpha, the Desire 510 is 8mm taller, 5mm wider, 3mm thicker and 43g heavier. That's quite the difference but, to be fair, these two are not in the same league at all.

Design and build quality

The HTC Desire 510 is hardly the darling of the Desire lineup, but is built with the company's typical attention to detail. Made entirely of plastic and not as compact as some may've wished, it is still among the better looking smartphones we've seen this season.

Up front, things look a lot like the flagship One series, a symmetrical arrangement with two pieces extending at the top and bottom of the screen, of the same finish as what's used on the battery cover. This looks like the stereo speaker layout of more premium HTC handsets, an impression enhanced by the micro-drilled earpiece grille. Needless to say though, there's no BoomSound tech and no multiple speakers on the HTC Desire 510.

HTC Desire 510

The phone's sides are subtly rounded, going into a more pronounced curve for the battery cover for a very comfortable feel in hand. The back of the HTC Desire 510 is where the single speaker is, under a familiar grille drilled through the removable battery cover.

The HTC Desire 510 is a centimeter thick and heavy at almost 160 g. While this is not as compact as it could've been, the phone feels extra solid while allowing comfortable single-hand operation. The matte finish has extra grip too.

Handling the HTC Desire 510

Controls

The front of the HTC Desire 510 is rather clean and simple. Above the 4.7" display we find the earpiece, the VGA front camera and a couple of sensors in-between. Centrally placed below the screen is the primary mic.

There are no dedicated keys of any type - the interface is navigated via on-screen controls.

Above and below the 4.7" HTC Desire 510 screen

There is nothing on the left side of the HTC Desire 510, while on the right we find the lonely volume rocker.

The left side is bare • the volume rocker is on the right

The top of the HTC Desire 510 features the 3.5mm audio jack along with a power/lock key. On the opposite side is the microUSB port for computer connections and charging.

The audio port and the power key on top • the microUSB port at the bottom

Around back, a 5MP fixed-focus camera comes with no flash, dead center at the top. A single loudspeaker is symmetrically placed near the bottom of the Desire 510.

The 5MP camera at the back • the loudspeaker grille

The phone is powered by a user-removable 2,100mAh Li-Po battery. The microSD and microSIM slots are right above the battery compartment. A memory card can be easily inserted but to get it out you need to pop the battery out first.

The microSIM and microSD slots are under the battery cover