HTC Desire 600 dual sim review: One in two

Unboxing the HTC Desire 600 dual sim

The HTC Desire 600 dual sim comes in a box that's identical to the HTC One's. It is filled with the exact same accessories as the HTC One - a compact charger with a detachable microUSB cable and a one-piece headset with spare tips. The headset is an in-ear design and has cool red accents and flat, tangle-resistant cables.

Inside the HTC Desire 600 dual sim box

HTC Desire 600 360-degree spin

Measuring 134.8 x 67 x 9.3 mm, the HTC Desire 600 is easily comparable to the HTC One, which is couple of mm larger at 137.4 x 68.2 x 9.3 mm, but equally thin. Thanks to the lack of aluminum on the Desire 600, it weighs only 130 grams. That's 13 grams lighter than the One, which tips the scales at 143 grams. Although it may sound like a negligible difference, you can really feel it.

Design

We've already mentioned that on the outside, the HTC Desire 600 dual sim looks like an alternative version of the HTC One. A design concept that didn't make the draft, if you will. However, if its visual appeal wasn't enough for the premium segment, it's very well suited in the mid-range sector.

The Desire 600 is made entirely out of plastic with no traces of metal. While we love metal-clad smartphones, there's nothing we didn't like about the plastic build of the Desire 600. The back cover is finished in matte plastic, which makes it virtually immune to fingerprints and provides an extra grip in hand.

The HTC Desire 600 is made entirely out of plastic that's very high quality

On the front, the plastic is of the glossy variety, but on the black version of the Desire 600 it provides a smooth contrast with the back cover. HTC has accented the BoomSound stereo speakers at the front with a paint job that makes their grilles appear as aluminum, but those are simply nice looking pieces of plastic.

Going all-plastic means that the back cover is removable. It grants you access to the battery, the two SIM card slots as well as the tray for the microSD card slot. In our experience, the back panel is particularly hard to remove without longer nails. If you have more than two SIM cards and you happen to swap them regularly, the stiff back might start feeling like a uneeded chore.

Controls

We already mentioned that the HTC Desire 600 dual sim bears significant resemblance to the HTC One and that's most visible at the front of the device. It is there where you really get to recognize the design language that HTC introduced with the One and One mini. Unfortunately, the display lacks Gorilla Glass protection, which future owners of the device should keep in mind. A screen protector will go a long way in keeping this one safe.

There are two capacitive keys below the screen - Back and Home - and a speaker on either side of the display.

Next to the top speaker is the front-facing camera (1.6MP / 720p) along with the proximity and ambient light sensors.

BoomSound speakers above and below the display • two capacitive keys

The top of the HTC Desire 600 dual sim features the Power/Lock key and the 3.5mm audio jack. A second mic for active noise cancellation is notably missing here. The bottom of the phone holds the main mic along with the microUSB port (note that this port isn't MHL-enabled like on the HTC One).

3.5mm audio jack, Power/Lock key • microUSB port and microphone

The left side of the Desire 600 dual sim is clean of any buttons and ports. The right side features just the volume rocker.

Clean left side • volume rocker on the right

The 8MP camera with LED flash is the star of the show at the back. The camera section is accented by a patterned plastic, where the camera and LED flash take the left side covered by a protective glass. Below it there is a large HTC logo, followed by a BeatsAudio one at the bottom.

The back of the HTC Desire 600 dual sim holds the 8MP camera

Anyway, back to the camera. It's an 8MP one with a BSI sensor that's 1/3.2" in size. It uses the original ImageChip found in older HTC devices, but is limited to just 720p video recording.

Popping the back cover open reveals the 1860mAh battery. Above it, there are the two SIM card slot as well as the microSD card slot. All cards are very easy to pop in and out, so once you get past removing the stubborn back cover, swapping SIM cards should be a breeze.

Handling

The 4.5" display of the HTC Desire 600 dual sim guarantees its easy handling, while the matte plastic back and quality materials used to build the phone make it very nice to the touch. The phone's back features a slight curve just like the One, so it fits nicely in the palm of your hand. Single handed operation is very comfortable and pocketability isn't an issue whatsoever. Overall, the Desire 600 dual sim is a delightful phone to handle and carry.

Handling the Desire 600 dual sim is a breeze