US$ 443 US$ 325.00

Bearing the halo of the heroic predecessor, the new HTC Desire S has arrived the world without breaking any new grounds seriously. Yet, you will find the ripe apple a sweeter, rounder one which you have no excuse to miss. Inside the box you can find: a HTC Desire S Phone, of course, a battery, a charger, a handsfree, together with a user’s guide.

So the selfsame 3.7-inch (480 x 800 pixels) AMOLED capacitive touchscreen still rules the front of the handset, yet on a sleeker, lighter body. Not out-standing among today’s high-end counterparts, but really good enough for satisfactory performance. The appearance indeed looks much modern with the HTC’s signature aluminum unibody which is in a black matte finish.

The entire body of Desire S is machined out of single block of aluminum. While at the back, you can find the camera and battery sections are inset with soft-touch matte plastic.

Again, the good old 5-megapixel camera still reigns with autofocus and a powerful LED flash. Not so impressive but what’s wrong with that? We find it decent enough with a upgraded video recording which is now in 720p HD format.

The VGA front-facing camera with the nearby LED indicator light equips the phone with video-calling function, which is common but convenient.

Beneath the screen lies the usual home, menu, back and search keys. But the physical buttons are now made touch-sensitive.

At the top edge you can find a 3.5mm headphone jack with the power/lock button.

All in all, the Desire S is by no means surprising, novel or innovative. Yet, adhering the signature formula, the new model is still a smart and sincere one. HTC is managed to play it safe and nice this time.