HTC Desire X review

Like many HTC phones, the Desire X has Beats audio branding. When you play a music track, a B icon appears in the notification bar to show Beats is active, and also gives you the option to turn it on or off. Beats seems to add a lot of treble and bass and some reverb, and can suit some music, but we could find the sound tiring to listen to. The included headphones are uncomfortable and have little bass, so would definitely benefit from an upgrade to a better pair, such as the £30 Soundmagic E10 set.

The Desire X has a 5-megapixel camera, and it takes reasonable photos. Images were sharp with accurate colours, but pictures were slightly over-exposed leading to blown-out highlights in the sky. The phone also copes reasonably well with low light, showing less noise than other mid-range and budget phones such as the Huawei G 330. The camera isn’t up there with that fitted to high-end phones such as the Samsung Galaxy SIII, but it’s perfectly acceptable for a budget handset.

One of our test shots from the Desire X

CONCLUSION

The Desire X was a great mid-range phone in its day, but sadly it’s no longer available to buy on a contract. You still pick one up for £180 from Handtec if you’re desperate to get your hands on this mid-range handset, but we think you’d be better off buying a newer, more modern smartphone to get the best value for your money.

The Motorola Moto G is still our budget handset of choice, as it’s both cheaper and much more pleasant to use.

At the time of writing, the Moto G is currently available for £170 SIM free from Expansys, £100 on pre-pay from O2, or free on a £12-per-month contract from Affordable Mobiles.

The Moto G’s nippy 1.2GHz Snapdragon 400 processor is also almost twice as fast as the Desire X and it’s much more capable of playing 3D games from the Google Play Store as well. Its 4.5in display is superb for a handset of this price, too, and its bright colourful covers give it a lot more personality than the Desire X’s plain white rear panel. If you’re looking for the best budget smartphone money can buy, the Moto G is the phone for you.