HTC Desire 210 Hands on Review and First Look: The Rise of Low Cost Smartphones

HTC had never been into producing products for Indian masses. However, it's surprising to see how HTC managed to bring the Desire 210 Dual SIM at a price point of Rs. 8,700 in India.

Smartphone makers are seeing a lot of enthusiasm from buyers in the super-affordable segment. This segment will continue to see more affordable products in days to come, as Indian buyers are reluctant to shell beyond Rs. 15,000 up to a certain point. This is clearly evident in recent statistics, as smartphone adoption has overtaken feature phone segment. On top of that, there is a growing fondness towards ‘connected' phones but at affordable prices.

A budget smartphone could provide an alternative for people who don't need the premium features, but still want to stay connected without paying more.

With the Desire 210, HTC has a mass friendly budget phone that might outlive buyer's expectations. Rs. 8,700 is the magical price point which we think will invite more buyers to adopt new age smartphones without worrying about the retail price.

As simple this may sound, but we should not forget that Nokia has just slashed the price of its maiden Nokia X by Rs. 900 to stay afloat in the market. HTC Desire 210 Dual SIM also gets competition from the Sony Xperia E1, which is selling at over Rs. 9,000.

Without making you wait for long, we recently managed to our hands on the HTC Desire 210 Dual SIM. Let's get dig in further.

HTC Desire 210 Dual SIM: Build Quality

If you've been waiting to graduate from a feature phone to a nice smartphone, then the Desire 210 could be the one designed for your needs. The handset seemed quite rough and sturdy when we held it in our hands.

Even though HTC has used polycarbonate plastic shell, it still boast the best looks at least in this price point. The HTC Desire 210 is neither the slimmest in its class nor carries extra bulge. It looks premium, but does not feel cheap to hold. Additionally, you can remove the rear-back cover, alongside the battery. Under the display there are familiar three way capacitive Android buttons.

On the back, you'll notice a camera module; however, there is no LED Flash provided. HTC says the internal memory can be expanded further, all thanks to the microSD card slot. The phone also features Dual SIM support, which is now a trend in this segment. Overall, we pretty much liked the phone in respect to the build quality.