As the holidays approach, OEMs often refresh their device portfolio to make sure that they put their best foot forward as a significant proportion of sales occur towards the end of the year. Today HTC is refreshing their mid-range with the Desire 10. The Desire 10 Pro is the higher-end variant and fits somewhere around the Desire 830, while the Desire 10 Lifestyle is closer to something like the Desire 826. To see what I mean we can take a look at the specs below.

  HTC Desire 10 Lifestyle HTC Desire 10 Pro
SoC Qualcomm Snapdragon 400
4x A7 1.6 GHz
MediaTek Helio P10
8x A53
RAM 2/3GB 3/4GB
NAND 16/32GB NAND + microSD 32/64GB NAND + microSD
Display 5.5” 720p
Super LCD
5.5” 1080p
IPS
Network 2G / 3G / 4G LTE (Category 4 LTE) 2G / 3G / 4G LTE (Category 6 LTE)
Dimensions 156.9 x 76.9 x 7.7mm, 155g 156.5 x 76 x 7.86mm, 165g
Camera 13MP Rear Facing f/2.2 20MP Rear Facing f/2.2, 1.12µm, 1/2.4" (Toshiba T4KA7)
5MP Front Facing, f/2.2 13MP Front Facing, f/2.2
Battery 2700 mAh (10.4 Whr) 3000 mAh (11.55 Whr)
OS Android 6 w/ HTC Sense
(At Launch)
Android 6 w/ HTC Sense
(At Launch)
Connectivity 802.11b/g/n
BT 4.1
USB2.0, GPS/GLONASS
802.11a/b/g/n,
BT 4.2,
USB2.0, GPS/GLONASS
Fingerprint Sensor N/A Capacitive

For the most part the Desire 10s are both mainly interesting due to the use of stereo external speakers similar to the HTC 10. HTC is also claiming similar levels of sound quality on the 3.5mm output which is likely to differentiate it from competitors on the market.  The Desire 10 Pro uses a MediaTek Helio P10 SoC which should be ok if it’s below 300 USD, but the Desire 10 Lifestyle is targeted to be somewhere around 250 GBP with a Snapdragon 400 which doesn’t really seem to be enough SoC for the target price. The Desire 10 Pro is going to be more expensive than that, which suggests that the value proposition is not necessarily there.

Putting aside value for SoC, HTC is attempting to differentiate with the use of better audio, better design, and things like laser autofocus for the camera. With the audio experience, design, and AF system of the HTC 10 put in this mid-range device HTC is hoping to remain competitive against stiff competition from OEMs like Huawei and Xiaomi. The Desire 10 Lifestyle will be available by the end of September, and the Desire 10 Pro will be available in October. They will be available in Stone Black, Polar White, Royal Blue, and Valentine Lux.

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  • pdf - Tuesday, September 20, 2016 - link

    The branding is way off point here - giving a device the 'Pro' moniker but stuffing it with a MediaTek SOC is plain wrong IMO.
  • weilin - Wednesday, September 21, 2016 - link

    possibly, but look at the hardware, 4x A7s vs 8x A53s. the MediaTek SOC is definitely the higher performing one. Also, Cat4 vs Cat6 LTE...

    The way I see it, it's not so much why is the Pro using an MediaTek SOC as it's why is the Lifestyle using such an ancient Qualcomm SOC...
  • brucethemoose - Sunday, September 25, 2016 - link

    The worst part is the "10" branding.

    HTC finally simplified their high end smartphone branding, then they just went and muddied it up again.
  • nightbringer57 - Tuesday, September 20, 2016 - link

    250 GBP?

    The Lifestyle model looks more like a typical buffed-up 100€ smartphone, not a 350€ one. Maybe a bit more due to speaker and camera. But the pricing is way off.
  • yankeeDDL - Tuesday, September 20, 2016 - link

    I really don't understand these smartphones anymore.
    There are already so many decent/cheap 5.5" Android phones that are almost nearly identical and yet companies keep forking them out. How many people would by a 300usd 5.5" phones when there is the OnePlus3 for a similar price with the QS820 (just to name one)?
  • Amandtec - Tuesday, September 20, 2016 - link

    Around where I live people don't choose phones, carriers choose phones and people select from the menu. So HTC goes to the carrier and says:

    We can get you 100 000 of these mid range phones for price X if you don't stock our rivals. Around here carriers stock three brands - iPhone, Samsung and HTC. If I show someone my Xiaomi they think it comes from Mars. They also think I am deluded when I tell them it is a 'good phone'.
  • beginner99 - Tuesday, September 20, 2016 - link

    Do you have a mi5? Are you happy with it? Considering to import it (EU and don't need band 20).
  • WithoutWeakness - Tuesday, September 20, 2016 - link

    This is very true. Most people I meet have no idea what my Nexus 6P is when they see it and have never heard of it. I'm always asked if it's the new Note phone. If it's not Apple, Samsung, or Motorola's Droid lineup then they'll never see it in a Verizon store and thus will never know about it. I tried to get my girlfriend to move to a Nexus 5X after she broke her Galaxy S5 but refused to buy a phone without holding it in the store first. She now owns a Galaxy S7.
  • mkozakewich - Tuesday, September 20, 2016 - link

    I feel like there's a good chance someone will know what a Nexus is. When I was showing my Note II, I had the feeling people knew what it was (especially when I said "Galaxy").

    Now I show people my Blu phone, and they're like, "Um... what's that?"
  • Notmyusualid - Thursday, September 22, 2016 - link

    Not a million miles from the truth...

    Just the other night I was telling the girls in the bar, "If you can name the model of this phone - I'll give it to ya." Yes, a bold statment indeed. They were falling over each other with "S5, no, Note 7, no its a J7!" Nobody got it.

    Samsung A9 Pro 6 to be exact. And I'll have another Heineken thanks.

    :) Groans all round....

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