HTC has officially announced the previously rumored Desire EYE smartphone, and yes it’s made for selfies. Heck, we would easily call it the best such device ever made.
You may’ve read the snippets of information on other places around the web; here we want to quickly sum it all up. So we came up with the list of 5 things you should know about the HTC Desire EYE. Let’s roll…
1. Design
The EYE has a unibody design; it’s made out of plastic, but from what we’re getting — we haven’t tried it ourselves — it feels solid in hand.
This is also a water-proof device (IPX7-certified) and will survive in up to 1 meter of water for as long as 30 minutes.
The Desire EYE measures 151.7 x 73.8 x 8.5 mm and has a weight of 154 grams. That big camera on the front made it slightly bigger than other smartphones with same-sized screen (5.2-inch), like Sony’s Xperia Z3.
2. Two cameras, each with their own flash
The EYE has two cameras, one on the back and another one on the front, each sporting a 13-megapixel sensor and its own dual LED flash set-up. So yes, this means you will be able to take some rock solid selfies even in low-light conditions. Think: clubs, bars, jazz places, and so on.
3. Specs
Screen: 5.2-inch full HD (1920×1080 pixels)
Chipset: 2.3GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 quad-core chip
Memory: 2GB of RAM, 16GB of internal storage + microSD card slot
Cameras: 13MP rear + 13MP front, each with own dual LED flash set-up
Speakers: BoomSound speakers
OS: Android KitKat + Sense 6 UI
Battery: 2400 mAh
Size: 151.7 x 73.8 x 8.5 mm, weight – 154 grams
Water-proof: IPX7 rating
4. HTC Eye Experience camera software
The new selfie-centered phone was announced alongside improved camera software. The HTC Eye Experience includes options for Photo Booth, Crop Me In and Split Capture (front-back) modes, as well as advanced face tracking features. These capabilities will also be available in other HTC-made devices, including the HTC One M8, One M7, One E8, One Mini 2, One Max, Desire 816, Desire 820 and Butterfly 2.
5. Pricing and availability
HTC failed to say anything about the price of the Desire Eye. We did learn that the device will be available in France before the end of this month for €529, which is the same money that gets the metal-clad HTC One M8. Perhaps the price goes down in the next few weeks.
HTC is looking to bring its selfie phone all around the world later this month. In the U.S. AT&T will have the exclusive launch window after which we may see the Desire EYE hitting few other carriers, as well.