HTC Desire 10 Pro First Impressions

HTC is back in the Philippines with a bang. We were trying our hands with HTC's mid range entry, the HTC Desire 10 Pro, for quite some time now and we decided to share our thought with you guys.

HTC Desire 10 Pro

HTC Desire 10 Pro Specs

Display: 5.5 Inch FHD Super LCD 1920 x 1080 resolution with Gorilla Glass protection at 401 ppi

CPU: 2.0 GHz 64 Bit Helio P10 octa core processor

GPU: Mali T860

RAM: 4 GB

ROM: 64 GB expandable via micro SD card slot up to 256 GB

Back Camera: 20 MP f/2.2 w/ AF,  OIS and dual tone LED flash

Selfie Camera: 13 MP f/2.2 w/ and auto HDR

Battery: 3,000 mAh

OS: Android 6.0 Marhsmallow w/ HTC Sense UI

Connectivity: WiFi, 3G, LTE, Bluetooth 4.2, NFC, FM Radio, GPS, A GPS, GLONASS, dual SIM
Sensors: Accelerometer, gyroscope, proximity, compass

Others: Fingerprint sensor, Colors: stone black, polar white, royal blue, valentine lux, mint green

Dimensions: 156.5 x 76 x 7.9 mm

Weight: 165 g

Price: PHP 13,990

Disclaimer: This unit was borrowed from HTC Philippines for our honest review.

Build Quality / Design

The Desire 10 Pro has a matte finish at the back with a fingerprint sensor

The HTC Desire 10 Pro is supposed to be a mid-range phone but once you hold it, you will be amazed. The phone itself feels premium with a matte finish at the back. The gold metal chassis accentuates the the sides and back too.

HTC was able to achieve close to premium build at an affordable price!

The screen is also protected with Gorilla Glass but still we suggest you opt for a tempered glass. It also has a pretty weighty feel with it that makes it feel like a higher-end, premium phone. Durability seems to be one of the main focus of the Desire 10 Pro's build. Impressive!

Close up of the 3.5 mm headphone jack

Close up of the speaker and charging port

Close up of the Desire 10 Pro's buttons

The HTC Desire 10 Pro looks very sleek. It is easy really easy on the eyes, keeping a minimalist approach while still having accents that can really catch your eyes. My only gripes about the design is the camera bump due to the bigger 20 MP sensor the Desire 10 Pro has. Lastly, the matte finish, although beautiful, made the phone really slippery in my experience.

The button placements is pretty standard in my opinion. The volume rockers are found on the right hand side of the phone with the grooved power button.The fingerprint scanner is found at the back of the phone, a few inches above the HTC logo. The scanner's placement is perfect for my hand's size as I can touch it with ease.

Thankfully, HTC blessed us with a 3.5 mm headphone jack found at the top of the device. However, the Desire 10 Pro still has a micro USB port found at the bottom instead of a USB Type C.

Initial Findings

1. The HTC Desire Pro 10 although feels premium feels really slippery in the hand. The matte finish that is supposed to help with grip did not do its job well. The 3,000 mAh battery also lasted longer than my OPPO F3 which has a bigger 3,200 mAh.

2. The screen is also great for multimedia consumption. It has great viewing angles and the screen can get pretty bright too.
3. The UI is really close to stock Android. However, it is still on Android 6.0 Marshmallow.

4. The main asset for the HTC Desire 10 Pro, in my opinion, is the main camera. The 20 MP f/2.2 sensor w/AF and OIS produced a lot of high quality images. This is pretty impressive for a phone at this price range. 

5. The fingerprint scanner has been a hit-or-miss experience for me as of now. It does not recognize my fingerprint as quickly as I expected. However, this may be an isolated case because when it works it is really quick.

Related: HTC Desire 10 Pro: First Camera Samples

As of the moment

At PHP 13,990, we can say that this phone can be a major player in the mid-range market. With great specs and a fantastic main shooter, this can be a pound-per-pound, most bang per buck phone contender. 

For our review: HTC Desire 10 Pro Review - Midranger Done Right?