HTC Desire 816 camera review: a test to showcase the camera quality

By Deepak Dhingra

Published On: 9 June 2014 | 15:45 IST

Last Updated On: 17 June 2014 | 18:40 IST

“The HTC Desire 816’s 13-meg camera is pretty good, especially in good ambient light”

It’s more accomplished sibling, the HTC One (M8) (review) may have managed to grab all the limelight, but the brand’s newest offering in the mid-range phablet space is also quite a compelling option. The HTC Desire 816 doesn’t boast the same UltraPixel tech or the Duo Camera setup as the M8, and sticks to a more conventional 13-megapixel primary shooter instead. At the front, there’s a 5-meg selfie snapper too. The pair is quite a respectable combination as far as specs are concerned. We were quite keen to see what the Desire 816’s shooter can do when it comes to real-life image quality, and we’re glad to report that it didn’t disappoint.

Here are a few full-resolution image samples captured using the Desire 816, so you can see what we mean with your own eyes.

Table of Contents

Long shot

Based on what we can make out from the HTC Desire 816 camera samples, long shots display a fair amount of depth, without losing detail. The buildings in the distance stand out, and we can see specific features and even individual details like windows, with some blurriness creeping in when the image is zoomed in.

Close up

Close-up shots from out HTC Desire 816 camera test also reveal that its 13MP snapper can capture good detail from a close distance, and in this instance, there’s a good degree of depth-of-field. Though the focus is on the large leaf in the centre of the image, the other leaves in the image and even the rubble in the background is clearly visible.

Close up (zoomed in)

When zooming in on the same image, we can distinguish the veins on the leaf quite clearly, and while there’s a bit of pixelation visible, it still retains the essence of the image. The HTC Desire 816 camera quality is looking pretty decent so far.

HDR off

Shot in auto mode, this particular Desire 816 camera sample mimics the level of detail we saw on the long shots. The buildings, foliage, the traffic in the distance and other tiny objects look clear enough.

HDR on

Shooting the same scene in HDR mode, we can make out that the image shows clear differences. There weren’t any clouds unfortunately, but the image highlights the dark areas quite well, and in this particular Desire 816 camera sample, the post-processing effects don’t look as unnatural as on the HDR images shot using some other devices.

Night shot

Shooting a night scene as part of ouR HTC Desire 816 camera review didn’t turn out to be a disappointment either. While there’s a good amount of noise, the dimly-lit environment is visible, and the shot looks quite usable for basic social sharing.

Low light

Ditto with the indoor shot without flash. It’s a tad grainy, but the texture on the tiles is visible throughout. The objects are also in focus, though we would’ve loved to be able to see some more colour.

Low light (with flash)

Shooting the same scene with the flash on, we can see that the device doesn’t blow out the details and the shot looks quite natural. The colours look accurate, and the image is abundantly sharp too. The Desire 816 camera quality turned out to be quite good, overall.

It’s quite evident from the results that the primary shooter on the HTC Desire 816 is quite capable, especially in daylight. It can capture pretty accurate colours and offers a reasonable amount of detail that only blurs a tad when zoomed in. So that’s one key parameter ticked off the HTC Desire 816’s review list. We’ve already acknowledged the fact that the dual-SIM device is a looker, and isn’t priced insanely high. A full review is on its way, elaborating on these and evaluating whether the phablet makes for a worthy buy or not. Stay tuned.