HTC Desire 820 (Octa-Core) vs. Sony Xperia Z3 Compact – Specifications, Features, Release Date And Price Showdown

HTC silently introduced the successor of the well-received Desire 816 at the IFA, named HTC Desire 820. The Sony Xperia Z3 Compact, meanwhile, was also unveiled at the same event and the release date is pegged for September. Readers who are interested in the HTC Desire 820 or the Sony Xperia Z3 Compact should check out the specifications, features and price comparison.

Display, Exterior And Size

The HTC Desire 820 comes with a phablet-like 5.5-inch LCD display bundled with 720 x 1,280 pixels screen resolution. The Sony Xperia Z3 Compact, on the other hand, features a relatively smaller 4.6-inch IPS LCD display and the resolution is same as the HTC device. In addition, the pixel densities of HTC and Sony handsets stand at 267 ppi and 319 ppi, respectively.

HTC's new device is bold, vivid and relatively sleek. The company has used double-shot colour technology in order to bring out the two-tone colour unibody, which enhances the overall quality and look of the handset. Also, the smartphone's exterior is made of polycarbonate material, says HTC. The Xperia Z3 Compact, meanwhile, features an aluminium frame and hardened glass rear. In addition, the Sony device uses Bravia range of display technology that takes the viewing experience to a whole new level. The display quality stands out especially when watching videos or playing games, says Trusted Reviews.

Speaking of size, the thickness and the weight of the Sony Xperia Z3 Compact are 0.34-inch and 129 g respectively, whereas the HTC Desire 820 is 0.30-inch thick and weighs 155 g.

Hardware, Software And Memory

The Xperia Z3 Compact is powered by a superior quad-core (Qualcomm Snapdragon 801) Krait 400 processor, clocked at 2.5 GHz and Adreno 330 for graphics. The HTC Desire 820, on the other hand, is powered by an octa-core (Qualcomm Snapdragon 615) processor with a combination of four 1.5 GHz Cortex-A53 cores and additional four 1.0 GHz Cortex-A53 cores, along with a superior Adreno 405 for graphics. However, both the devices house the same 2 GB of RAM.

When it comes to OS, the HTC device runs on Android v4.4.2 KitKat with HTC Sense UI v6 on top of it, whereas the Sony handset runs on Android v4.4.4 KitKat OS. Furthermore, both the devices offer 16 GB of internal storage and microSD card support for expansion up to 128 GB.

Camera And Battery

While the Sony device beats the HTC handset fair and square in the primary camera department, the HTC device thrashes the Sony handset with its killer selfie camera in the front. The HTC Desire 820 sports a 13 MP rear-facing camera with LED Flash, whereas the Sony Xperia Z3 Compact features a stupendous 20.7 MP primary camera with LED flash. Also, the HTC device houses a surprisingly good 8 MP front-facing shooter, whereas the Sony device comes with a relatively inferior 2.2 MP snapper. Additionally, both the devices house the same Li-Ion 2600 mAh battery unit.

Additional Features

1. Both the phones support Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, 4G LTE and microUSB. While the Sony handset supports NFC, the HTC device doesn't.

2. The Sony Xperia Z3 Compact comes in black, white, green and orange hues. However, Readers will be surprised to hear the available colour choices of HTC Desire 820 - marble white, tuxedo grey, santorini white, milky-way grey, tangerine white, saffron grey, flamingo grey, blue misty and monarch orange.

3. While the Sony device features water- and dust-resistant exterior (IP68 certified), the HTC device doesn't.

4. Both the phones support nano-SIM.

5. The Desire 820 comes with HTC's well-known BoomSound support.

Price And Release Date

The HTC Desire 820 is priced at 330 Euros that roughly translates to US$427 and AU$474. Even though HTC announced a global release, the exact release date in the U.S and Australia are not known at this point. However, the Desire 820 will be released in Europe in the upcoming weeks, says Digital trends.

On the other hand, the Sony Xperia Z3 Compact (16 GB) is expected to cost somewhere between £450 and £500 in the U.K. However, Clove (UK Mobile Retailer) has listed the device for £432 (that roughly translates to US$699 and AU$775), reports PC Advisor.

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