By its price alone, at $US199, the HTC Droid DNA is an open invite for Christmas shoppers but with the handset's circulation marked by mostly positive feedbacks, this 1080p smartphone is set to draw more attention as the shopping season heats up.

The 1080p label makes the Droid DNA a cut above the rest, reviewers said, exceeding even the Retina attributes of the iPhone 5 but bowing a bit on the image and video rendering power that Samsung packed with the Galaxy S3.

The numbers speaks loudly for the HTC phone, which beams out pixel density of 440 pixels per inch (ppi) and paired with a resolution of 1920 x 1080. Its nearest rivals, the iPhone 5 and the S3 only emit at 326ppi and 306ppi respectively.

On actual tests, however, according to Anick Jesdanun of The Associated Press, the S3 flashes "richer colours than the DNA, thanks to a screen that uses organic light-emitting diodes, rather than a standard LCD." Note that the technology behind S3's display is the Super AMOLED, while HTC deployed Super LCD 3 with the Droid.

But setting aside the superior display characteristics of Samsung's high-end Galaxy series, "the DNA's screen trumps that of many other phones and video looks great if you're not watching a movie next to a Samsung phone," Mr Jesdanun said.

Shoppers, he added, would likely grab the Droid DNA "for its sound quality or screen resolution," the former courtesy of HTC's exclusive deal with Dr Dre, which allows the Taiwanese company to dispatch Beats Audio with its flagship smartphone.

Beyond these strengths, the DNA can lure even the most picky gadget buyer, according to Android-centric blog site Droid Life. The price tag is no doubt a steal for a quad-core mobile phone that adds up 2GB of RAM to its computing powers plus a battery pack that extends heavy usage by 14 hours and more in a single charge, the site said.

And the gadget is a sight to look at, measuring up with the sexed up renditions of both the iPhone 5 and the Galaxy S3.

"HTC has been doing amazing things when it comes to materials and feel. With the soft-touch finish on the back of the DNA, along with the gentle curve to the backside, you can hold it effortlessly," said the Droid Life blog.

Another thing to love about the Droid DNA is its camera features, Mr Jesdanun said, adding that aside from the DNA's decent rear-camera shooter at 8MP, it has "a front-facing, videoconferencing camera that's among the best, at 2.1 megapixels."

And to complete the reasons why the HTC phone is worth a place in your holiday shopping list is wireless charging capability, which increasingly is becoming a mainstay in the present crop of smartphones such as the Droid DNA and Nokia's Lumia 920, Droid Life said.

"Life feels close to being complete now that . . . wireless charging (is) in a regular basis," the blog site added.