Okay, admittedly that’s kind of an overstatement, but a 1080p resolution and 440PPI (pixels per inch) on a 5″ screen? Are you kidding me? Well, that’s exactly what the Verizon-bound HTC Droid DNA will be shipping with: a 5″ Super LCD 3 Gorilla Glass 2-protected screen with a resolution that’s equivalent to one of the razor-sharp Full HD LED TVs that you wish you had in your living room!
[two_third]”The HTC Droid DNA is powered by a quad-core Snapdragon S4 Pro CPU clocked at 1.5GHz and coupled by a generous 2GBÂ of RAM.”[/two_third]
And it isn’t just the screen. This CPU/RAM configuration will definitely benefit users and allow them to experience just how buttery smooth Jelly Bean 4.1 can get, even with HTC‘s Sense UI overlay. It also packs an 8MP rear-facing autofocus shooter, 16Gb of internal storage, Beats Audio, Verizon’s 4G LTE, and NFC. It even supports wireless charging if you decide to get the optional wireless charger!
Also, this isn’t just some blank looking slate that only lets the screen do the talking (here’s looking at you, Samsung). There are some wickedly awesome design elements too. On the all-black front, there’s a long horizontal slit with a red accent line that serves as the earpiece. Along the sides, there’s another red strip that runs along the entire length of the screen, and it’s recessed into the phone so it looks a bit like a grill. On the back and slightly to the top, there’s the 8MP shooter that’s also been accented with red along with the LED flash, while to the bottom, there’s a 4G LTE logo and the Beats Audio branding. All of these details come together quite well to make this one intimidating phone.
Of course, there are a few drawbacks that will lead to unavoidable issues with the way the phone performs. First, it only comes with a 2,020mAh battery. That’s actually larger than what you would find on other phones, but the HTC Droid DNA has 440 pixels per inch to push across a 5 inch screen. That’s 2 million pixels of power suckage. To put things in perspective, the Galaxy Note 2 has a whopping 3,100mAh and only 900,000 pixels to push and it just manages average battery life. Then there’s that other power-hungry beast under the Droid DNA’s hood: the Snapdragon S4 Pro CPU with 4 Krait cores. Make sure you have your charger or a power bank with you at all times.
Another thing I don’t like is the non-expandable storage. You get 16Gb of internal storage, possibly 32Gb if they decide to release a larger capacity variant, but that’s it. No MicroSD slot. 16Gb isn’t actually bad, but on a screen that gorgeous, you’ll want to enjoy your Full HD movies on it. Then there’s a flimsy-looking micro USB cover that looks like it’ll easily snag on something and break off if you leave it open.
[two_fifth]”HTC Droid DNA is shaping up to be the next phone to beat.”[/two_fifth]
Overall, the HTC Droid DNA is shaping up to be the next phone to beat, battery life be damned. Even if it’s a Verizon phone that’s headed to the US, expect HTC to release an international version soon. After all, the HTC Droid DNA is actually based on the HTC J Butterfly that was released for Japan just last month. Expect us to update you guys with price and availability for the Philippines as soon as it’s announced.
HTC Droid DNA Specifications
- 5″ Super LCD3 capacitive touchscreen at 1080 x 1920 (440PPI) protected by Gorilla Glass 2
- Android 4.1 Jelly Bean
- Quad-core 1.5 GHz Krait CPU
- Adreno 320 GPU
- 2Gb RAM
- 16Gb Internal Storage (11Gb user available)
- 8MP autofocus rear-facing camera, 2.1MP front-facing camera
- LTE up to 100Mbps, HSPA, EDGE, GPRS
- WiFi a/b/g/n
- NFC
- Bluetooth 4.0
- GPS
- 2,020mAh battery
[Source: TheVerge]
I’ll wait until the BB10 relase event (on Jan 30) and the Mobile World Congress (in Barcelone last week of Feb) is over before I decide on a new phone. I’m not sure if I have enough patience to wait for the Snapdragon 800 phones to come out. Quad S4 is fine with me if it comes with a 1080p display and LTE (kahit wala namang LTE masyado outside of Makati hahaha). So this tops my list, and ZTE Grand S is #2. For now.
Now this is an Android I could live with!! And it ain’t from kimchi land!! AMEN!
The international version is called the HTC Butterfly, I think. Yeah, it’s awesome. Hope the battery life doesn’t suck though :)
Yes, and in Japan it’s the Butterfly J. I really don’t get the name, but who cares. You probably have already seen the video review on pocketnow, but in case you haven’t check out http://www.pocketnow.com
I could see me with a-24-month-plan,but not a-30-month one.
I’m really an iPhone guy, but a-4″-screen is still too small for me. That’s why I’m interested in the DNA. I WAS interested in the Nexus 4, but I refuse to pay 24.000P for a 8200p device. I have ways to get one here from the States, but what if I have trouble with the phone… I’m screwed..
I’m really liking the DNA, but if I were a buyer, I’d wait for other 5 inchers to arrive before deciding. The battery on the Butterfly has me worried it might not last a day at the office.
halimaw….