HTC DROID DNA Review

Introduction:

For all those Verizon customers disappointed that the carrier would be missing out on a variant of the HTC One X, their patience has been rewarded in the form of a spectacular smartphone bleeding cutting-edge hardware. Strange to say, especially considering the banner year filled with exceptional smartphones, Big Red’s sole HTC offering came in the form of the forgettable HTC DROID Incredible LTE – a device that didn’t do justice over the previously available HTC Rezound. Well people, HTC is going back to its roots with its upcoming offering.

Rather than concocting something that seemingly would fit into the upper echelon of Big Red’s lineup, the Taiwanese company is breaking new ground that no other manufacturer has been able to establish. Galvanizing to say the least, the HTC DROID DNA is a meticulous work of technology, as its 5-inch 1920x1080-pixel Super LCD 3 display is a monumental feat in itself that’s unmatched at the moment. Throw in the fact that it’s complemented with other beefy hardware specs, such as a quad-core Snapdragon processor, 4G LTE connectivity, 2GB of RAM, and an 8-megapixel camera with an f2.0 lens, it’s undoubtedly busting at the seams with enough drool worthy elements to raise it over other highly esteemed smartphones. At $200 on-contract, it’s lovable in oh so many ways, but of course, let’s hope all of that spiffy hardware can deliver the goods with its performance.

The package contains:

• microUSB cable
• Wall charger
• Start Here Guide
• Product Safety & Warranty Information
• Important Consumer Information
• Global Support information & Calling Card Guide

Design:

One would think that this would borrow some of the design cues of its siblings, but the HTC DROID DNA is flaunting a totally different design scheme to give it a distinct appearance of its own. Right away, we’re impressed most with its deceptively skinny figure, which is achieved by its tapered sides similar to what’s found on the HTC 8X – thus, giving us the illusion of it being skinnier than what it really is, though technically, it’s at 0.38-inches thin. At the same time, however, we’re taken by surprise by its lightweight feel (4.87 oz) in the hand, which interestingly enough, is lighter than its main rivals in the 5-inch and over category.

Beyond the skinny frame and light feel, HTC does a fantastic job at looking over every design detail with the handset, and overall, we admit that it’s one solid thing – both in construction and build quality. With its soft touch casing, it exudes a clean finish at all times, but even better, we appreciate the red accents littered all around its body to give it some spicy character. Even with the minimal amount of bezel around its display, the handset is still an unwieldy thing to attempt using it with a single hand. It might not have the stylish appeal of the HTC 8X, or the tank-like build quality of the Motorola DROID RAZR HD, but nevertheless, the HTC DROID DNA is still one head turning smartphone.



You can compare the HTC DROID DNA with many other phones using our Size Visualization Tool.

Sure it’s Jelly Bean device out of the box, but that doesn’t stop the veteran smartphone maker from opting to employ a trio of Android capacitive buttons beneath its display. Although they’re spaced away from one another, they’re too close to the bottom edge – resulting in some accidental presses. Above the display, the narrow earpiece stands out prominent due to its red accent. Nearby, we find its 2.1-megapixel front-facing camera, which is similar to the one used by the HTC 8X, since it features a wide- angle 88-degree f2.0 lens with 1080p video recording.

On one hand, we like how the power button and volume control have a red metallic shimmer, but unfortunately, we can’t stand their indistinct feel and response. Simply, they’re flush to the surface and lack any reasonable feedback when pressed. Around the top trim, we also find its microSIM card tray, 3.5mm headset jack, and noise-cancellation microphone. Conversely, the bottom edge is home to none other than the standard mic and microUSB port for charging/data/video-out (MHL adapter required) connectivity.

In the rear, the HTC DROID DNA is packing a respectable 8-megapixel auto-focus camera, which is what we’d find with most high-end smartphones nowadays. Supplementing things, it features an f2.0 lens, LED flash, and 1080p video recording. Very hard to make out, there’s actually a second LED notification light to the left of the camera – whereas the front one is incorporated into the earpiece. And lastly, micro dots form in unison towards the bottom center of the rear casing to comprise its speaker grill. Worth mentioning, there’s no access to its internal 2,020 mAh battery with its closed design, plus, there’s no microSD card slot with this one either.


Display:

Shiver me timbers Batman! HTC isn’t messing around in gaining attention with this handset, oh no, seeing that it sets the benchmark with its mind-blowing detail. At 5-inches in size, it doesn’t have a thunderous appeal over the Samsung Galaxy Note II’s larger 5.5” display, but nevertheless, it’s still one of the biggest found on a smartphone. However, what’s certain is that it shatters the mold with its 1080p (1080 x 1920 pixels) resolution Super LCD 3 display. Needless to say, we would’ve been content with a 720p one, but regardless of that, it leaps over the competition with its ridiculously detailed pixel density of 440 ppi (720p HD dispalys have average of 330 ppi). Although it requires a microscopic eye to really show the difference in detail between this and a display with 720p resolution, we can’t argue the fact that it’s superbly detailed and sharp, so fine text is very life-like and pleasant to read. Heck, it’s so detailed that it rivals the micro printing seen on paper money.

Details aside, its Super LCD 3 delivers the goods in making it a viable contender with its rich color production, wide viewing angles, and strong brightness output. Essentially, all of those ingredients help to keep its display extremely visible in outdoor conditions with the sun present. Of course, we also take notice of Gorilla Glass 2 layered over it, which so happens to curve around the edges to have a seamless look with the handset’s body. Indeed, there’s a lot of chatter about its resilience to scratching, but after dropping it by accident to a tile floor, its impervious nature is debunked as a visible tiny crack is seen at the location of impact. Regardless of that, it’s unbelievable to know that our eyes are actually feasting on a 5-inch 1080p display. Crazy, people! Crazy!

Interface:

Seen as a rarity even now, we’re humbled to find the HTC DROID DNA running Android 4.1.1 Jelly Bean out of the box. Knowing that, it’s wonderful that we’re given access to all the neat features in tow with the Jelly Bean experience. Meaning, we’re presented with useful things such as Google Now, enhanced notification system, and project butter. Layered over it all, however, is the HTC Sense 4.0+ experience, which may lack some of the additional features found with other custom UIs – like Smart Stay and Multi Windows from Samsung's TouchWiz, for example, but overall, it's a well-made interface with good-looking and polished UI.

Indeed, there’s still a lot to like about the Sense 4.0+ experience, like its variety of useful widgets, deep personalization, and quick apps access via the lock screen, but beyond that, there is nothing particularly new with this latest version.



Functionality:

As we’ve clearly made well known, the Sense 4.0+ experience on the DROID DNA doesn’t differ from past versions. Therefore, all of the core organizer apps have remained intact. So whether it’s the calendar or clock apps you’re looking at, their presentations and features are carried over from the previous version of Sense.

Additionally, the email experience on the handset is your typical one, as they consist of the Gmail and standard Email apps. With the former, we’re given all of the extensive set of features found with the usual Gmail desktop experience, and with the latter, it’s used to organize our other email accounts. Obviously, the setup process is an uncomplicated one, seeing that it only requires our email address and password for automatic setup completion.



Dishing up a new Sense keyboard layout, we’re initially typing at a slow pace due to the minimal spacing between buttons, which causes accidental presses along the way – and that’s despite having a sizable 5-inch display! However, after some practice and the aid of its auto-correct feature, we’re soon finding ourselves moving at a steadier pace.



Processor and Memory:

Most people forget, higher resolution screens require beefy hardware in order to maintain a tolerable performance. Well, the HTC DROID DNA isn’t a slouch in the processing department – that’s because it’s outfitted with the latest and greatest from Qualcomm. Specifically, it’s being powered by a quad-core 1.5GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro processor with an Adreno 320 GPU and 2GB of RAM. Looking at its overall performance, we really can’t complain about it, since it exhibits a fair amount of finesse with basic operations – like opening apps or surfing the web. Although it’s very responsive with all tasks, even more processor intensive ones like playing 3D games, it doesn’t quite have the same level of snappiness we’ve seen on the LG Optimus G. Nonetheless, quickly glancing over its benchmark scores undeniably shows why it’s a beast on its own.

	Quadrant Standard	AnTuTu	NenaMark 2
HTC DROID DNA	7888	13917	59,1
Motorola DROID RAZR HD	4972	6787	59,6
Samsung Galaxy Note II	5715	13579	58
LG Intuition	3482	6854	36,5

Bummer to say the least, the HTC DROID DNA doesn’t offer any storage expandability whatsoever. Instead, it’s stuffed with 16GB of internal storage, which translates over to a laughable 11GB out of the box.

Internet and Connectivity:

Surfing the web couldn’t be any sweeter on the DROID DNA, especially knowing that it has one flawless performance and lightning fast 4G LTE connectivity with it. Not surprisingly, complex web pages like ours load in a jiffy thanks to the goodness of 4G LTE speeds, but even better with this HTC-made device, it’s not plagued by those annoying blinking actions found with the HTC One X and its variants. Rather, we’re greeted with proper rendering, super details courtesy of its 1080p display, buttery smooth navigational controls, and perfect reflowing of text with each zoom level. All in all, things couldn’t be any sweeter in the web browsing department!



Even though it’s enabled to work on Verizon’s network domestically, the DROID DNA actually has a GSM radio inside of it for international travel – though stateside, 4G LTE connectivity is achieved through Verizon only. Testing out its speeds, we’re able to achieve maximum results of 21Mbps down and 2Mbps up. Positioned as a high-end smartphone, it’s armed to the tooth with all of the contemporary connectivity features we’d expect to find – such as aGPS, Bluetooth 4.0, 802.11 a/b/g/n Wi-Fi, mobile hotspot functionality, and NFC.

Camera:

Running the camera app, we’re instantly familiar with our surroundings, since it’s employing the same interface we first saw with the HTC One X and X+. Camera enthusiast will surely appreciate this one, considering that it has a balance set of manual controls and shooting modes to appease even the most hardened individuals out there. New with the Sense 4.0+ experience is the timer feature thrown in when using the front-facing camera. Admittedly though, we don’t think it’s a diehard feature, but heck, some people will appreciate it. And finally, all of the usual features are retained – like burst shooting and the ability to snap a photo while shooting a video.


Cameras have been a hotly contested item with recent flagship smartphones, and this one is no different! Sporting an 8-megapixel auto-focus camera that features an f2.0 lens, we’re quite pleased with the results it’s able to deliver. To tell you the truth, its quality rivals some of the best out there, but more importantly, it has that balanced performance to make it ideal for all shooting occasions. Outdoors with an abundance of lighting, it produces images filled with pleasant details that exhibit a hint of sharpness to give them some pop. Meanwhile, there’s some saturation in its color reproduction, which isn’t a bad thing to find per se, knowing that it has that visual wow appeal. And finally, thanks to its f2.0 lens, it’s able to draw out some detail with low lighting shots – at the expense of seeing a miniscule level of noise and grainy details. Nevertheless, the LED flash casts an even tone to counteract its deficiencies.


At the same time, its 1080p video recording quality is impressive too, mainly because the overall look is filled with good detail, natural colors, gradual exposure adjustment, and quick auto-focus. Plus, it helps that everything is recorded smoothly at the rate of 29 frames per second. However, there are only two distracting elements with its quality – these include the small instance of artifacting when panning quickly, which is more prevalent in low lighting, and the muted audio recording quality.

HTC DROID DNA Sample Video:



HTC DROID DNA Nighttime Sample Video:



Multimedia:

One of the new changes with the Sense 4.0+ experience is found in the Gallery app, which now displays content according to date – in addition to the usual album layout. Moreover, there’s also an option to view a map that displays the location of geotagged images. Aside from that, the rest of it is pretty much your typical fanfare.


Listening to our tunes, we don’t notice anything new or different with the Sense music player, since it’s merely rehashed from the previous version. No doubt it’s conventional looking by today’s standards, the audio quality of its internal speaker is soundly powerful enough to give it a distinct poppy tone without any distortion. In addition, it features Beats Audio support, which boosts the audio quality through the headphone jack. Still, non-Beats Audio headphones are treated to some pleasant tones as well thanks to its built-in amplifier, which should be able to drive even big headphones.


There may not be that much of a difference between the current HD screens and this one here, when it comes to watching video, but in case you really want to be able to see even the finest details when watching 1080p video, this screen gives you to the possibility to do so. The Super LCD 3 display of the DROID DNA is definitely a sight to behold. Not only are we given a sizable real estate to enjoy videos to their fullest, but they move swimmingly with zero lag or slowdown. Interestingly, it offers support to video codecs such as XviD, MPEG-4, and H264 out of the box, but DivX is strangely missing.



Software:

Being a Verizon bound smartphone, it’s not shocking for us to find Big Red’s usual staple of apps on the handset – these consist of My Verizon Mobile, Verizon Tones, Voice Mail, and VZ Navigator. Some people will make use of them, while other might not, but nevertheless, it’s packing a handful of preloaded third party apps. Specifically, they include Amazon, Amazon Kindle, Amazon MP3, AMEX Serve, Audible, IMDb, NFL Mobile, Slacker Radio, TuneIn Radio, Viewdini, and Zappos. In order to truly show off the prowess of its quad-core processor, the HTC DROID DNA is packing the demo game “Reign of Amira” to tantalize us with its heavy 3D graphical visuals.

Call Quality and Battery:

Nearly flawless with call quality, since voices on both ends of the line are audible with their clear, distinct, and distortion-free tones, the only nagging distraction is found with the speakerphone. Certainly, it’s very strong and powerful at the loudest volume setting, but it emits a slight crackle.

Unlike some other Verizon 4G LTE smartphones we’ve tested out in the past, we’re absolutely thrilled to find this one retaining a solid 4G LTE connection indoors – whereas with others, they were rather inconsistent. Additionally, it didn’t drop any of our phone calls as well in the greater Philadelphia region.

We were desperately hoping for the best with battery life, but alas, it puts out nothing more than average results. Charging its 2,020 mAh battery, we’re able to fly by the 10 hour mark before it’s completely depleted – thus hitting the tally we’re normally accustomed to seeing with most Verizon 4G LTE smartphones.

Conclusion:

Slithering its way out of nowhere, surprisingly enough, we have to admit that HTC has a winner in the DROID DNA. Right now, it’s rather difficult to stand atop of the crowd knowing that you have other venerable smartphones out there to compete against, but HTC is able to head into the crucial holiday season knowing they have a standout contender. Without question, the HTC DROID DNA has all of the elements to make it a promising smartphone – though to its credit, its 5-inch 1920x1080 Super LCD 3 display is a groundbreaking beauty to behold on its own.

Someone really needs to pinch us, mainly because we can’t believe this handset is attached with that golden price point of $200 with a 2-year contract. We’re happy to report that this is a well-rounded performer, and when we think about its beefy hardware, it only fills us with this warm feeling of satisfaction that blissfully convinces us that it’s worth every penny spent on it. DNA is the building blocks of life, but with this, the DROID DNA reestablishes HTC as a dominant figure that’s aiming for perfection – regardless of how small the detail is.

Software version of the unit:
Android Version: 4.1.1
Software Version: 1.15.605.4 710RD

HTC DROID DNA Video Review: