HTC Desire 820 Paves Way To Android L With 64-Bit

HTC has a new star of its mainstream Desire series, the Android powered HTC Desire 820. 64-bit follow-up to the Desire 816, the Desire 820 runs Qualcomm's 1.5GHz octacore Snapdragon 615 with 2GB of memory and LTE connectivity, along with a 5.5-inch 720p HD display.

Like other Desire phones before it, HTC has opted for a bold, colorful look, using a "double-shot" unibody with two tones to highlight the buttons, flash, and camera. A full nine colors will be offered – Marble White (glossy), Tuxedo Grey (matte), Santorini White (glossy), Milky-way Grey (glossy), Tangerine White (glossy), Saffron Grey (glossy), Flamingo Grey (glossy), Blue Mist (glossy), and Monarch Orange (glossy) – and there's a Dot View case just as we saw with the HTC One M8.

Inside, there's 16GB of storage and a microSD card slot good for up to 128GB, HTC BoomSound speakers, and a 13-megapixel camera. No UltraPixels, however – this is a Desire series phone, after all – just an f/2.2 28mm lens and 1080p video recording.

Up-front, there's an 8-megapixel BSI sensor with 1080p video recording as well. That works with HTC's Face Fusion software – which can blend two photos together, so that you can see exactly what your offspring would look like if you had a baby with Celine Dion – and Live Makeup, which offers the digital smoothing we've seen on other phones.

There's also Zoe Highlights with HTC's Zoe app, and virtual photo booth images which combine multiple selfies.

Along with the LTE and HSPA+ support – with dual SIM in certain markets – there's GPS/GLONASS, Bluetooth 4.0 with aptX, WiFi a/b/g/n (2.4/5GHz), and a microUSB 2.0 port. Sensors include an accelerometer, ambient light, and proximity, plus a digital compass.

HTC predicts the 2,600 mAh embedded battery will be good for up to 22.4hrs of 3G talk time, or up to 424hrs of 3G standby.

Right now, of course, 64-bit isn't much use one, but that will change come the arrival of Android L. Unsurprisingly, then, HTC says it'll be treating an Android L upgrade for the Desire 820 as a priority, whenever Google gets around to releasing the OS.

The HTC Desire 820 will go on sale from the end of September, with pricing and specific carriers yet to be confirmed.