HTC Desire C Official: ICS And Beats On A Budget

HTC has officially revealed its latest Android smartphone, the HTC Desire C, toting Beats Audio and Ice Cream Sandwich for the entry-level market. Based around a 3.5-inch HVGA touchscreen and borrowing some of the micro-drilled style of the One S and One X, the Desire C also has a 5-megapixel camera and will be offered alongside a second, NFC-equipped variant.

Meanwhile, there's also 25GB of free Dropbox space for two years, and easy sync between the Desire C and the cloud. HTC Sense 4.0 is, unsurprisingly, onboard too, though likely the somewhat pared back version we saw on the One V rather than the more system-intensive build on the higher-spec One Series models.

HTC isn't saying much about the NFC functionality, only that the Desire C "keeps pace with new mobile services as they become available" and that users of the model will be able to "make payments or access information and offers." Both versions will have Beats Audio, of course, with a combination of software and hardware tweaks to make the most of music.

The HTC Desire C will be available in red, white and black. No word on pricing or specific availability at this stage, but HTC says the Desire C will be available from Vodafone, Orange, T-Mobile, Virgin Media, Three, O2, Phones4U, The Carphone Warehouse and Tesco Mobile in the UK.

Update: T-Mobile UK has confirmed that it will be offering the Desire C from free on a £15.50 per month agreement, or as a £169.99 pay-as-you-go device.