HTC Sensation phones get Ice Cream Sandwich, but not Desire

The HTC Sensation, Sensation XL, Sensation XE and Evo 3D will all be getting an upgrade to Android 4.0, aka Ice Cream Sandwich early next year. Welcome news for fans of those phones, but what about the HTC Desire series? And indeed, the recent HTC Rhyme?

A bunch of US-only phones have also been confirmed for the ICS update (stateside readers check out the full list here), but UK 'droid owners will be disappointed to see only the Sensation and Evo 3D blowers are destined to receive Android 4.0, at least for now.

Anyone who owns an HTC Desire, Desire HD, Desire Z or Desire S will be wondering if and when they'll be getting the latest version of Google's operating system. In a post on its Facebook page, HTC says it's "continuing to assess [its] product portfolio, so stay tuned for more updates on device upgrades".

HTC made a real hash of getting Gingerbread on to the original Desire, initially claiming that the phone couldn't handle it, and then releasing a scaled-down version that Desire owners had to force on to their mobiles manually. So it wouldn't surprise us if HTC chose Ice Cream Sandwich as the point at which to stop updating the Desire.

The Desire HD and Desire Z, however, are barely a year old, and we reviewed the Desire S in March of this year. The HTC Rhyme has only just been released. With no word from HTC, it looks as though Android fans who own these mobiles could have months to wait yet.

We understand layering the mostly excellent HTC Sense interface over a new edition of Android takes time, but one of the best reasons to buy into Android is that it's constantly evolving, with new updates bringing fresh features and interface tweaks. If you're left in the dark as to when -- if ever -- your phone will be updated, confidence in HTC and Android could slide.

Do you own an HTC phone? Are you gagging for a bite of the Ice Cream Sandwich? Let us know in the comments, or on our Facebook wall.