Why You Can Trust CNET

Our expert, award-winning staff selects the products we cover and rigorously researches and tests our top picks. If you buy through our links, we may get a commission. How we test phones

Tech
Mobile

HTC's new midtier Desire phones aim for pre-paid carriers, plus Verizon and AT&T

Pretty familiar specs, but at least all of HTC's new Desire phones have LTE, and will be hitting lots of carriers.

Scott Stein Editor at Large

I started with CNET reviewing laptops in 2009. Now I explore wearable tech, VR/AR, tablets, gaming and future/emerging trends in our changing world. Other obsessions include magic, immersive theater, puzzles, board games, cooking, improv and the New York Jets. My background includes an MFA in theater which I apply to thinking about immersive experiences of the future.

Expertise VR and AR, gaming, metaverse technologies, wearable tech, tablets Credentials

Nearly 20 years writing about tech, and over a decade reviewing wearable tech, VR, and AR products and apps

See full bio

Scott Stein

July 15, 2015 12:00 a.m. PT

2 min read

HTC's middle-tier Desire lineup has been its fastest-growing brand over the last few years. So, it probably shouldn't be surprising that HTC has just announced three new Desires, spread across a lot of carriers. The Desire 520, 526 and 626 are iterations on a similar set of basic specs. All of them run off Qualcomm Snapdragon 201 quad-core 1.1GHz processors. They all have 8MP autofocus rear cameras, microSDXC card slots, and 2000 mAH batteries. And they're all LTE-ready.

Shop for HTC Desire 626 (white)

See all prices

$150 at Amazon

The Desire 520 and 526 are basic, matte-black, slightly chunky phones. The Desire 520 has a 4.5 inch FWVGA (854x480) display; the Desire 526 display is a 4.7 inch qHD (960x540). Both phones only come with 8GB of onboard storage (plus a microSDXC card slot). The 526 has 1.5GB of RAM, versus 1GB on the Desire 520. The Desire 520 will be available as a prepaid phone via Cricket wireless, while the Desire 526 is exclusive to Verizon. The versions I got to see weren't working models, and felt pretty generic.

HTC Desire 626 and 626S: plastic, colorful, familiar-looking. Ariel Nunez/CNET

The Desire 626, available as a post-pay phone from Verizon and AT&T, is a step-up phone: a 5-inch 1,280x720-pixel display, a bumped-up 5 megapixel front-facing camera, 1.5GB of RAM, and 16GB of storage. It's also being offered in a slight step-down version, called the Desire 626S for prepaid carriers (T-Mobile, Cricket, Sprint, Tracfone, MetroPCS, Boost Mobile and Virgin Mobile, in a variety of carrier-specific colors), with only 8GB of storage and a 2MP front-facing camera.

Trying a selfie on the Desire 626S. Ariel Nunez/CNET

The plastic, seamless design of the Desire 626 feels a bit like the iPhone 5C, or last year's HTC Desire Eye. The models I got to try briefly were working, and felt colorful and comfortable to hold, but not utterly exciting.

The HTC Desire 626 and 626S, in many carrier-specific color tones. Ariel Nunez/CNET

HTC hasn't unveiled the price for any of these phones, saying that will be carrier-determined. But they should all be under $200, contract-free, and will be available over the next few weeks (or, months). Price is everything. The cost of high-quality unlocked phones keeps dropping. The appeal of a budget phone, ultimately, depends on how much more you could get for the same amount elsewhere. Unlike last year's AT&T-exclusive Desire Eye, these Desires feel a lot more middle of the road.