Gadgetory

hi everybody i'm chris wolfe from android authority and today we're taking a look at the HTC droid DNA now i actually got to take a peek at this back in november when we covered its official announcement by HTC and verizon at that event there is one thing they wanted to make very very clear and that is that they want users to think of the DNA as a phone not as a phablet after using it for a while I'm inclined to agree even though it isn't all that much smaller than say a samsung galaxy note 2 there is a difference and over time that becomes a key difference that's very very noticeable anyway let's get started with the review beginning with the specs obviously the most talked-about spec of the HTC droid DNA is its 5-inch 1080p screen with a pixel density of 441 pixels-per-inch but the other specs are impressive as well the DNA runs a Qualcomm Snapdragon s4 pro chipset with a 1.5 gigahertz quad-core Krait processor it has two gigs of ram and 16 gigs of internal storage 11 gigs of which are actually usable the rear facing camera is 8 megapixels while the front facing camera is 2.1 megapixels both are capable of capturing 1080p video at 30 frames per second while the HTC droid DNA is built from plastic it's a very sturdy phone I haven't noticed any flimsiness in my time with it and the creaking of groaning you sometimes notice with larger devices wasn't present here while there isn't anything particularly stunning about the DNA's rounded rectangle design there are a few nice touches like the relatively small bezel and the red highlights that lighten up the otherwise black and grey color scheme like a lot of recent devices the droid DNA is light on hardware buttons on top you have the power button sim card slot and headphone jack on the right side we find the volume buttons and on the bottom the covered microUSB slot on the back we have the 8-megapixel rear facing camera and flash along with an assortment of logos and on the front we have the 2.1 megapixel front facing camera and three capacitive buttons back home and recent apps as you may have already heard the display is the crowning jewel of the HTC droid DNA I was initially very skeptical about a 1080p screen that was only five inches but when I first saw in person that skepticism faded away you will always notice it but rendering of text icons and of course 1080p video are greatly improved by the screen sheer pixel density as to be expected from a phone with specs like this one the droid DNA performs very well in the time I've been using it I haven't encountered a single hiccup or incidents of lag apps open very quickly scrolling through home screens and the apps menu is very fluid and the few games I've tried run very smoothly and look great in the process the HTC droid DNA runs Android 4.1 jelly bean skinned with HTC Sense 4 plus now since has its fans and its detractors but personally I find it one of the least offensive user interface overlays so far there hasn't been much talk of an update to Android 4.2 but it's very likely in the pipeline for an early 2013 release when it comes to other software the usual bunch of google and verizon apps plus a handful of anna's on apps are included as well as slacker radio MX serve and of course facebook the HTC droid dna's camera is one of the best smartphone cameras I've seen in a long time colors are well represented images or crisp and it works very well in low light situations the 1080p video capture is very nice as well movement is smooth and while this sample video you're singing may not show it well colors are very vivid the battery is easy the weakest aspect of the droid DNA at only 2000 20 milliamp hours it simply isn't going to hold up for as long as a lot of other phones not only is it small but it isn't replaceable either for the purposes of this review I've been using the DNA fairly heavily and i've only been getting about 12 hours of battery life before i need to charge a bigger battery would have been a huge improvement besides the battery the only other two really negative aspects of the droid DNA are the lack of a microSD slot and the relatively small amount of internal storage on the other hand the DNA is fast the screen is gorgeous and audio files like me will really appreciate the fact that it has a dedicated amp just for the headphone jack which really will help your music and other audio sound a whole lot better now that about wraps it up for our review but if you have an opinion you'd like to share about the HTC droid DNA let us know in the comments below now if you're interested in knowing how the DNA stacks up against the samsung galaxy note 2 we did a video back in november that may be of interest to you it's called HTC droid DNA vs the samsung galaxy note 2 if you're not sure which of the two phones might be for you make sure to check it out I'm Chris look for android authority and thanks for watching you