Score: 9/10 (Fantastic)
Pros Beautiful design, breathtaking screen, incredibly fast processing power, good cameras, great call quality, Beats Audio, Android Jelly Bean. | Cons Fast draining battery, no microSD card slot to expand storage. |
When you hear the name HTC, you more than likely think about the HTC One. Although the HTC One is an incredible piece of technology, there is another device that you should think of when you hear the company's name as well. That device ladies and gentlemen, is the HTC Droid DNA. The DNA is currently the latest entry into Verizon's exclusive line of Droid-branded products. And although it was released back in November 2012, the DNA still has the features packed into it to compete with other smartphone offerings, such as the Samsung Galaxy S4, LG Optimus G Pro, and more. Lets find out why right now in our full review!
Design/Build Quality
Measuring in at 5.55 x 2.78 x 0.38 in, and weighing in at 4.97 oz, the HTC Droid DNA is an incredibly slim and trim smartphone. Despite it's large 5-inch screen, the DNA still manages to be quite portable with it's ever-so slightly curved back and beautifully rounded corners. The DNA also shakes up the stale black smartphone design by adding accents of red all around the body of the smartphone. The sides of the phone have a nice red-colored metal finish to them, the camera lens has an attractive crimson ring around it, and even the phone speaker is coated in that sexy red color that is a staple signature of Verizon's Droid line of smartphones.
One design aspect of the DNA that I found especially useful was it's notification lights. Unlike most smartphones that have just one notification light on the front of the phone, the DNA has one on the front, as well as a second one place on the back. I found this to be quite a nice addition to the phone, because it allows you to still see if you have any new notifications when your phone is laying on it's face.
Overall, the Droid DNA is an incredibly crafted smartphone. Although it may not have quite as superb of a design as the HTC One, it's still one of the best designed smartphones I've used in a while. Everything about the design of the DNA screams high quality, and this is one smartphone that I want people to see me using out in public.
Hardware
The biggest star of the show on the DNA is easily it's massive 5-inch screen. The real impressive thing here, is the fact that the screen is a full 1920 x 1080p HD resolution with 440ppi (pixels-per-inch). Everything on the DNA's screen looks truly stunning. We've reviewed a lot of phones with great looking 720p HD screens before, but never have I seen a phone that has as good of a display as the HTC Droid DNA. Games, videos, Webpages, and more look better than ever on the DNA's display, with extremely crisp text and ridiculously accurate and gorgeous color representation. Much of the screen's great looks are all thanks to the DNA's Super LCD 3 panel, which also provides for great viewing angels and great visibility when outdoors. What's even more impressive is that the DNA's screen is also an edge-to-edge display. This makes swiping through your home screens, Web pages, and reading e-books a more comfortable and natural experience, and adds another layer of high quality to this already premium device.
If a breathtaking screen isn't enough for you, the HTC Droid DNA is also packing in a 1.5GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro processor, along with 2GB of RAM. In our time with the phone, the DNA proved more than capable to power through any game we threw at it, and was able to run multiple applications simultaneously without a hitch. When we ran the Quadrant benchmark test on the DNA, we received a score of 7966. That folks, is mighty darn impressive.
My first issue I had with the HTC Droid DNA was it's storage. Or more rather, the lack there of. The DNA comes equipped with 16GB of internal storage with no option to expand it. This is a pretty big issue if you like to store all of your music, videos, games, and apps locally on your device, so be forewarned if you do decide to get the DNA.
For all of you picture taking fanatics, the DNA is packing in an 8MP camera on the back, and a 2.1MP front-facing camera. In my time with the phone, both cameras took really good looking pictures and video. Colors are represented nicely and accurately, but you will be able to find higher resolution shooters on phones such as the Samsung Galaxy S4 and LG Optimus G Pro. The DNA's camera also packs in some pretty good features, such as HDR, Panorama, Group portrait, Slow motion video, and a slew of awesome Instagram-like effects.
The inclusion of Beats Audio on the DNA makes it a great choice for all music-loving fans. When plugging in a pair of headphones or earbuds, you will be prompted with the option to turn on Beats Audio technology. Even if you have a pair of headphones that aren't Beats, you can still enable the tech to enhance your music listening experience. I used this feature with a pair of earbuds that came with my Roku 3, and it sounded absolutely incredible. The base was deep, audio was crystal clear, and the music just sounded very rich and full. Although you won't be able to use the Beats Audio technology when listening to your music through the speaker grill on the DNA, it still proved to be very loud and enjoyable to listen to.
The second gripe that I had with the DNA would have to be it's battery. The HTC Droid DNA has a 2,020 mAh non-removable battery, and it certainly leaves something to be desired. Although I was usually able to get through a full day of use with the handset, it certainly can't compete with handsets such as the Galaxy S4 or Optimus G Pro, which can easily power you through 2 full days of use.
The DNA is an exclusive to Verizon Wireless, so you have access to Verizon's lightening fast 4G LTE network. The DNA also provides great call quality, with great sounding audio on both ends of any phone call.
Software
The HTC Droid DNA is running on Android 4.1.1 Jelly Bean, and is layered with HTC Sense 4+. This is the first phone I have ever reviewed that is layered with HTC Sense, so I had quite a fun time learning my way around the UI and getting to be familiar with all it can do. Although it isn't my favorite manufacturer user interface I have ever used, HTC Sense 4+ still looks and feel really really good.
One thing I noticed right away about Sense 4+ was how sophisticated it looks. When compared to other user interfaces, such as Samsung's TouchWiz UI and LG's Optimus 3.0 UI, Sense 4+ certainly looks much more professional and business like than the former mentioned UI's.
HTC Sense 4+ also offers a ton of customization options. I am a huge fan of deep customization, and Sense 4+ certainly does deliver, with options to change the entire skin of your phone, your lock screen style, lock screen shortcuts, and so much more.
One thing that I wasn't so keen on with Sense 4+ was the fact that there are no quick settings in the notifications bar. With most manufacturer user interfaces, we usually see quick access to settings such as brightness, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, NFC, and more. Unfortunately, none of this is present on the Droid DNA. Although this isn't a deal-breaker by any means, it still proved to be quite annoying at times when wanted to quickly adjust a simple setting, such as the brightness of your screen display.
Another thing that I noticed with HTC Sense 4+, is that it seems to slow down the process of swiping through your home screens. When comparing the DNA to other Android-powered devices with similar hardware specifications that didn't have Sense layered over them, the DNA did look to be a little slower when scrolling through it's 7 home screens. While this slowness in speed doesn't transfer over to any other action in the phone, it is something that I noticed in my time with the device.
Final Verdict
Even though it may be a few months old, the HTC Droid DNA is still one of the best smartphones in Verizon's lineup. The DNA has a beautiful design, breathtaking screen, incredibly fast processing power, good cameras, great call quality, Beats Audio, and Android Jelly Bean. If you can get over the DNA's fast draining battery, and shortage of internal storage space with no option to expand it, then I think you will be very happy with this smartphone right here. If Samsung's TouchWiz UI on the Galaxy S4 is too cartoony for you, and you don't feel like waiting for the HTC One to arrive on Verizon later this summer, then go for the HTC Droid DNA. While you may not be carrying on HTC's latest and greatest smartphone on the market, you will be carrying around a mighty darn good one.
DISCLAIMER: Joseph Maring used the HTC Droid DNA for 14 days before beginning to write his review of the device. Verizon Wireless sent us the Droid DNA to review, but in no way affected our final score of the handset.
Author: Joseph Maring
DISCLAIMER: Joseph Maring used the HTC Droid DNA for 14 days before beginning to write his review of the device. Verizon Wireless sent us the Droid DNA to review, but in no way affected our final score of the handset.
Author: Joseph Maring
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