The build-up to the official announcement of the HTC Rhyme was quite something, with lots of leaks and even a name change along the way. So we thought it only right this latest smartphone should star in one of our showdowns, and alongside the Desire S which it resembles, no less.
To glance at the HTC Rhyme is all its purple-coloured goodness, you’d be forgiven for thinking it’s clearly a phone designed for females. However, during the launch, HTC never mentioned that the Rhyme is for women, describing it instead as “more than a phone – it is a total offering”.
HTC states the new handset is less about technology and more about lifestyle, but that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s a female-centric device, right?
Granted, the plum exterior and cube-shaped Charm accessory are pretty girly in design, but the HTC Rhyme should be offered in two other colour choices: Clearwater and Hourglass.
Are you convinced?
While some will view the HTC Rhyme, which previously went by the name of HTC Bliss, a name change that may reflect the company’s desire to target it at a wider audience, as a phone for women others may see it as a purple HTC Desire S.
So let’s take a closer look at the two mobile phones as they go head-to-head!
Design
Size wise, the Rhyme and Desire S are similar, with the Rhyme ever so slightly taller and wider but slimmer. Both handsets have the four touch-sensitive keys running along the bottom of the display and rounded corners.
Of course, the HTC Rhyme stands out more in its purple frame…
The Super LCD screens measure 3.7 inches, and the Desire S comes with Gorilla Glass for scratch-resistance protection – so far this hasn’t been mentioned of the Rhyme so we’ll have to wait and see but our hunch is it doesn’t have a Gorilla Glass screen.
Features
Again, the handsets are pretty similar as both are powered by a 1GHz processor and have 768MB of RAM. HTC’s Sense UI is present on the Rhyme and Desire S and both have social networking at their core to make staying in touch with friends easier. And each phone has an inbuilt 5-megapixel camera with LED flash and 720p video recording support together with a front-facing VGA snapper.
As Android smartphones, both the Rhyme and the Desire S run on the latest version of the OS, Gingerbread and deliver all the features that this brings.
However, the HTC Rhyme features a bigger 1600mAh battery compared to the Desire S’s 1450mAh battery, as well as 4GB of internal storage.
In addition to other features, the HTC Rhyme also comes with a Charm accessory, docking station that is also an alarm clock and music centre, and tangle-free headphones. There are other accessories available for the phone but these three are included in the box.
The Charm is the most unusual accessory, and is a cube that hangs on a cable – it can be dangled outside a handbag when the phone’s inside – and lights up when a call or text comes through. Keen to not make this a female-only accessory, HTC adds in its press release: “It also makes it easy to find your phone buried in your cluttered purse or backpack.”
Verdict
These two handsets are not miles apart in terms of looks and abilities – after all, the original HTC Desire was one of the most popular phones of 2010 so modelling new phones along similar lines to its successor doesn’t seem like a bad idea to us.
The handset that wins the showdown is…
The HTC Rhyme because it’s stylish, has unique accessories, more internal storage and a bigger battery.
But we will add that this was a close one and the HTC Desire S certainly puts up a good fight.
Which phone wins the showdown in your opinion?
| HTC Rhyme | HTC Desire S | |
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| Operating System | Android OS, v2.3.4 (Gingerbread) | Android OS, v2.3 (Gingerbread) |
| Dimensions: | 116.8 x 61 x 10.1 mm | 115 x 59.8 x 11.6 mm |
| Display: | 3.7″ | 3.7″ |
| Camera: | 5 MP | 5 MP |
| Internal Storage: | 4 GB | 1.1 |
| External Storage: | up to 32GB | up to 32GB |
| Processor: | 1 GHz | 1 GHz |
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