HTC Desire (U.S. Cellular) vs Samsung Mesmerize (SCH-i500)
A spec-by-spec comparison of the HTC Desire (U.S. Cellular) and the Samsung Mesmerize (SCH-i500), taken from their full specification sheets. Green marks the better value in each measured row.
Head to head
| HTC Desire (U.S. Cellular) | Samsung Mesmerize (SCH-i500) |
|---|
| Price | $3,724 | $2,488 |
| Our rating | 8/10 | 8/10 |
| Battery | 1,400 mAh | 1,500 mAh |
| Storage (max) | 32 GB | 32 GB |
| Screen size | 3.7 in | 4 in |
| Main camera | 5 MP | 5 MP |
| Weight (lower is lighter) | 135 g | — |
| Released | Aug 2010 | Oct 2010 |
Summary: Samsung Mesmerize (SCH-i500) is ahead on battery, screen size.
★ Which should you buy? Samsung Mesmerize (SCH-i500) is the stronger overall pick on the measured specs.
Reviewed by the infozme.com Editorial Team — see how we research & rate phones.
Display
| HTC Desire (U.S. Cellular) | Samsung Mesmerize (SCH-i500) |
|---|
| Type | Super TFT LCD capacitive touchscreen, 16M colors | Super AMOLED capacitive touchscreen, 16M colors |
| Size | 3.7 inches | 4.0 inches |
| Resolution | 480 x 800 pixels (WVGA) | 480 x 800 pixels |
| Protection | Gorilla Glass (unconfirmed, but common for high-end at the time) | — |
| Features | Multi-touch, Accelerometer, Proximity sensor | — |
Platform
| HTC Desire (U.S. Cellular) | Samsung Mesmerize (SCH-i500) |
|---|
| Chipset | Qualcomm Snapdragon S1 QSD8250 | Hummingbird (Samsung-Intrinsity S5PC110) |
| CPU | 1 GHz Scorpion (single-core) | 1 GHz Cortex-A8 |
| GPU | Adreno 200 | PowerVR SGX540 |
| OS | — | Android OS, v2.1 (Eclair), upgradable to v2.2 (Froyo) |
Memory
| HTC Desire (U.S. Cellular) | Samsung Mesmerize (SCH-i500) |
|---|
| Internal | 512 MB ROM, 576 MB RAM (approx.) | 2 GB storage, 512 MB RAM, 384 MB ROM |
| Card slot | microSDHC, up to 32 GB (8GB card included) | microSDHC, up to 32 GB (16 GB included) |
Main Camera
| HTC Desire (U.S. Cellular) | Samsung Mesmerize (SCH-i500) |
|---|
| Modules | Single | — |
| Resolution | 5 MP | — |
| Features | Autofocus, LED flash, Geotagging, Face detection | LED flash |
| Video | 720p@17fps | 720p@30fps |
| Single | — | 5 MP, autofocus |
Selfie Camera
| HTC Desire (U.S. Cellular) | Samsung Mesmerize (SCH-i500) |
|---|
| Modules | None | — |
| Single | — | VGA |
Battery
| HTC Desire (U.S. Cellular) | Samsung Mesmerize (SCH-i500) |
|---|
| Type | Removable Li-Ion 1400 mAh | Removable Li-Ion 1500 mAh battery |
| Talk time | Up to 5 hours | Up to 7 hours 55 minutes (as tested) |
| Standby time | Up to 10.5 days (252 hours) | — |
Body
| HTC Desire (U.S. Cellular) | Samsung Mesmerize (SCH-i500) |
|---|
| Dimensions | 119.38 x 60.96 x 12.7 mm (4.7 x 2.4 x 0.5 inches) | 124.5 x 64.3 x 9.9 mm (4.90 x 2.53 x 0.39 in) |
| Weight | 135 g (4.76 oz) | 117.9 g (4.1 oz) |
| Build | Plastic body with metal trim | — |
| SIM | — | Mini-SIM |
Comms
| HTC Desire (U.S. Cellular) | Samsung Mesmerize (SCH-i500) |
|---|
| WLAN | Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g | Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n |
| Bluetooth | 2.1 with A2DP | 3.0, A2DP |
| GPS | A-GPS | Yes, with A-GPS |
| USB | microUSB 2.0 | microUSB 2.0 |
| Radio | — | FM radio with RDS |
Launch
| HTC Desire (U.S. Cellular) | Samsung Mesmerize (SCH-i500) |
|---|
| Announced | Q1 2010 (International), August 2010 (U.S. Cellular) | 2010, October |
| Status | Discontinued | Discontinued |
| Operating System | Android 2.1 (Eclair), upgradeable to 2.2 (Froyo) | — |
| UI | HTC Sense UI | — |
Frequently asked questions
Which has the better battery, HTC Desire (U.S. Cellular) or Samsung Mesmerize (SCH-i500)?
Samsung Mesmerize (SCH-i500) — 1,400 mAh for the HTC Desire (U.S. Cellular) versus 1,500 mAh for the Samsung Mesmerize (SCH-i500).
Which is newer, HTC Desire (U.S. Cellular) or Samsung Mesmerize (SCH-i500)?
Samsung Mesmerize (SCH-i500) — Aug 2010 for the HTC Desire (U.S. Cellular) versus Oct 2010 for the Samsung Mesmerize (SCH-i500).
Is the HTC Desire (U.S. Cellular) or the Samsung Mesmerize (SCH-i500) rated higher?
We rate the HTC Desire (U.S. Cellular) 8/10 and the Samsung Mesmerize (SCH-i500) 8/10.
Best phone lists →
