HTC Desire vs Motorola Defy (MB525)

A spec-by-spec comparison of the HTC Desire and the Motorola Defy (MB525), taken from their full specification sheets. Green marks the better value in each measured row.

HTC Desire smartphone

HTC Desire

From $174
Full specs, price & review →
VS
Motorola Defy (MB525) smartphone

Motorola Defy (MB525)

From $7,222
Full specs, price & review →

Head to head

HTC DesireMotorola Defy (MB525)
Price$174$7,222
Our rating7/106/10
Battery1,400 mAh1,540 mAh
Storage (max)32 GB32 GB
Screen size3.7 in3.7 in
Main camera5 MP5 MP
Weight (lower is lighter)135 g118 g
ReleasedFeb 2010Nov 2010
Summary: HTC Desire is ahead on our rating. Motorola Defy (MB525) is ahead on battery, weight (lower is lighter).
★ Which should you buy? Motorola Defy (MB525) is the stronger overall pick on the measured specs. If budget matters more than the extra capability, HTC Desire is the cheaper option.

Researched with AI assistance by infozme.com from manufacturer and retailer sources — see how we research & rate phones.

Display

HTC DesireMotorola Defy (MB525)
TypeAMOLED or SLCD capacitive touchscreen, 16M colorsTFT capacitive touchscreen, 16M colors
Size3.7 inches, 39.0 cm2 (~54.6% screen-to-body ratio)3.7 inches, 38.2 cm2 (~59.8% screen-to-body ratio)
Resolution480 x 800 pixels, 5:3 ratio (~252 ppi density)480 x 854 pixels, FWVGA (~265 ppi density)
ProtectionCorning Gorilla Glass—
Features—Multi-touch input, Accelerometer, Proximity sensor

Platform

HTC DesireMotorola Defy (MB525)
OSAndroid 2.1 (Eclair), upgradable to 2.2 (Froyo) and officially to 2.3 (Gingerbread via manual flash)Android 2.1 (Eclair), upgradable to 2.2 (Froyo)
ChipsetQualcomm QSD8250 Snapdragon S1TI OMAP3610-800 (or OMAP3630-800)
CPU1.0 GHz Scorpion (single-core)800 MHz Cortex-A8
GPUAdreno 200PowerVR SGX530

Memory

HTC DesireMotorola Defy (MB525)
Card slotmicroSDHC (dedicated slot), up to 32 GB (4 GB included)microSDHC (dedicated slot), up to 32GB (2GB card typically included)
Internal576 MB RAM, 512 MB ROM (150 MB user accessible flash storage)2GB storage, 512MB RAM

Main Camera

HTC DesireMotorola Defy (MB525)
Single5 MP, autofocus5 MP, autofocus, LED flash
FeaturesLED flash, geotaggingGeo-tagging, image stabilization
Video480p@15fps, 720p@30fps (via software update)Yes

Selfie Camera

HTC DesireMotorola Defy (MB525)
SingleNoNo

Battery

HTC DesireMotorola Defy (MB525)
TypeRemovable Li-Ion 1400 mAh batteryRemovable Li-Po 1540 mAh battery
Stand-byUp to 340 h (2G) / Up to 360 h (3G)Up to 238 h
Talk timeUp to 6 h 40 min (2G) / Up to 6 h 30 min (3G)Up to 6 h 48 min

Body

HTC DesireMotorola Defy (MB525)
Dimensions119 x 60 x 11.9 mm (4.69 x 2.36 x 0.47 in)107 x 59 x 13.4 mm (4.21 x 2.32 x 0.53 in)
Weight135 g (4.76 oz)118 g (4.16 oz)
SIMMini-SIMMini-SIM
OtherOptical trackpad—
Protection—IP67 dust/water resistant (up to 1m for 30 min), Corning Gorilla Glass

Comms

HTC DesireMotorola Defy (MB525)
WLANWi-Fi 802.11 b/g, hotspot (Android 2.2)Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, DLNA
Bluetooth2.1, A2DP2.1, A2DP
PositioningGPS, A-GPS—
RadioStereo FM radio with RDSStereo FM radio with RDS
USBmicroUSB 2.0microUSB 2.0
GPS—Yes, with A-GPS support

Launch

HTC DesireMotorola Defy (MB525)
Announced2010, February 16October 2010
StatusReleased 2010, March/AprilDiscontinued
OS at launch—Android 2.1 (Eclair), upgradable to 2.2 (Froyo)

Frequently asked questions

Which has the better battery, HTC Desire or Motorola Defy (MB525)?

Motorola Defy (MB525) — 1,400 mAh for the HTC Desire versus 1,540 mAh for the Motorola Defy (MB525).

Which is lighter, HTC Desire or Motorola Defy (MB525)?

Motorola Defy (MB525) — 135 g for the HTC Desire versus 118 g for the Motorola Defy (MB525).

Which is newer, HTC Desire or Motorola Defy (MB525)?

Motorola Defy (MB525) — Feb 2010 for the HTC Desire versus Nov 2010 for the Motorola Defy (MB525).

Is the HTC Desire or the Motorola Defy (MB525) rated higher?

We rate the HTC Desire 7/10 and the Motorola Defy (MB525) 6/10.

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