HTC Desire vs Samsung Galaxy SL (GT-I9003)
A spec-by-spec comparison of the HTC Desire and the Samsung Galaxy SL (GT-I9003), taken from their full specification sheets. Green marks the better value in each measured row.
Head to head
| HTC Desire | Samsung Galaxy SL (GT-I9003) |
|---|
| Our rating | 7/10 | 4/10 |
| Battery | 1,400 mAh | 1,650 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 | 131 g |
| Released | Feb 2010 | Feb 2011 |
Summary: HTC Desire is ahead on our rating. Samsung Galaxy SL (GT-I9003) is ahead on battery, screen size, weight (lower is lighter).
★ Which should you buy? Samsung Galaxy SL (GT-I9003) 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 | Samsung Galaxy SL (GT-I9003) |
|---|
| Type | AMOLED or SLCD capacitive touchscreen, 16M colors | SC-LCD (Super Clear LCD) capacitive touchscreen, 16M colors |
| Size | 3.7 inches, 39.0 cm2 (~54.6% screen-to-body ratio) | 4.0 inches, 45.5 cm2 (~57.3% screen-to-body ratio) |
| Resolution | 480 x 800 pixels, 5:3 ratio (~252 ppi density) | 480 x 800 pixels, 5:3 ratio (~233 ppi density) |
| Protection | Corning Gorilla Glass | Corning Gorilla Glass |
Platform
| HTC Desire | Samsung Galaxy SL (GT-I9003) |
|---|
| OS | Android 2.1 (Eclair), upgradable to 2.2 (Froyo) and officially to 2.3 (Gingerbread via manual flash) | Android 2.2 (Froyo), upgradable to 2.3 (Gingerbread); TouchWiz UI 3.0 (upgradable to 4.0) |
| Chipset | Qualcomm QSD8250 Snapdragon S1 | TI OMAP 3630 |
| CPU | 1.0 GHz Scorpion (single-core) | 1.0 GHz Cortex-A8 |
| GPU | Adreno 200 | PowerVR SGX530 |
Memory
| HTC Desire | Samsung Galaxy SL (GT-I9003) |
|---|
| Card slot | microSDHC (dedicated slot), up to 32 GB (4 GB included) | microSD, up to 32 GB (dedicated slot) |
| Internal | 576 MB RAM, 512 MB ROM (150 MB user accessible flash storage) | 4GB or 16GB (512MB RAM) |
Main Camera
| HTC Desire | Samsung Galaxy SL (GT-I9003) |
|---|
| Single | 5 MP, autofocus | 5 MP, autofocus |
| Features | LED flash, geotagging | Geo-tagging, smile detection, self-timer, mosaic, panorama |
| Video | 480p@15fps, 720p@30fps (via software update) | 720p@30fps |
Selfie Camera
| HTC Desire | Samsung Galaxy SL (GT-I9003) |
|---|
| Single | No | 0.3 MP (VGA) |
| Video | — | No |
Battery
| HTC Desire | Samsung Galaxy SL (GT-I9003) |
|---|
| Type | Removable Li-Ion 1400 mAh battery | Removable Li-Ion |
| Stand-by | Up to 340 h (2G) / Up to 360 h (3G) | — |
| Talk time | Up to 6 h 40 min (2G) / Up to 6 h 30 min (3G) | — |
| Capacity | — | 1650 mAh |
Body
| HTC Desire | Samsung Galaxy SL (GT-I9003) |
|---|
| Dimensions | 119 x 60 x 11.9 mm (4.69 x 2.36 x 0.47 in) | 123.7 x 64.2 x 10.6 mm (4.87 x 2.53 x 0.42 in) |
| Weight | 135 g (4.76 oz) | 131 g (4.62 oz) |
| SIM | Mini-SIM | Mini-SIM |
| Other | Optical trackpad | — |
Comms
| HTC Desire | Samsung Galaxy SL (GT-I9003) |
|---|
| WLAN | Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g, hotspot (Android 2.2) | Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, DLNA, hotspot |
| Bluetooth | 2.1, A2DP | 3.0, A2DP, EDR, aptX |
| Positioning | GPS, A-GPS | — |
| Radio | Stereo FM radio with RDS | FM Radio |
| USB | microUSB 2.0 | microUSB 2.0 |
| GPS | — | Yes, with A-GPS |
Launch
| HTC Desire | Samsung Galaxy SL (GT-I9003) |
|---|
| Announced | 2010, February 16 | 2011, January |
| Status | Released 2010, March/April | Released 2011, February |
Frequently asked questions
Which has the better battery, HTC Desire or Samsung Galaxy SL (GT-I9003)?
Samsung Galaxy SL (GT-I9003) — 1,400 mAh for the HTC Desire versus 1,650 mAh for the Samsung Galaxy SL (GT-I9003).
Which is lighter, HTC Desire or Samsung Galaxy SL (GT-I9003)?
Samsung Galaxy SL (GT-I9003) — 135 g for the HTC Desire versus 131 g for the Samsung Galaxy SL (GT-I9003).
Which is newer, HTC Desire or Samsung Galaxy SL (GT-I9003)?
Samsung Galaxy SL (GT-I9003) — Feb 2010 for the HTC Desire versus Feb 2011 for the Samsung Galaxy SL (GT-I9003).
Is the HTC Desire or the Samsung Galaxy SL (GT-I9003) rated higher?
We rate the HTC Desire 7/10 and the Samsung Galaxy SL (GT-I9003) 4/10.
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