HTC Desire 816 battery test

The HTC Desire 816 has one of the smaller batteries of all 5.5″ smartphones, 2,600mAh. There are a couple 2,500mAh but that’s hardly an excuse. Great battery life is one of the key selling points of phablets, second only to the large screen (actually those are the two selling points), so has this hurt HTC’s second phablet?

The answer is not so much, even without the use of HTC’s power saving modes.

The talk time is the one weak spot for the Desire 816, it lasted just under 15 hours. While that may sound decent, competitors like the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 Neo and the Sony Xperia T2 Ultra last 25 hours. Those two are direct competitors in terms of specs and price.

Talk time

• Samsung Galaxy Tab Pro 10.1 LTE
  46:44h
• Nokia Lumia 625
  30:58h
• Nokia Lumia 1520
  28:34h
• Sony Xperia Z1
  26:53h
• Samsung P6800 Galaxy Tab 7.7
  25:45h
• LG G Pro 2
  25:37h
• LG G Flex
  25:19h
• Sony Xperia T2 Ultra
  25:16h
• Huawei Ascend Mate
  25:12h
• Alcatel Hero
  25:02h
• Oppo N1
  25:01h
• LG G2
  25:01h
• Samsung Galaxy Note 3 Neo
  24:52h
• Sony Xperia Z Ultra
  24:23h
• Samsung P6200 Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus
  22:42h
• Huawei MediaPad 7 Vogue
  22:16h
• Sony Xperia Z2
  22:13h
• HTC One Max
  22:13h
• Nokia Lumia 1320
  22:13h
• Samsung Galaxy Core LTE
  22:13h
• Nokia Lumia 1020
  22:13h
• Samsung Galaxy S5
  21:20h
• Motorola RAZR MAXX
  21:18h
• LG Optimus G Pro E985
  20:45h
• Sony Xperia Z1 Compact
  20:42h
• Motorola DROID RAZR MAXX
  20:24h
• Motorola RAZR i XT890
  20:07h
• HTC One (M8)
  20:01h
• BlackBerry Q10
  20:00h
• Samsung Galaxy Grand 2
  19:55h
• Samsung Galaxy Mega 6.3 I9200
  19:54h
• Sony Xperia SP
  19:49h
• HTC Butterfly S
  19:14h
• Oppo R819
  19:03h
• Samsung Galaxy Note 3
  18:12h
• LG G2 mini
  18:11h
• Oppo Find 7a
  18:11h
• Samsung I9505 Galaxy S4
  18:03h
• Sony Xperia ZR
  17:48h
• Samsung Galaxy Note II N7100
  16:57h
• HTC Desire 700 dual sim
  16:56h
• Samsung Ativ Odyssey I930
  16:41h
• Samsung I9295 Galaxy S4 Active
  16:40h
• LG Nexus 5
  16:40h
• Sony Xperia Z
  16:03h
• Samsung Galaxy S4 zoom
  15:32h
• LG Optimus G E975
  15:30h
• Sony Xperia ZL
  15:22h
• Nokia Lumia 720
  15:17h
• HTC Desire 816
  14:46h
• BlackBerry Q5
  14:31h
• Pantech Discover
  14:17h
• Huawei Ascend P6
  14:17h
• Oppo Find 5
  14:17h
• Nokia Lumia 620
  14:17h
• LG Nexus 4 E960
  14:17h
• Nokia Lumia Icon
  14:15h
• Motorola Moto G
  13:41h
• HTC One
  13:38h
• Huawei Ascend P7
  13:36h
• Nokia Lumia 520
  13:33h
• HTC One X+
  13:31h
• Sony Xperia C
  13:29h
• Samsung Galaxy Grand Neo
  13:20h
• Samsung I9190 Galaxy S4 mini
  13:10h
• Samsung Galaxy Grand I9082
  12:45h
• LG Optimus GJ E975W
  12:39h
• HTC First
  12:31h
• Motorola DROID RAZR M
  12:31h
• Sony Xperia M
  12:31h
• Sony Xperia L
  12:30h
• Huawei Ascend P1
  12:30h
• Nokia Lumia 928
  12:27h
• HTC Butterfly
  12:18h
• Samsung Galaxy S III I747
  12:18h
• Samsung Galaxy Note N7000
  12:14h
• HTC One mini
  12:04h
• HTC Desire 600 dual sim
  11:58h
• Samsung I8530 Galaxy Beam
  11:58h
• Samsung Galaxy Core I8260
  11:52h
• HTC Desire 500
  11:31h
• Samsung Galaxy Premier I9260
  11:30h
• HTC DROID Incredible 4G LTE
  11:25h
• Asus PadFone 2
  11:20h
• Nokia X
  11:13h
• HTC DROID DNA
  11:07h
• Samsung S8600 Wave 3
  11:07h
• LG Optimus L9 P760
  11:07h
• HTC One SV
  11:07h
• HTC Windows Phone 8X
  11:07h
• Samsung I9105 Galaxy S II Plus
  11:06h
• HTC Desire X
  11:03h
• Meizu MX3
  11:02h
• Samsung I9500 Galaxy S4
  11:01h
• Apple iPhone 5s
  10:46h
• Apple iPhone 5c
  10:18h
• Samsung I9300 Galaxy S III
  10:15h
• Samsung S7710 Galaxy Xcover 2
  10:03h
• Samsung Galaxy Express I8730
  10:00h
• Meizu MX 4-core
  10:00h
• HTC One V
  10:00h
• HTC One X
  9:57h
• HTC One S
  9:42h
• HTC One S C2
  9:42h
• Samsung I9103 Galaxy R
  9:40h
• Samsung Galaxy Ace 3
  9:32h
• HTC Sensation XL
  9:30h
• Sony Xperia J
  9:14h
• Nokia Lumia 810
  9:05h
• Acer CloudMobile S500
  9:05h
• Nokia Lumia 710
  9:05h
• Motorola ATRIX HD MB886
  9:04h
• HTC Vivid
  9:02h
• Nokia Lumia 920
  8:56h
• Nokia Lumia 610
  8:51h
• HTC Rhyme
  8:48h
• Apple iPhone 5
  8:42h
• LG Optimus 3D Max P720
  8:42h
• Sony Ericsson Xperia neo V
  8:41h
• Meizu MX
  8:39h
• Samsung I9100 Galaxy S II
  8:35h
• Samsung Galaxy S Duos S7562
  8:28h
• Nokia Lumia 800
  8:25h
• Samsung Galaxy Nexus I9250
  8:23h
• Nokia Lumia 510
  8:22h
• Samsung Galaxy Fame S6810
  8:21h
• BlackBerry Z10
  8:20h
• Samsung i927 Captivate Glide
  8:20h
• Sony Xperia T
  8:15h
• HTC Rezound
  8:10h
• Samsung Galaxy Note I717
  8:02h
• LG Optimus Vu F100S
  7:57h
• Apple iPhone 4s
  7:41h
• LG Optimus 4X HD P880
  7:41h
• Samsung Focus S I937
  7:25h
• Nokia Lumia 900
  7:21h
• Samsung Galaxy S Blaze 4G T769
  7:14h
• Samsung Rugby Smart I847
  7:09h
• Nokia Lumia 820
  7:09h
• Sony Xperia acro S
  7:09h
• Nokia N9
  6:57h
• Sony Ericsson Xperia pro
  6:57h
• Samsung Galaxy Ace Duos S6802
  6:53h
• HTC Radar
  6:53h
• BlackBerry Curve 9380
  6:52h
• Sony Xperia E dual
  6:42h
• Sony Xperia E
  6:40h
• Samsung Galaxy mini 2 S6500
  6:28h
• Samsung I8190 Galaxy S III mini
  6:22h
• Sony Xperia P
  5:58h
• Samsung Galaxy Pocket S5300
  5:54h
• Nokia Lumia 900 AT&T
  5:53h
• Sony Xperia ion LTE
  5:52h
• Nokia 808 PureView
  5:16h
• LG Nitro HD
  5:16h
• BlackBerry Bold 9790
  5:00h
• Pantech Burst
  4:46h

From here on out the HTC Desire 816 posted much better results. With nearly 12 hours of web browsing, it’s one of the best devices we’ve tested though the Xperia T2 Ultra came out ahead by a few minutes, the Note 3 Neo was over two hours behind.

Web browsing

• Sony Xperia C
  12:45h
• Nokia Lumia 1520
  12:40h
• Sony Xperia Z1 Compact
  12:37h
• HTC Desire 700 dual sim
  12:30h
• Sony Xperia T2 Ultra
  12:17h
• HTC Desire 816
  11:48h
• Sony Xperia Z2
  11:32h
• LG G2
  11:22h
• HTC One Max
  11:20h
• Sony Xperia ZR
  11:20h
• HTC Butterfly S
  11:07h
• LG G2 mini
  11:02h
• Nokia Lumia 1320
  10:58h
• BlackBerry Q5
  10:04h
• HTC One
  9:58h
• Apple iPhone 5s
  9:58h
• Apple iPhone 5
  9:56h
• Samsung Ativ Odyssey I930
  9:54h
• Samsung I9190 Galaxy S4 mini
  9:47h
• Samsung Galaxy Note 3 Neo
  9:43h
• Alcatel Hero
  9:40h
• Samsung Galaxy Core LTE
  9:37h
• Samsung Galaxy S5
  9:36h
• LG G Pro 2
  9:31h
• LG G Flex
  9:31h
• Samsung Galaxy Tab Pro 10.1 LTE
  9:16h
• Motorola RAZR MAXX
  9:12h
• HTC One (M8)
  9:06h
• Oppo N1
  9:05h
• Samsung Galaxy Grand 2
  9:05h
• Apple iPhone 5c
  9:05h
• Samsung Galaxy Note 3
  9:04h
• Motorola Moto G
  9:04h
• Samsung Galaxy S4 zoom
  8:51h
• Samsung Galaxy Note II N7100
  8:48h
• BlackBerry Q10
  8:42h
• Asus PadFone 2
  8:20h
• Nokia Lumia 810
  8:20h
• Huawei Ascend Mate
  8:17h
• Samsung Galaxy Mega 6.3 I9200
  8:17h
• HTC One mini
  8:12h
• Nokia Lumia 610
  8:01h
• HTC One X+
  7:56h
• Samsung Galaxy Grand Neo
  7:43h
• Motorola DROID RAZR M
  7:42h
• Sony Xperia E dual
  7:42h
• Samsung I8190 Galaxy S III mini
  7:38h
• Nokia Lumia 720
  7:37h
• Samsung I9295 Galaxy S4 Active
  7:35h
• Samsung I9505 Galaxy S4
  7:24h
• Huawei MediaPad 7 Vogue
  7:23h
• Motorola DROID RAZR MAXX
  7:23h
• HTC Radar
  7:17h
• Nokia Lumia 520
  7:15h
• Huawei Ascend P7
  7:13h
• LG Optimus GJ E975W
  7:11h
• Oppo Find 7a
  7:09h
• Samsung Galaxy Grand I9082
  7:09h
• Sony Xperia M
  7:09h
• Meizu MX3
  7:09h
• Samsung Galaxy Express I8730
  7:09h
• Nokia Lumia 625
  7:07h
• Motorola RAZR i XT890
  7:06h
• Sony Xperia J
  7:06h
• Samsung I9500 Galaxy S4
  6:58h
• Apple iPhone 4s
  6:56h
• Samsung P6800 Galaxy Tab 7.7
  6:54h
• Samsung Galaxy Core I8260
  6:54h
• HTC One V
  6:49h
• LG Optimus G Pro E985
  6:40h
• Sony Xperia L
  6:40h
• Samsung Galaxy Premier I9260
  6:40h
• HTC DROID DNA
  6:40h
• Samsung I9105 Galaxy S II Plus
  6:40h
• Motorola ATRIX HD MB886
  6:40h
• BlackBerry Curve 9380
  6:40h
• Sony Xperia E
  6:40h
• HTC First
  6:39h
• Samsung Galaxy Ace 3
  6:38h
• Sony Xperia Z
  6:37h
• Samsung S7710 Galaxy Xcover 2
  6:35h
• HTC Desire 600 dual sim
  6:34h
• HTC Desire 500
  6:31h
• Huawei Ascend P6
  6:30h
• Samsung I9300 Galaxy S III
  6:27h
• BlackBerry Z10
  6:27h
• HTC Butterfly
  6:24h
• Sony Xperia SP
  6:18h
• Samsung Galaxy S III I747
  6:16h
• HTC One SV
  6:15h
• Samsung Focus S I937
  6:15h
• Nokia Lumia 510
  6:13h
• Sony Xperia ZL
  6:04h
• Samsung Galaxy mini 2 S6500
  6:03h
• Samsung P6200 Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus
  6:02h
• Oppo R819
  6:01h
• HTC Windows Phone 8X
  6:01h
• Sony Xperia Z1
  5:59h
• Sony Xperia ion LTE
  5:56h
• Samsung Galaxy Fame S6810
  5:55h
• Samsung Rugby Smart I847
  5:53h
• Pantech Burst
  5:51h
• Nokia Lumia 1020
  5:50h
• HTC DROID Incredible 4G LTE
  5:48h
• Samsung Galaxy S Blaze 4G T769
  5:45h
• Nokia Lumia 920
  5:40h
• Nokia Lumia 928
  5:36h
• Samsung S8600 Wave 3
  5:34h
• Pantech Discover
  5:33h
• Oppo Find 5
  5:33h
• Samsung i927 Captivate Glide
  5:33h
• Sony Xperia T
  5:33h
• Samsung I8530 Galaxy Beam
  5:28h
• Nokia Lumia 900
  5:25h
• Samsung Galaxy Note I717
  5:24h
• Sony Xperia Z Ultra
  5:23h
• Samsung Galaxy S Duos S7562
  5:23h
• HTC Sensation XL
  5:20h
• Meizu MX 4-core
  5:19h
• Nokia Lumia Icon
  5:17h
• HTC Desire X
  5:16h
• HTC Rezound
  5:16h
• Sony Xperia acro S
  5:16h
• LG Optimus G E975
  5:15h
• HTC Rhyme
  5:08h
• Samsung I9103 Galaxy R
  5:07h
• LG Optimus L9 P760
  5:02h
• Nokia X
  4:55h
• Sony Ericsson Xperia pro
  4:50h
• LG Optimus Vu F100S
  4:49h
• LG Nexus 5
  4:46h
• HTC Vivid
  4:46h
• Samsung Galaxy Ace Duos S6802
  4:45h
• Meizu MX
  4:35h
• LG Nexus 4 E960
  4:34h
• Nokia N9
  4:33h
• Acer CloudMobile S500
  4:32h
• Samsung I9100 Galaxy S II
  4:24h
• Nokia Lumia 820
  4:24h
• Sony Ericsson Xperia neo V
  4:20h
• HTC One X
  4:18h
• Nokia 808 PureView
  4:14h
• LG Optimus 3D Max P720
  4:10h
• Nokia Lumia 900 AT&T
  4:10h
• Nokia Lumia 800
  4:07h
• HTC One S
  4:03h
• HTC One S C2
  4:03h
• BlackBerry Bold 9790
  4:02h
• LG Nitro HD
  4:00h
• LG Optimus 4X HD P880
  3:59h
• Sony Xperia P
  3:59h
• Nokia Lumia 710
  3:51h
• Nokia Lumia 620
  3:50h
• Samsung Galaxy Pocket S5300
  3:47h
• Samsung Galaxy Note N7000
  3:35h
• Huawei Ascend P1
  3:23h
• Samsung Galaxy Nexus I9250
  3:01h

The video playback proved more problematic for HTC’s phablet, though with 10 and a half hours it’s still a solid result. It’s certainly in the upper segment of what pocketable devices manage, though the Samsung and Sony phablets beat it by 1 and 3 hours respectively.

Video playback

• LG G Flex
  19:57h
• Motorola RAZR MAXX
  16:35h
• Motorola DROID RAZR MAXX
  14:17h
• Samsung Galaxy Note 3
  13:32h
• Sony Xperia T2 Ultra
  13:12h
• Samsung I9190 Galaxy S4 mini
  13:12h
• Nokia Lumia 1020
  13:12h
• HTC One Max
  13:11h
• Sony Xperia C
  12:53h
• Samsung Galaxy Premier I9260
  12:51h
• Nokia Lumia 1520
  12:31h
• Samsung I9505 Galaxy S4
  12:30h
• BlackBerry Q5
  12:28h
• Huawei Ascend Mate
  12:18h
• Sony Xperia Z2
  12:16h
• Samsung Galaxy Tab Pro 10.1 LTE
  12:10h
• LG G2
  11:51h
• Samsung Galaxy Note 3 Neo
  11:38h
• Samsung P6800 Galaxy Tab 7.7
  11:37h
• Samsung I9500 Galaxy S4
  11:29h
• Samsung Galaxy Note II N7100
  11:27h
• Oppo N1
  11:15h
• BlackBerry Q10
  11:15h
• HTC One (M8)
  11:14h
• Samsung Galaxy S5
  11:05h
• HTC Desire 816
  10:34h
• Apple iPhone 5s
  10:31h
• LG G2 mini
  10:23h
• Apple iPhone 5
  10:12h
• HTC First
  10:03h
• HTC One
  10:02h
• Sony Xperia Z1 Compact
  10:01h
• Samsung Galaxy Express I8730
  10:00h
• Samsung I9105 Galaxy S II Plus
  10:00h
• Nokia 808 PureView
  9:53h
• Alcatel Hero
  9:49h
• Sony Xperia M
  9:49h
• Samsung I8530 Galaxy Beam
  9:42h
• Samsung Rugby Smart I847
  9:34h
• Samsung Galaxy S4 zoom
  9:30h
• HTC One S
  9:28h
• HTC One S C2
  9:28h
• Samsung I9300 Galaxy S III
  9:27h
• Apple iPhone 4s
  9:24h
• Samsung Galaxy mini 2 S6500
  9:22h
• Oppo Find 7a
  9:19h
• Nokia Lumia 1320
  9:17h
• HTC Butterfly S
  9:03h
• Motorola DROID RAZR M
  9:00h
• Sony Xperia E
  9:00h
• Samsung Ativ Odyssey I930
  8:59h
• Sony Xperia Z Ultra
  8:45h
• BlackBerry Z10
  8:44h
• Samsung Galaxy Grand 2
  8:41h
• LG Optimus G Pro E985
  8:40h
• Nokia N9
  8:40h
• Samsung Galaxy Mega 6.3 I9200
  8:34h
• HTC Butterfly
  8:28h
• Samsung Galaxy Note N7000
  8:25h
• LG Optimus GJ E975W
  8:15h
• Samsung Galaxy S III I747
  8:14h
• HTC One X+
  8:11h
• Samsung Galaxy Grand I9082
  8:11h
• Motorola RAZR i XT890
  8:11h
• Sony Xperia J
  8:11h
• Huawei Ascend P7
  8:10h
• Samsung I9100 Galaxy S II
  8:00h
• Samsung Focus S I937
  7:55h
• Samsung S8600 Wave 3
  7:52h
• HTC Desire 500
  7:50h
• Samsung I8190 Galaxy S III mini
  7:46h
• Sony Ericsson Xperia neo V
  7:45h
• Apple iPhone 5c
  7:41h
• Asus PadFone 2
  7:38h
• Huawei Ascend P1
  7:38h
• Nokia Lumia Icon
  7:34h
• Samsung Galaxy S Blaze 4G T769
  7:33h
• Sony Xperia ZR
  7:30h
• Samsung Galaxy Core I8260
  7:30h
• HTC DROID DNA
  7:30h
• Samsung S7710 Galaxy Xcover 2
  7:30h
• Samsung Galaxy Note I717
  7:30h
• Sony Xperia SP
  7:27h
• HTC One mini
  7:23h
• Nokia Lumia 610
  7:23h
• LG Optimus G E975
  7:16h
• Samsung I9295 Galaxy S4 Active
  7:03h
• Samsung Galaxy Grand Neo
  6:55h
• Huawei Ascend P6
  6:55h
• HTC One SV
  6:55h
• Pantech Discover
  6:55h
• Samsung Galaxy Ace 3
  6:54h
• Nokia Lumia 928
  6:54h
• HTC DROID Incredible 4G LTE
  6:51h
• HTC Desire 600 dual sim
  6:49h
• Nokia Lumia 720
  6:43h
• Huawei MediaPad 7 Vogue
  6:40h
• Motorola Moto G
  6:37h
• Nokia Lumia 900
  6:37h
• Meizu MX 4-core
  6:33h
• Nokia Lumia 620
  6:32h
• Nokia Lumia 625
  6:29h
• Sony Xperia E dual
  6:27h
• HTC Windows Phone 8X
  6:27h
• HTC Desire 700 dual sim
  6:26h
• Nokia Lumia 810
  6:26h
• Samsung Galaxy Ace Duos S6802
  6:25h
• Nokia Lumia 820
  6:25h
• Nokia Lumia 510
  6:23h
• LG Optimus Vu F100S
  6:23h
• Samsung I9103 Galaxy R
  6:21h
• Nokia Lumia 920
  6:19h
• Sony Xperia Z1
  6:12h
• HTC Sensation XL
  6:12h
• Nokia X
  6:10h
• LG Nexus 5
  6:06h
• Samsung Galaxy Pocket S5300
  6:06h
• Samsung i927 Captivate Glide
  6:04h
• Sony Xperia ion LTE
  6:03h
• Samsung Galaxy Nexus I9250
  6:02h
• Motorola ATRIX HD MB886
  6:01h
• Sony Xperia T
  6:01h
• HTC Vivid
  6:00h
• HTC Radar
  5:54h
• Oppo R819
  5:54h
• LG Optimus L9 P760
  5:53h
• Nokia Lumia 800
  5:52h
• Nokia Lumia 520
  5:50h
• LG G Pro 2
  5:49h
• BlackBerry Bold 9790
  5:47h
• HTC One X
  5:45h
• Sony Ericsson Xperia pro
  5:44h
• Sony Xperia Z
  5:39h
• Meizu MX3
  5:38h
• Pantech Burst
  5:38h
• HTC Desire X
  5:38h
• Sony Xperia acro S
  5:38h
• Samsung Galaxy Core LTE
  5:34h
• Sony Xperia ZL
  5:28h
• Meizu MX
  5:27h
• HTC Rhyme
  5:23h
• HTC One V
  5:20h
• Oppo Find 5
  5:18h
• Acer CloudMobile S500
  5:18h
• Nokia Lumia 900 AT&T
  5:18h
• Samsung P6200 Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus
  5:16h
• BlackBerry Curve 9380
  5:09h
• HTC Rezound
  5:03h
• Samsung Galaxy Fame S6810
  5:02h
• LG Nexus 4 E960
  4:55h
• Sony Xperia L
  4:44h
• Samsung Galaxy S Duos S7562
  4:30h
• Sony Xperia P
  4:30h
• LG Nitro HD
  4:17h
• LG Optimus 4X HD P880
  4:14h
• LG Optimus 3D Max P720
  3:28h
• Nokia Lumia 710
  3:27h

Note that we run the web and video tests with the brightness slider at 50%. The HTC Desire 816 screen is quite dim at this setting, 164 nits, but the Galaxy Note 3 Neo screen only pushed out 142 nits.

The endurance rating worked out to 64 hours, meaning with average usage you’ll need to charge the phablet every 2-3 days. That’s quite good, especially considering the relatively small battery, the Xperia T2 Ultra and Galaxy Note 3 Neo have 3,000mAh and 3,100mAh respectively.

However, with a much better talk time and good scores on the other two tests the two phablets scored a higher endurance rating, the T2 Ultra in particular boasts a massive 96 hours. Given the dimensions of the Desire 816, HTC could have put in a much larger battery and made the phablet that much more competitive.