HTC Desire 310: A 4.5-Inch Dual-SIM Budget Phone With a 5MP Camera
When HTC unveiled the Desire 310 in early 2014, the budget smartphone market was already crowded with cut-price Android handsets trying to win over first-time buyers and those upgrading from feature phones. The device arrived at a moment when consumers across Asia, Europe, and Oceania were looking for affordable dual-SIM phones that could still deliver a respectable camera experience and a smooth-enough Android skin. Within that crowded field, the HTC Desire 310 positioned itself as a no-nonsense option for shoppers who wanted HTC's Sense interface without paying flagship prices.
At its core, the handset offered a 4.5-inch display, a 5-megapixel rear camera, and dual-SIM support wrapped in a familiar HTC polycarbonate shell. While the specifications were modest compared to the HTC One M8 or the Samsung Galaxy S5, they were perfectly aligned with what a buyer on a tight budget might expect from a sub-AU$200 device. For Australian shoppers, the phone arrived at a time when prepaid plans from Telstra, Optus, and Vodafone dominated the market, and most buyers picked up their handsets outright from retailers like JB Hi-Fi or Harvey Norman.
This article walks through the design, display, camera, performance, connectivity, and battery life of the HTC Desire 310, alongside its place in the Australian retail landscape of the mid-2010s. Whether you are researching the device for historical interest or comparing it against modern entry-level alternatives, the following sections break down what this particular HTC model brought to the table and where it fell short of the competition.
The HTC Desire 310 shares a market position with several other budget smartphones released around the same window, and a brief spec comparison helps frame where it sits. Before diving into each section in detail, the table below lines it up against three contemporaries that Australian buyers would have seen on the same shelves at Big W, JB Hi-Fi, and the telco stores of the era.
| Specification | HTC Desire 310 | Motorola Moto G (2014) | Samsung Galaxy Ace 3 | Nokia Lumia 630 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Display | 4.5-inch FWVGA (854x480) | 4.5-inch HD (1280x720) | 4.0-inch WVGA (800x480) | 4.5-inch FWVGA (854x480) |
| Processor | MediaTek MT6582M quad-core 1.3 GHz | Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 quad-core 1.2 GHz | Broadcom BCM21664 dual-core 1.0 GHz | Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 quad-core 1.2 GHz |
| RAM | 512 MB / 1 GB | 1 GB | 1 GB / 1.5 GB | 512 MB |
| Internal Storage | 4 GB + microSD | 8 GB + microSD | 8 GB / 16 GB + microSD | 8 GB + microSD |
| Rear Camera | 5 MP with LED flash | 5 MP with LED flash | 5 MP with LED flash | 5 MP without flash |
| Front Camera | VGA | 1.3 MP | VGA | None |
| Battery | 1950 mAh removable | 2070 mAh non-removable | 1500 / 1800 mAh | 1830 mAh removable |
| Operating System | Android 4.2.2 with HTC Sense | Android 4.4 KitKat (near-stock) | Android 4.2 with TouchWiz | Windows Phone 8.1 |
| Dual-SIM | Yes (micro-SIM) | No | Optional variant | No |
Design and Display
The HTC Desire 310 followed the visual language that HTC had refined across the Desire range, with a soft-touch polycarbonate back, rounded corners, and a centred HTC logo that picked up the company's longstanding design cues. At 132 grams, the phone felt reassuringly solid without becoming a burden in a pocket, and the 11.2 mm thickness was noticeable but acceptable for a budget device. Buyers who walked into a JB Hi-Fi and picked one up off the demo stand would have noticed the matte finish, which resisted fingerprints better than glossy alternatives from Samsung at the same price point.
The 4.5-inch screen sat in the middle of what was considered compact by 2014 norms, when 5-inch displays were starting to creep into the mid-range. HTC equipped the panel with an FWVGA resolution of 854 by 480 pixels, which translated to roughly 218 pixels per inch. Text appeared crisp enough for reading emails and browsing New Mobile Arrivals on the tram, but small icons on app launchers showed visible jaggedness when scrutinised up close. Colours leaned towards the cooler side, which gave blues a slight pop but made skin tones look a touch washed out compared to the AMOLED panels seen on Samsung's Galaxy Ace 3.
Outdoor visibility was a mixed bag, as the display struggled under the harsh midday sun common across Australian summers. Holding the phone at an angle while waiting for a coffee at a suburban café in Brisbane or Perth still required some shading with a free hand. The touchscreen layer recognised up to two simultaneous touches, which was adequate for pinch-to-zoom on Google Maps but limited more complex gestures. Overall, the design and display category reflected the compromises HTC had to make to keep the price within reach of prepaid customers.
Camera Capabilities
A 5-megapixel rear camera was the centrepiece of the HTC Desire 310's imaging story, paired with an f/2.8 aperture and a single LED flash. In daylight conditions, the camera captured reasonably detailed shots for sharing through social apps or printing at small sizes, with autofocus locking on within a couple of seconds on stationary objects. Colours skewed towards natural, though shadows tended to crush slightly, which is a typical limitation of budget-grade sensors of that generation.
Low-light performance was the obvious weak spot, where noise crept into the frame even with the LED flash engaged. Snapping a group photo at a backyard barbie in suburban Melbourne required either steady hands or proximity to the subject, because the small flash struggled to illuminate anything beyond a metre or two. Video recording capped at 1080p for the rear sensor, which was a pleasant surprise given the price bracket, although the absence of electronic stabilisation meant walking shots came out jittery.
The front-facing camera was a basic VGA unit, which was adequate for the occasional Skype call or selfie in good lighting but produced muddy results indoors. By 2014, front cameras had begun their migration to higher resolutions across the industry, so the VGA option here marked the Desire 310 as firmly entry-level. Camera software included HTC's familiar modes such as HDR, panorama, and a handful of filter options, all accessible through a left-swipe menu in the viewfinder.
Processor and Performance
Powering the HTC Desire 310 was a MediaTek MT6582M chipset, a quad-core unit clocked at 1.3 GHz, paired with a Mali-400 MP2 graphics core. In everyday use, the combination delivered acceptable performance for the basics: scrolling home screens, opening the dialler, and switching between messaging apps all happened without significant lag. Where the phone showed strain was in heavier apps and modern games, which could stutter or refuse to install because of the modest 512 MB of RAM in the base variant.
The version sold in many markets, including parts of Australia, came with 1 GB of RAM, which made a noticeable difference for multitasking. Switching from a Chrome tab to the camera app still triggered a full reload on the lower-RAM model, whereas the 1 GB variant retained more state in memory. Storage came in at 4 GB internally, of which roughly 1.8 GB was available to the user, leaving almost no room out of the box. A microSD slot accepting cards up to 32 GB was therefore not a luxury but a necessity for anyone planning to keep a music library or a folder of photos on the device.
Benchmark figures placed the Desire 310 below the Motorola Moto G and the Samsung Galaxy Ace 3 in CPU tasks, a gap that translated to perceptible differences when launching apps or scrolling through image-heavy sites. Yet for users upgrading from an older feature phone or a laggy first-generation smartphone, the jump in responsiveness felt substantial. Buyers who walked into a Telstra shop and asked about something cheap that'll handle Facebook and YouTube would have found the Desire 310 adequate for those core tasks.
Software and HTC Sense
Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean shipped out of the box, layered with HTC's Sense 5.5 skin that the company had refined across the One and Desire ranges. BlinkFeed, HTC's tile-based home panel, took centre stage on the leftmost home screen, pulling in news, social updates, and calendar entries in a Flipboard-style scroll. For Australian readers, BlinkFeed could be configured with local sources, which made it convenient to glance at headlines during the morning commute without opening a separate app.
The Sense overlay added practical touches such as a customisable quick-settings panel, HTC's own gallery app, and the familiar weather widget with animated background effects. Performance under Sense was generally smooth, although occasional lag appeared when transitioning between BlinkFeed and the app drawer on the 512 MB RAM variant. Google Now integration was present but required an additional download, unlike stock Android builds that bundled it natively.
Software updates were the standard pain point for budget HTC phones of this generation, with the Desire 310 receiving only minor maintenance patches rather than a full version upgrade during its supported lifetime. By the time Android 4.4 KitKat rolled out to flagship HTC devices, the Desire 310 had effectively reached the end of its update runway. Buyers who valued long-term software support were nudged towards the Motorola Moto G, which at the time promised closer to stock Android and more frequent updates.
Dual-SIM Functionality and Connectivity
Dual-SIM support was one of the headline features of the HTC Desire 310, particularly for buyers juggling a personal number and a work number on the same handset. The phone accepted two micro-SIM cards in a side-by-side tray, with the secondary slot doubling as the microSD card slot depending on the variant. Call quality on Telstra's 3G network was clear and reliable, with the earpiece producing enough volume to hear in moderately noisy environments such as Sydney's commuter trains during peak hour.
Connectivity options were standard for the class: 3G HSPA, Wi-Fi b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.0, and GPS with GLONASS support. NFC was absent, which was a common omission in budget handsets of 2014, and the absence did not bother most prepaid customers who used the phone for calls, messaging, and casual browsing. The phone also supported Wi-Fi hotspot tethering, which was useful for travellers needing to share a connection with a tablet or laptop while camping in regional Victoria.
Travellers who crossed between Australian states often appreciated the dual-SIM flexibility, since coverage differences between Telstra and Optus could be substantial outside the capital cities. Inserting a Telstra SIM for regional coverage and an Optus SIM for cheaper data in the city made the Desire 310 a practical companion for grey nomads and fly-in workers. The phone handled SIM swapping through the settings menu without forcing a reboot, which was a small but welcome convenience.
Battery Life and Real-World Usage
Battery life came courtesy of a removable 1950 mAh cell, which HTC rated for around 11 hours of 3G talk time. In practical Australian usage, the phone comfortably lasted a full day on a single charge with moderate use, including some video streaming on the train home and a couple of hours of music playback through Bluetooth headphones. Heavy users who leaned on GPS navigation or gaming would have reached for the charger by late afternoon, mirroring the battery behaviour of most budget phones of the era.
The removable back cover made swapping a fresh battery straightforward, which was a real advantage for tradies and field workers who carried a spare cell in their ute. Charging was handled through a standard micro-USB port, with a full top-up taking just over two hours from empty using the supplied charger. Standby drain was modest, so a phone left in a glovebox over a long weekend still held enough charge for a quick call on Monday morning.
Heat management was generally acceptable, with the phone warming slightly during extended video playback but never becoming uncomfortable to hold. The combination of a modest processor and a 4.5-inch screen kept power draw in check, helping the Desire 310 punch above its weight class in endurance tests. For buyers who valued battery life over display fidelity, the trade-off felt reasonable within the constraints of the budget segment.
Pricing and Australian Availability
When the HTC Desire 310 launched in Australia, it carried a recommended retail price that placed it firmly in the entry-level tier, often appearing around the AU$149 to AU$199 mark depending on the retailer and the bundled prepaid plan. JB Hi-Fi, Harvey Norman, and the major telcos stocked the device on prepaid plans from Telstra, Optus, and Vodafone, often with the handset offered as part of a bonus data promotion. Woolworths Mobile and ALDI Mobile also featured the phone as an outright purchase option for customers who preferred to bring their own SIM.
For value-conscious shoppers, the HTC Desire 310 competed directly with the Motorola Moto G on the same shelves, with the Moto G often winning on screen resolution and software updates, while the Desire 310 held its own with dual-SIM flexibility and HTC's brand recognition. Buyers who already owned HTC accessories or were tied to the Sense ecosystem found it a sensible upgrade from older Desire models. For readers tracing the lineage of mid-tier handsets through the years, a parallel exists with devices such as the BlackBerry Q10, which is covered in more detail in this BlackBerry Q10 review, since both represented manufacturers trying to keep budget-minded buyers engaged during a transitional smartphone era.
By modern standards, the HTC Desire 310 is a curiosity rather than a daily driver, but it remains a useful reference point for understanding how budget Android phones evolved in the mid-2010s. The combination of a 4.5-inch display, dual-SIM flexibility, and a 5-megapixel camera delivered a package that met the core needs of first-time smartphone buyers in Australia and abroad. Anyone researching the era will find the Desire 310 a tidy case study in how manufacturers balanced cost, features, and brand identity when the budget segment was growing faster than the flagship tier.
If you enjoyed this retro handset breakdown, subscribe to our weekly newsletter and share your favourite budget phone in the comments below. Head over to our homepage for more archive pieces, comparison guides, and historical deep dives into the smartphones that shaped the modern mobile landscape.