Desire 601 review: dual-SIM mid-range phone with Beats Audio
The HTC Desire 601 arrived at a moment when shoppers across Australia wanted respectable specifications without paying flagship prices. Released in late 2013, the handset slotted into the crowded mid-range bracket, offering a 4.5-inch display, Qualcomm's Snapdragon 400 chipset, and the increasingly popular dual-SIM capability that suited travellers, small business operators, and anyone juggling personal and work numbers. It also carried Beats Audio branding, a feature HTC had been pushing across its lineup since 2011. For buyers comparing options in electronics chains around Sydney and Melbourne, the Desire 601 represented a balanced package rather than a breakthrough.
Priced competitively against Samsung's Galaxy Core and Sony's Xperia M, the device targeted users who valued the HTC Sense experience over raw specification sheets. The blog's coverage of smartphone debuts from that era remains a useful reference point for collectors and enthusiasts tracking how mid-range handsets evolved, and the Desire 601 sits comfortably within that historical record as a quiet workhorse rather than a headline grabber.
Design and handling
The Desire 601 measured 134.5 x 66.7 x 9.9 mm, making it reasonably pocketable for commuters stepping off trains at Flinders Street or catching buses through Brisbane's CBD. Its polycarbonate shell felt sturdy in the hand, with a soft-touch finish that resisted fingerprints better than the glossy alternatives popular at the time. The 4.5-inch footprint sat between the compact phones of 2012 and the larger screens that would dominate 2014, offering what HTC described as an ergonomic middle ground.
Volume rockers and the power button sat along the right edge within easy thumb reach, while the micro-USB port and 3.5 mm headphone jack occupied the bottom and top respectively. The removable back cover granted access to the dual-SIM slots and a microSD card bay, a practical touch appreciated by users who preferred swapping storage without powering down. Reviewers at the time noted that the build quality felt closer to the One series than to cheaper Desire variants, a deliberate attempt by HTC to lift the perception of its mid-tier offerings.
Display and Beats Audio integration
The 4.5-inch qHD panel delivered a resolution of 960 x 540 pixels, producing around 245 pixels per inch. Colours leaned slightly cool out of the box, though the Settings menu offered a colour temperature slider for those who preferred warmer tones. Viewing angles were adequate for watching catch-up television during a long train ride from Parramatta into the city, though direct sunlight required the brightness slider pushed to maximum.
Beats Audio processing remained a defining feature, toggled through the notification shade. When enabled, the system applied a heavier bass curve and widened the soundstage across both the rear speaker and connected headphones. Australian listeners streaming Spotify through Telstra's 4G network found the enhancement most noticeable with hip-hop, electronic, and pop tracks, while classical and acoustic genres sometimes sounded overly processed. Disabling Beats returned a flatter, more neutral signature that purists preferred for podcasts and audiobooks.
Performance and software
A 1.4 GHz dual-core Snapdragon 400 sat at the heart of the device, paired with 1 GB of RAM and 8 GB of internal storage. Benchmarks placed the Desire 601 roughly on par with the Samsung Galaxy Core LTE and ahead of the original Sony Xperia M in single-core tasks. Day-to-day performance felt smooth for messaging, light browsing, and occasional YouTube sessions, though heavier 3D games pushed the Adreno 305 GPU to its limits.
| Specification | HTC Desire 601 | Samsung Galaxy Core | Sony Xperia M |
|---|---|---|---|
| Display | 4.5-inch qHD (540p) | 4.3-inch WVGA | 4.0-inch FWVGA |
| Processor | Snapdragon 400 dual-core | Snapdragon S4 Play dual-core | Snapdragon S4 Plus dual-core |
| RAM | 1 GB | 1 GB | 1 GB |
| Rear camera | 8 MP | 5 MP | 5 MP |
| Battery | 2100 mAh | 1800 mAh | 1750 mAh |
| Dual-SIM | Yes (dual-standby) | Optional variant | No |
| Beats Audio | Yes | No | No |
HTC Sense 5 ran atop Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean at launch, bringing BlinkFeed as the default home screen. The news aggregator pulled stories from local outlets such as ABC News, SBS, and The Sydney Morning Herald, along with international sources, making it a useful starting point for users who wanted headlines without opening separate apps. Software updates trickled out gradually, with Android 4.4 eventually reaching certain regional variants, though Australian units often lagged behind their European counterparts due to carrier testing cycles required by the Australian Communications and Media Authority.
Camera system
An 8-megapixel rear camera with autofocus and LED flash handled everyday photography, while a 1.6-megapixel front sensor covered video calls. Image quality in well-lit outdoor settings produced respectable detail, with accurate colour reproduction for landscapes shot along the Yarra River or coastal scenes near Bondi. Low-light performance remained a weak point, with noise becoming prominent above ISO 800.
The camera app included HDR mode, panorama, and a handful of filters, though it lacked the manual controls that enthusiasts had begun requesting. Video capture topped out at 1080p at 30 frames per second, sufficient for sharing clips on social platforms but not competitive with the emerging 4K recording capabilities appearing on flagships in 2014.
Dual-SIM benefits for Australian users
Dual-SIM functionality proved particularly useful in the Australian market, where prepaid plans from operators like Boost Mobile, amaysim, and TPG sat alongside postpaid contracts from the big three. Many users combined a low-cost data-only SIM with a primary voice line, or paired a domestic plan with a travel SIM when crossing the Tasman to New Zealand or heading to Southeast Asia.
The Desire 601 supported dual-standby rather than dual-active, meaning both SIMs could receive calls and messages simultaneously, but a call on one line placed the other on hold. Slot one accommodated WCDMA/GSM networks on the 900, 2100, and 850 MHz bands used by Vodafone, Optus, and Telstra, while slot two handled 2G fallback. This configuration worked smoothly across Australian carriers, though it required manual network selection when switching slots for data.
Battery life and connectivity
A 2100 mAh removable battery powered the device, delivering a full day of moderate use that included occasional navigation through Melbourne's tram network, periodic email checks, and streaming music during a commute. Heavy users running GPS navigation and continuous screen-on time found themselves reaching for the charger by late afternoon. The removable design allowed swapping in a spare, a feature increasingly rare in modern smartphones.
Connectivity options included Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.0, GPS with GLONASS support, and LTE Cat 4 on supported bands. The phone worked reliably on Telstra's 4G 1800 MHz and Optus's 700/1800/2600 MHz deployments, though Band 28 support was absent, limiting coverage in some regional areas. For users interested in how other mid-range devices of this period handled connectivity, the Lenovo K900 review offers a useful comparison from the same era.
Pricing and market position
At launch, the Desire 601 carried a recommended retail price of around A$399 outright, placing it firmly in the mid-range bracket alongside devices like the Huawei Ascend G610 and the ZTE V967S. Carrier-subsidised contracts on 24-month plans typically ranged from A$25 to A$35 per month, depending on the included data allowance. Buyers comparing options at retailers such as JB Hi-Fi and Harvey Norman often found the Desire 601 bundled with promotional prepaid SIM offers.
The combination of HTC's build quality, Beats Audio, and dual-SIM flexibility gave the handset a clear identity in a sea of look-alike competitors. It did not aim to challenge the Samsung Galaxy S4 or the HTC One in performance terms, but for shoppers wanting a reliable daily driver with thoughtful features, it represented sensible value. Readers following the evolution of mid-range Android phones can browse the site's latest phone releases for context on how the segment has developed since 2013.
For Australians considering a vintage handset today, the Desire 601 remains a usable secondary device or a starter smartphone for older family members, provided the user accepts the limitations of an ageing battery and the absence of recent security patches. Active communities on forums occasionally offer refurbished units, and the phone continues to attract interest from collectors documenting the transition era when dual-SIM moved from novelty to mainstream feature.
New Mobile Arrivals continues to track smartphone releases from the early 2010s, offering buyers and enthusiasts a place to compare specifications, pricing, and regional availability across dozens of models from that period.