MWC: HTC shows off Desire S and Wildfire S updates

Manufacturer also brings the Incredible series to Europe

BARCELONA: HTC is to refresh its popular Desire and Wildfire range, and introduce the Incredible series to the Europe for the first time.

The Android 2.3 Gingerbread-based Desire S heads the line up, and will take over as HTC's flagship smartphone.

HTC has retained the 3.7in WVGA display with 480 x 800 resolution and 1GHz processor of its predecessor, the Desire HD.

The handset will be the first in the Desire range to sport a unibody design. This means that the handset will be crafted out of a single block of aluminium, following in the footsteps of the HTC Legend.

Other features include micro SD card support, a front-facing VGA camera to enable video calling and a 5-megapixel camera. The 1.1GB of internal memory is likely to disappoint enterprise users, however.

The Wildfire S, meanwhile, will be the sequel to the highly popular budget Wildfire device and will also ship with Android 2.3.

At 105g, the Wildfire S is nearly 20g lighter than the original and will be powered by a slightly faster 600MHz processor.

HTC has also upgraded the display from QVGA to HVGA, which doubles the resolution to 320 x 480, the manufacturer said.

The handset will retain the 5-megapixel camera with auto focus and flash, and is expected to retain its budget price tag.

Finally, the Incredible S will make an appearance in Europe after the original was a big hit in the US, the firm said.

The handset will come with a 4in WVGA Super LCD touch screen and will ship with Android 2.2, although Gingerbread will be made available soon after release, HTC claimed.

The Incredible S features a contoured body that highlights the internal hardware components in a shrink wrap-like effect. The device will also feature an 8-megapixel camera with dual LED flash, a 1.3-megapixel front facing camera and 720p HD video recording capabilities.

Other specifications, including the 1GHz processor and 1.1GB of internal memory, are similar to the Desire S, and the handset will weigh 135g.

Interestingly, none of the devices will have near field communication integration, which was introduced to smartphones by the Google Nexus S.

All the new HTC handsets are scheduled to start shipping in the second quarter, starting with the Incredible S and followed by the Desire S and Wildfire S. UK pricing and carrier details are yet to be confirmed.