HTC Desire 12s Review: Striped Smartphone

Name: HTC Desire 12s
Brand: HTC

Courageous update? HTC, one of the pioneers of the smartphone era, seems to be falling into oblivion more and more with each passing year. At least the Taiwanese manufacturer has now updated its mid-range line-up and introduced the HTC Desire 12s, a smartphone for around $200. Is it enough to rekindle our interest?

Florian Schmitt, 👁 Florian Schmitt (translated by Finn D. Boerne), Published 07/02/2019 🇩🇪 🇫🇷 ...

Touchscreen Smartphone Android ARM

In the last few years, HTC has focused mainly on its premium range of smartphones in an attempt to woo customers with innovation. However, the company's line-up consists of more than just premium devices, as the newly introduced mid-range Desire 12s proves. For around $200 you get plenty of storage space, a fingerprint reader, and lower mid-range performance. Admittedly, that does not sound particularly enticing so let us find out whether or not the Desire 12s has any surprises up its sleeves.

Similarly priced competitors include the Nokia 4.2, LG K40, Sony Xperia L3, and the Huawei Y7 2019.

Test device courtesy of HTC Deutschland

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HTC Desire 12s (Desire Series)

Processor

Qualcomm Snapdragon 435 8 x 1.4 GHz, Cortex-A53

Graphics adapter

Qualcomm Adreno 505

Memory

3 GB

Display

5.70 inch 18:9, 1440 x 720 pixel 282 PPI, Capacitive, IPS, glossy: yes

Storage

32 GB eMMC Flash, 32 GB

, 26 GB free

Connections

1 USB 2.0, Audio Connections: 3.5mm-Audioport, Card Reader: microSD up to 2 TB, 1 Fingerprint Reader, Brightness Sensor, Sensors: accelerometer, proximity sensor, compass

Networking

802.11 b/g/n (b/g/n = Wi-Fi 4/), Bluetooth 4.2, 2G (850/900/1,800/1,900), 3G (B1/B2/B5/B8), 4G (B1/B3/B5/B7/B8/B20/B28/B38/B40/B41), Dual SIM, LTE, GPS

Size

height x width x depth (in mm): 8.3 x 154.2 x 72.7 ( = 0.33 x 6.07 x 2.86 in)

Battery

3075 mAh Lithium-Ion

Operating System

Android 8.1 Oreo

Camera

Primary Camera: 13 MPix f/2.0, phase-detection AF, LED flash, videos at 1080p/30FPS
Secondary Camera: 13 MPix f/2.2, LED flash, videos at 1080p

Additional features

Speakers: Bottom-firing mono speaker, Keyboard: virtual keyboard, Charger, USB cable, headset, SIM tool, 24 Months Warranty, LTE Cat 6 (300Mbps/50Mbps); notification LED, fanless

Weight

150 g ( = 5.29 oz / 0.33 pounds), Power Supply: 46 g ( = 1.62 oz / 0.1 pounds)

Price

200 Euro

Links

HTC homepage

Note: The manufacturer may use components from different suppliers including display panels, drives or memory sticks with similar specifications.

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Case

The Desire 12s is available in silver-gray and black - not the most innovative of colors but a safe bet for sure. At least the plastic rear cover is far from bland, and the lower two-thirds are coated with a tangible striped pattern noticeably increasing the devices grip. Generally speaking though, the case is glossy and somewhat susceptible to fingerprints.

Its robustness is mediocre at best. Pressure from the front is quickly visible on the display. Pressure from the back resulted in some flexing but no ripples on the display. We were able to warp the case slightly, which produced visible distortions on the display.

The mid-sized device is not particularly heavy and too large for small hands. The top and bottom bezels are fairly wide, and unlike the Nokia 4.2 the HTC lacks a notch.

Connectivity

Two different storage tiers are available, albeit not in all markets. For example, European customers are limited to the 32 GB SKU with 3 GB of RAM while an additional 64 GB SKU is available in select markets as well.

While the device supports two SIM cards, the secondary slot has to share its precious space with the microSD card reader. The latter supports the exFAT file system but microSD cards can only be formatted as external storage, meaning they cannot be used to offload apps.

Software

Despite the long-time close cooperation with Google HTC has been lacking in the software department lately. For example, many flagship users are still waiting for updates, and the Desire 12s is anything but up-to-date either. Our review unit was running Android 8.1 with security patches as of February 2019. In other words it was outdated out of the box.

HTC’s Android skin is called HTC Sense, and it includes several changes to Google’s stock flavor of Android. For example, HTC Sense comes with a variety of preinstalled in-house apps that can only be deactivated but not removed completely. The same is true for some preloaded social media apps. Due to a lack of Widevine certification the device is incapable of streaming HD content from Netflix and the like.

Communication and GPS

In addition to all frequencies required for Central Europe the Desire 12s also supports a few additional LTE bands. However, we strongly advise you to do your due diligence before traveling abroad.

The Desire 12s does not support the 5 GHz Wi-Fi band and is therefore limited to 802.11n. When connected to our Linksys EA8500 reference router its performance was average for its class. The Sony Xperia L3 was much faster both ways and the LG K40 was faster receiving data. We did encounter disconnects during our tests and had to manually re-establish the Wi-Fi connection after waking the device from standby occasionally.

Networking
iperf3 transmit AX12
Average of class Smartphone (42.9 - 884, n=36, last 2 years)	484 MBit/s ∼100% +785%
Sony Xperia L3 PowerVR GE8320, Helio P22 MT6762, 32 GB eMMC Flash	102 (90^min - 111^max) MBit/s ∼21% +86%
HTC Desire 12s Adreno 505, 435, 32 GB eMMC Flash	54.7 (51^min - 58^max) MBit/s ∼11%
Huawei Y7 2019 Adreno 506, SD 450, 32 GB eMMC Flash	47.7 (43^min - 52^max) MBit/s ∼10% -13%
LG K40 PowerVR GE8320, Helio P22 MT6762, 32 GB eMMC Flash	39.6 (10^min - 54^max) MBit/s ∼8% -28%
Nokia 4.2 Adreno 505, SD 439, 32 GB eMMC Flash	35.2 (24^min - 40^max) MBit/s ∼7% -36%
iperf3 receive AX12
Average of class Smartphone (50.4 - 938, n=37, last 2 years)	477 MBit/s ∼100% +795%
LG K40 PowerVR GE8320, Helio P22 MT6762, 32 GB eMMC Flash	221 (107^min - 246^max) MBit/s ∼46% +315%
Sony Xperia L3 PowerVR GE8320, Helio P22 MT6762, 32 GB eMMC Flash	128 (81^min - 129^max) MBit/s ∼27% +140%
HTC Desire 12s Adreno 505, 435, 32 GB eMMC Flash	53.3 (52^min - 55^max) MBit/s ∼11%
Nokia 4.2 Adreno 505, SD 439, 32 GB eMMC Flash	52.6 (35^min - 52^max) MBit/s ∼11% -1%
Huawei Y7 2019 Adreno 506, SD 450, 32 GB eMMC Flash	52.5 (50^min - 54^max) MBit/s ∼11% -2%

HTC Desire 12s; iperf3 receive AX12; iperf 3.1.3: Ø53.2 (52-55)

HTC Desire 12s; iperf3 transmit AX12; iperf 3.1.3: Ø54.7 (51-58)

We use the GPS Test app to determine GPS accuracy. Indoors, we were unable to obtain GPS lock altogether. Outdoors it took a while but was very accurate at 3 m in return.

The HTC Desire 12s did fairly well in our on-road test on the overpass but was not particularly accurate around the narrow old town streets. In these cases it simply recorded a rough estimate of the track.

 Telephony and Call Quality

HTC opted for Google’s stock easy-to-use telephone app that we are already familiar with. Carrier support presupposed VoLTE and VoWiFi are supported.

In general, we were quite taken with the Desire’s call quality. We had no issues understanding our conversational partners despite some minor distortions on maximum volume. Our voice was captured very clearly, and we had to make sure not to speak too loud in order to keep the microphone from over-modulating. When talking on speakerphone our conversational partner was loud and clear, and our voice was captured accurately regardless of volume.

Cameras

The HTC Desire 12s’s high-resolution 13 MP front-facing camera is a particularly noteworthy feature. The rear-facing camera also contains a 13 MP sensor. However, the selfie-camera is not as light-sensitive as the main shooter. As we all know resolution is not everything, and our sample photo is living proof thereof. Bright areas are overexposed, colors distorted, and details are visibly washed-out. The only positive effect is the camera’s brightening.

The main camera did much better than the secondary one, and it turned out to be well usable in daylight despite a noticeable lack of color accuracy and details. In low light the camera was incapable of capturing the darker areas, and the results were very noisy overall.

Videos are recorded in 1080p, and the camera reacts very quickly and smoothly to sudden changes in lighting. The amount of noise increases visibly in low-light scenarios. In bright light, the results are decent and acceptable.

Image Comparison

Choose a scene and navigate within the first image. One click changes the position on touchscreens. One click on the zoomed-in image opens the original in a new window. The first image shows the scaled photograph of the test device.

Scene 1 Scene 2 Scene 3

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When taken in our test lab and tested under normalized conditions, the test chart was not only visibly blurry but also showed uneven colors. In return, contrast was decent. The amount of blur increased slightly towards the edges, and colors were too dark overall.

Color Checker. Reference color in the bottom half of each square

Accessories and Warranty

Included in the box are a small charger (incapable of fast charging), a USB cable, a SIM tool, and a small and decent headset.

HTC devices purchased in Europe get a full 24 months of warranty.

Input Devices and Handling

The default keyboard is HTC’s TouchPal; however, it is not the premium version available in the app store. There are no ads and a wide variety of themes are available to customize the keyboard to your liking. Typing worked very well, and the keyboard is highly customizable. However, we were unable to change the keyboard layout to German despite adjusting the language settings accordingly.

The touchscreen is accurate up to its very edges and easy to use thanks to its smooth surface.

A fingerprint reader is located at the back of the device, which is very common nowadays for devices in the Desire 12s’s price range. The sensor works very reliably but suffers from a noticeable lag when unlocking the device.

Display

The 2:1 display runs at a native resolution of 1440x720 pixels. While there are displays in the HTC’s price range that get significantly brighter, the Desire’s 447 nits are perfectly fine. Brightness distribution was very even.


422 cd/m²	461 cd/m²	458 cd/m²
449 cd/m²	459 cd/m²	454 cd/m²
446 cd/m²	442 cd/m²	436 cd/m²

Distribution of brightness

X-Rite i1Pro 2

Maximum: 461 cd/m² (Nits) Average: 447.4 cd/m²
Brightness Distribution: 92 %
Center on Battery: 459 cd/m²
Contrast: 765:1 (Black: 0.6 cd/m²)
ΔE Color 6.1 | 0.55-29.43 Ø5.1
ΔE Greyscale 8.1 | 0.57-98 Ø5.3
99.7% sRGB (Calman 2D)
Gamma: 1.918

	HTC Desire 12s IPS, 1440x720, 5.70	Nokia 4.2 IPS, 1520x720, 5.71	Huawei Y7 2019 IPS, 1520x720, 6.26	LG K40 IPS, 1440x720, 5.70	Sony Xperia L3 IPS, 1440x720, 5.70
Screen		25%	24%	16%	56%
Brightness middle	459	445 -3%	547 19%	475 3%	533 16%
Brightness	447	424 -5%	543 21%	467 4%	533 19%
Brightness Distribution	92	91 -1%	94 2%	90 -2%	89 -3%
Black Level *	0.6	0.26 57%	0.49 18%	0.32 47%	0.25 58%
Contrast	765	1712 124%	1116 46%	1484 94%	2132 179%
Colorchecker dE 2000 *	6.1	5.9 3%	4.5 26%	5.95 2%	2.8 54%
Colorchecker dE 2000 max. *	10.5	9.3 11%	7.9 25%	12.62 -20%	5.1 51%
Greyscale dE 2000 *	8.1	6.8 16%	5 38%	7.9 2%	1.9 77%
Gamma	1.918 ^115%	2.2 ^100%	2.35 ^94%	2.331 ^94%	2.11 ^104%
CCT	7821 ^83%	8443 ^77%	7400 ^88%	8202 ^79%	6149 ^106%

* ... smaller is better

Screen Flickering / PWM (Pulse-Width Modulation)

ℹ

To dim the screen, some notebooks will simply cycle the backlight on and off in rapid succession - a method called Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) . This cycling frequency should ideally be undetectable to the human eye. If said frequency is too low, users with sensitive eyes may experience strain or headaches or even notice the flickering altogether.

Screen flickering / PWM detected

100 Hz

≤ 20 % brightness setting

The display backlight flickers at 100 Hz (Likely utilizing PWM) Flickering detected at a brightness setting of 20 % and below. There should be no flickering or PWM above this brightness setting.

The frequency of 100 Hz is very low, so the flickering may cause eyestrain and headaches after extended use.

In comparison: 54 % of all tested devices do not use PWM to dim the display. If PWM was detected, an average of 19019 (minimum: 5 - maximum: 3846000) Hz was measured.

We found PWM flickering at brightness levels of 20% and below at a very low frequency of just 100 Hz. This frequency is so low that sensitive users will most likely suffer from headaches.

At 0.6 nits, the display’s black level is fairly high. Consequently, at high brightness levels, blacks are rather grayish instead. The resulting contrast ratio is a mediocre 765:1.

When measured with a spectrophotometer in combination with the CalMAN software, we found a very pronounced blue tint. Color deviations were okay overall; however, we should note that some smartphones in the HTC’s price range are much more accurate. Subjectively, colors seem somewhat pale.

Display Response Times

ℹ

Display response times show how fast the screen is able to change from one color to the next. Slow response times can lead to afterimages and can cause moving objects to appear blurry (ghosting). Gamers of fast-paced 3D titles should pay special attention to fast response times.

↔ Response Time Black to White
25 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined	↗ 9 ms rise
25 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined	↘ 16 ms fall
The screen shows relatively slow response rates in our tests and may be too slow for gamers. In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.1 (minimum) to 240 (maximum) ms. » 52 % of all devices are better. This means that the measured response time is worse than the average of all tested devices (21.9 ms).
↔ Response Time 50% Grey to 80% Grey
48 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined	↗ 23 ms rise
48 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined	↘ 25 ms fall
The screen shows slow response rates in our tests and will be unsatisfactory for gamers. In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.25 (minimum) to 636 (maximum) ms. » 79 % of all devices are better. This means that the measured response time is worse than the average of all tested devices (34.6 ms).

When viewed at an angle we noticed a yellowness to the display. The image remained well readable but colors distorted noticeably as a result. The device remained well-usable outdoors but might require you to retreat to the shade on particularly bright and sunny days.

Performance

Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 435 is a very popular SoC for affordable mid-range smartphones. However, it is not particularly powerful, and consequently the HTC can be found at the bottom of our benchmark score lists more often than not.

The Nokia 4.2 and Huawei Y7 2019 in particular are both significantly faster than our review unit. Real-world implications include a noticeable lag when reducing or increasing volume while running demanding applications, or a general sluggishness when attempting to run two things at once.

Geekbench 4.1 - 4.4
64 Bit Single-Core Score (sort by value)
HTC Desire 12s Qualcomm Snapdragon 435, Adreno 505, 3072	691 Points ∼16%
Nokia 4.2 Qualcomm Snapdragon 439, Adreno 505, 3072	891 Points ∼20% +29%
Huawei Y7 2019 Qualcomm Snapdragon 450, Adreno 506, 3072	761 Points ∼17% +10%
LG K40 Mediatek Helio P22 MT6762, PowerVR GE8320, 2048	758 Points ∼17% +10%
Sony Xperia L3 Mediatek Helio P22 MT6762, PowerVR GE8320, 3072	Points ∼0% -100%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 435 (637 - 691, n=10)	663 Points ∼15% -4%
Average of class Smartphone (800 - 8424, n=86, last 2 years)	4424 Points ∼100% +540%
64 Bit Multi-Core Score (sort by value)
HTC Desire 12s Qualcomm Snapdragon 435, Adreno 505, 3072	2580 Points ∼22%
Nokia 4.2 Qualcomm Snapdragon 439, Adreno 505, 3072	3267 Points ∼28% +27%
Huawei Y7 2019 Qualcomm Snapdragon 450, Adreno 506, 3072	3870 Points ∼33% +50%
LG K40 Mediatek Helio P22 MT6762, PowerVR GE8320, 2048	3375 Points ∼29% +31%
Sony Xperia L3 Mediatek Helio P22 MT6762, PowerVR GE8320, 3072	Points ∼0% -100%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 435 (2210 - 2889, n=10)	2610 Points ∼22% +1%
Average of class Smartphone (2630 - 21505, n=86, last 2 years)	11698 Points ∼100% +353%
Compute RenderScript Score (sort by value)
HTC Desire 12s Qualcomm Snapdragon 435, Adreno 505, 3072	2512 Points ∼28%
Nokia 4.2 Qualcomm Snapdragon 439, Adreno 505, 3072	3183 Points ∼35% +27%
Huawei Y7 2019 Qualcomm Snapdragon 450, Adreno 506, 3072	2940 Points ∼32% +17%
LG K40 Mediatek Helio P22 MT6762, PowerVR GE8320, 2048	2638 Points ∼29% +5%
Sony Xperia L3 Mediatek Helio P22 MT6762, PowerVR GE8320, 3072	Points ∼0% -100%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 435 (1782 - 2512, n=8)	2115 Points ∼23% -16%
Average of class Smartphone (2053 - 14785, n=66, last 2 years)	9087 Points ∼100% +262%

PCMark for Android
Work performance score (sort by value)
HTC Desire 12s Qualcomm Snapdragon 435, Adreno 505, 3072	4316 Points ∼32%
Nokia 4.2 Qualcomm Snapdragon 439, Adreno 505, 3072	6228 Points ∼46% +44%
Huawei Y7 2019 Qualcomm Snapdragon 450, Adreno 506, 3072	5431 Points ∼40% +26%
LG K40 Mediatek Helio P22 MT6762, PowerVR GE8320, 2048	4404 Points ∼32% +2%
Sony Xperia L3 Mediatek Helio P22 MT6762, PowerVR GE8320, 3072	6385 Points ∼47% +48%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 435 (4316 - 5438, n=10)	4876 Points ∼36% +13%
Average of class Smartphone (10619 - 19297, n=3, last 2 years)	13600 Points ∼100% +215%
Work 2.0 performance score (sort by value)
HTC Desire 12s Qualcomm Snapdragon 435, Adreno 505, 3072	3538 Points ∼34%
Nokia 4.2 Qualcomm Snapdragon 439, Adreno 505, 3072	4623 Points ∼44% +31%
Huawei Y7 2019 Qualcomm Snapdragon 450, Adreno 506, 3072	4499 Points ∼43% +27%
LG K40 Mediatek Helio P22 MT6762, PowerVR GE8320, 2048	3805 Points ∼36% +8%
Sony Xperia L3 Mediatek Helio P22 MT6762, PowerVR GE8320, 3072	4912 Points ∼47% +39%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 435 (3538 - 3928, n=11)	3737 Points ∼36% +6%
Average of class Smartphone (7100 - 12871, n=15, last 2 years)	10509 Points ∼100% +197%

3DMark
1280x720 offscreen Ice Storm Unlimited Score (sort by value)
Nokia 4.2 Qualcomm Snapdragon 439, Adreno 505, 3072	13192 Points ∼22%
Huawei Y7 2019 Qualcomm Snapdragon 450, Adreno 506, 3072	12562 Points ∼21%
LG K40 Mediatek Helio P22 MT6762, PowerVR GE8320, 2048	10721 Points ∼18%
Sony Xperia L3 Mediatek Helio P22 MT6762, PowerVR GE8320, 3072	10340 Points ∼17%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 435 (8137 - 9961, n=10)	9688 Points ∼16%
Average of class Smartphone (53961 - 68549, n=2, last 2 years)	61255 Points ∼100%
1280x720 offscreen Ice Storm Unlimited Graphics Score (sort by value)
Nokia 4.2 Qualcomm Snapdragon 439, Adreno 505, 3072	13440 Points ∼15%
Huawei Y7 2019 Qualcomm Snapdragon 450, Adreno 506, 3072	12281 Points ∼14%
LG K40 Mediatek Helio P22 MT6762, PowerVR GE8320, 2048	10531 Points ∼12%
Sony Xperia L3 Mediatek Helio P22 MT6762, PowerVR GE8320, 3072	10008 Points ∼11%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 435 (7924 - 10302, n=10)	9970 Points ∼11%
Average of class Smartphone (88482 - 90133, n=2, last 2 years)	89308 Points ∼100%
1280x720 offscreen Ice Storm Unlimited Physics (sort by value)
Nokia 4.2 Qualcomm Snapdragon 439, Adreno 505, 3072	12390 Points ∼41%
Huawei Y7 2019 Qualcomm Snapdragon 450, Adreno 506, 3072	13655 Points ∼45%
LG K40 Mediatek Helio P22 MT6762, PowerVR GE8320, 2048	11443 Points ∼38%
Sony Xperia L3 Mediatek Helio P22 MT6762, PowerVR GE8320, 3072	11696 Points ∼38%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 435 (7095 - 9345, n=10)	8887 Points ∼29%
Average of class Smartphone (22441 - 38328, n=2, last 2 years)	30385 Points ∼100%
2560x1440 Sling Shot OpenGL ES 3.0 (sort by value)
HTC Desire 12s Qualcomm Snapdragon 435, Adreno 505, 3072	635 Points ∼20%
Nokia 4.2 Qualcomm Snapdragon 439, Adreno 505, 3072	802 Points ∼25% +26%
Huawei Y7 2019 Qualcomm Snapdragon 450, Adreno 506, 3072	813 Points ∼25% +28%
LG K40 Mediatek Helio P22 MT6762, PowerVR GE8320, 2048	567 Points ∼17% -11%
Sony Xperia L3 Mediatek Helio P22 MT6762, PowerVR GE8320, 3072	684 Points ∼21% +8%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 435 (465 - 635, n=11)	599 Points ∼18% -6%
Average of class Smartphone (712 - 7285, n=82, last 2 years)	3248 Points ∼100% +411%
2560x1440 Sling Shot OpenGL ES 3.0 Graphics (sort by value)
HTC Desire 12s Qualcomm Snapdragon 435, Adreno 505, 3072	566 Points ∼16%
Nokia 4.2 Qualcomm Snapdragon 439, Adreno 505, 3072	704 Points ∼20% +24%
Huawei Y7 2019 Qualcomm Snapdragon 450, Adreno 506, 3072	704 Points ∼20% +24%
LG K40 Mediatek Helio P22 MT6762, PowerVR GE8320, 2048	512 Points ∼15% -10%
Sony Xperia L3 Mediatek Helio P22 MT6762, PowerVR GE8320, 3072	624 Points ∼18% +10%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 435 (404 - 566, n=11)	525 Points ∼15% -7%
Average of class Smartphone (618 - 9025, n=82, last 2 years)	3496 Points ∼100% +518%
2560x1440 Sling Shot OpenGL ES 3.0 Physics (sort by value)
HTC Desire 12s Qualcomm Snapdragon 435, Adreno 505, 3072	1108 Points ∼38%
Nokia 4.2 Qualcomm Snapdragon 439, Adreno 505, 3072	1568 Points ∼53% +42%
Huawei Y7 2019 Qualcomm Snapdragon 450, Adreno 506, 3072	1766 Points ∼60% +59%
LG K40 Mediatek Helio P22 MT6762, PowerVR GE8320, 2048	912 Points ∼31% -18%
Sony Xperia L3 Mediatek Helio P22 MT6762, PowerVR GE8320, 3072	1026 Points ∼35% -7%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 435 (995 - 1360, n=11)	1188 Points ∼40% +7%
Average of class Smartphone (1093 - 4535, n=82, last 2 years)	2946 Points ∼100% +166%
2560x1440 Sling Shot OpenGL ES 3.0 Unlimited (sort by value)
HTC Desire 12s Qualcomm Snapdragon 435, Adreno 505, 3072	636 Points ∼9%
Nokia 4.2 Qualcomm Snapdragon 439, Adreno 505, 3072	807 Points ∼11% +27%
Huawei Y7 2019 Qualcomm Snapdragon 450, Adreno 506, 3072	824 Points ∼11% +30%
LG K40 Mediatek Helio P22 MT6762, PowerVR GE8320, 2048	734 Points ∼10% +15%
Sony Xperia L3 Mediatek Helio P22 MT6762, PowerVR GE8320, 3072	715 Points ∼10% +12%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 435 (482 - 636, n=8)	599 Points ∼8% -6%
Average of class Smartphone (704 - 18846, n=151, last 2 years)	7238 Points ∼100% +1038%
2560x1440 Sling Shot OpenGL ES 3.0 Unlimited Graphics (sort by value)
HTC Desire 12s Qualcomm Snapdragon 435, Adreno 505, 3072	560 Points ∼5%
Nokia 4.2 Qualcomm Snapdragon 439, Adreno 505, 3072	712 Points ∼6% +27%
Huawei Y7 2019 Qualcomm Snapdragon 450, Adreno 506, 3072	715 Points ∼6% +28%
LG K40 Mediatek Helio P22 MT6762, PowerVR GE8320, 2048	695 Points ∼6% +24%
Sony Xperia L3 Mediatek Helio P22 MT6762, PowerVR GE8320, 3072	663 Points ∼6% +18%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 435 (425 - 560, n=8)	523 Points ∼4% -7%
Average of class Smartphone (607 - 38087, n=150, last 2 years)	11960 Points ∼100% +2036%
2560x1440 Sling Shot OpenGL ES 3.0 Unlimited Physics (sort by value)
HTC Desire 12s Qualcomm Snapdragon 435, Adreno 505, 3072	1219 Points ∼30%
Nokia 4.2 Qualcomm Snapdragon 439, Adreno 505, 3072	1516 Points ∼37% +24%
Huawei Y7 2019 Qualcomm Snapdragon 450, Adreno 506, 3072	1765 Points ∼43% +45%
LG K40 Mediatek Helio P22 MT6762, PowerVR GE8320, 2048	912 Points ∼22% -25%
Sony Xperia L3 Mediatek Helio P22 MT6762, PowerVR GE8320, 3072	987 Points ∼24% -19%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 435 (1002 - 1382, n=8)	1182 Points ∼29% -3%
Average of class Smartphone (1075 - 43985, n=150, last 2 years)	4128 Points ∼100% +239%
2560x1440 Sling Shot Extreme (ES 3.1) (sort by value)
HTC Desire 12s Qualcomm Snapdragon 435, Adreno 505, 3072	326 Points ∼13%
Nokia 4.2 Qualcomm Snapdragon 439, Adreno 505, 3072	441 Points ∼18% +35%
Huawei Y7 2019 Qualcomm Snapdragon 450, Adreno 506, 3072	445 Points ∼18% +37%
LG K40 Mediatek Helio P22 MT6762, PowerVR GE8320, 2048	355 Points ∼14% +9%
Sony Xperia L3 Mediatek Helio P22 MT6762, PowerVR GE8320, 3072	439 Points ∼18% +35%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 435 (230 - 341, n=11)	313 Points ∼13% -4%
Average of class Smartphone (286 - 7890, n=124, last 2 years)	2502 Points ∼100% +667%
2560x1440 Sling Shot Extreme (ES 3.1) Graphics (sort by value)
HTC Desire 12s Qualcomm Snapdragon 435, Adreno 505, 3072	271 Points ∼11%
Nokia 4.2 Qualcomm Snapdragon 439, Adreno 505, 3072	366 Points ∼15% +35%
Huawei Y7 2019 Qualcomm Snapdragon 450, Adreno 506, 3072	367 Points ∼15% +35%
LG K40 Mediatek Helio P22 MT6762, PowerVR GE8320, 2048	303 Points ∼12% +12%
Sony Xperia L3 Mediatek Helio P22 MT6762, PowerVR GE8320, 3072	378 Points ∼15% +39%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 435 (188 - 281, n=11)	258 Points ∼10% -5%
Average of class Smartphone (240 - 9814, n=124, last 2 years)	2499 Points ∼100% +822%
2560x1440 Sling Shot Extreme (ES 3.1) Physics (sort by value)
HTC Desire 12s Qualcomm Snapdragon 435, Adreno 505, 3072	1143 Points ∼38%
Nokia 4.2 Qualcomm Snapdragon 439, Adreno 505, 3072	1575 Points ∼52% +38%
Huawei Y7 2019 Qualcomm Snapdragon 450, Adreno 506, 3072	1707 Points ∼57% +49%
LG K40 Mediatek Helio P22 MT6762, PowerVR GE8320, 2048	881 Points ∼29% -23%
Sony Xperia L3 Mediatek Helio P22 MT6762, PowerVR GE8320, 3072	998 Points ∼33% -13%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 435 (1016 - 1340, n=11)	1192 Points ∼40% +4%
Average of class Smartphone (858 - 4679, n=124, last 2 years)	3017 Points ∼100% +164%
2560x1440 Sling Shot Extreme (ES 3.1) Unlimited (sort by value)
HTC Desire 12s Qualcomm Snapdragon 435, Adreno 505, 3072	383 Points ∼7%
Nokia 4.2 Qualcomm Snapdragon 439, Adreno 505, 3072	492 Points ∼9% +28%
Huawei Y7 2019 Qualcomm Snapdragon 450, Adreno 506, 3072	499 Points ∼9% +30%
LG K40 Mediatek Helio P22 MT6762, PowerVR GE8320, 2048	488 Points ∼9% +27%
Sony Xperia L3 Mediatek Helio P22 MT6762, PowerVR GE8320, 3072	451 Points ∼8% +18%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 435 (365 - 383, n=8)	313 Points ∼6% -18%
Average of class Smartphone (317 - 16291, n=201, last 2 years)	5498 Points ∼100% +1336%
2560x1440 Sling Shot Extreme (ES 3.1) Unlimited Graphics (sort by value)
HTC Desire 12s Qualcomm Snapdragon 435, Adreno 505, 3072	322 Points ∼4%
Nokia 4.2 Qualcomm Snapdragon 439, Adreno 505, 3072	413 Points ∼5% +28%
Huawei Y7 2019 Qualcomm Snapdragon 450, Adreno 506, 3072	414 Points ∼5% +29%
LG K40 Mediatek Helio P22 MT6762, PowerVR GE8320, 2048	431 Points ∼6% +34%
Sony Xperia L3 Mediatek Helio P22 MT6762, PowerVR GE8320, 3072	391 Points ∼5% +21%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 435 (305 - 322, n=8)	261 Points ∼3% -19%
Average of class Smartphone (267 - 26802, n=200, last 2 years)	7691 Points ∼100% +2289%
2560x1440 Sling Shot Extreme (ES 3.1) Unlimited Physics (sort by value)
HTC Desire 12s Qualcomm Snapdragon 435, Adreno 505, 3072	1154 Points ∼31%
Nokia 4.2 Qualcomm Snapdragon 439, Adreno 505, 3072	1500 Points ∼40% +30%
Huawei Y7 2019 Qualcomm Snapdragon 450, Adreno 506, 3072	1779 Points ∼47% +54%
LG K40 Mediatek Helio P22 MT6762, PowerVR GE8320, 2048	912 Points ∼24% -21%
Sony Xperia L3 Mediatek Helio P22 MT6762, PowerVR GE8320, 3072	980 Points ∼26% -15%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 435 (1028 - 1352, n=8)	1199 Points ∼32% +4%
Average of class Smartphone (938 - 7042, n=200, last 2 years)	3751 Points ∼100% +225%
2560x1440 Sling Shot Extreme (Vulkan) Unlimited (sort by value)
HTC Desire 12s Qualcomm Snapdragon 435, Adreno 505, 3072	388 Points ∼16%
Nokia 4.2 Qualcomm Snapdragon 439, Adreno 505, 3072	490 Points ∼20% +26%
Huawei Y7 2019 Qualcomm Snapdragon 450, Adreno 506, 3072	489 Points ∼20% +26%
Sony Xperia L3 Mediatek Helio P22 MT6762, PowerVR GE8320, 3072	Points ∼0% -100%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 435	388 Points ∼16% 0%
Average of class Smartphone (365 - 6439, n=116, last 2 years)	2426 Points ∼100% +525%
2560x1440 Sling Shot Extreme (Vulkan) Unlimited Graphics (sort by value)
HTC Desire 12s Qualcomm Snapdragon 435, Adreno 505, 3072	317 Points ∼12%
Nokia 4.2 Qualcomm Snapdragon 439, Adreno 505, 3072	401 Points ∼16% +26%
Huawei Y7 2019 Qualcomm Snapdragon 450, Adreno 506, 3072	401 Points ∼16% +26%
Sony Xperia L3 Mediatek Helio P22 MT6762, PowerVR GE8320, 3072	Points ∼0% -100%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 435	317 Points ∼12% 0%
Average of class Smartphone (298 - 8601, n=116, last 2 years)	2557 Points ∼100% +707%
2560x1440 Sling Shot Extreme (Vulkan) Unlimited Physics (sort by value)
HTC Desire 12s Qualcomm Snapdragon 435, Adreno 505, 3072	1779 Points ∼68%
Nokia 4.2 Qualcomm Snapdragon 439, Adreno 505, 3072	2172 Points ∼83% +22%
Huawei Y7 2019 Qualcomm Snapdragon 450, Adreno 506, 3072	2096 Points ∼80% +18%
Sony Xperia L3 Mediatek Helio P22 MT6762, PowerVR GE8320, 3072	Points ∼0% -100%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 435	1779 Points ∼68% 0%
Average of class Smartphone (1567 - 3525, n=116, last 2 years)	2625 Points ∼100% +48%

GFXBench (DX / GLBenchmark) 2.7
T-Rex Onscreen (sort by value)
HTC Desire 12s Qualcomm Snapdragon 435, Adreno 505, 3072	28 fps ∼35%
Nokia 4.2 Qualcomm Snapdragon 439, Adreno 505, 3072	34 fps ∼43% +21%
Huawei Y7 2019 Qualcomm Snapdragon 450, Adreno 506, 3072	33 fps ∼41% +18%
LG K40 Mediatek Helio P22 MT6762, PowerVR GE8320, 2048	26 fps ∼33% -7%
Sony Xperia L3 Mediatek Helio P22 MT6762, PowerVR GE8320, 3072	fps ∼0% -100%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 435 (9.7 - 28, n=11)	20.2 fps ∼25% -28%
Average of class Smartphone (22 - 165, n=192, last 2 years)	79.7 fps ∼100% +185%
1920x1080 T-Rex Offscreen (sort by value)
HTC Desire 12s Qualcomm Snapdragon 435, Adreno 505, 3072	17 fps ∼8%
Nokia 4.2 Qualcomm Snapdragon 439, Adreno 505, 3072	23 fps ∼11% +35%
Huawei Y7 2019 Qualcomm Snapdragon 450, Adreno 506, 3072	22 fps ∼11% +29%
LG K40 Mediatek Helio P22 MT6762, PowerVR GE8320, 2048	19 fps ∼9% +12%
Sony Xperia L3 Mediatek Helio P22 MT6762, PowerVR GE8320, 3072	fps ∼0% -100%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 435 (11 - 25, n=11)	17 fps ∼8% 0%
Average of class Smartphone (19 - 497, n=192, last 2 years)	209 fps ∼100% +1129%

GFXBench 3.0
on screen Manhattan Onscreen OGL (sort by value)
HTC Desire 12s Qualcomm Snapdragon 435, Adreno 505, 3072	14 fps ∼21%
Nokia 4.2 Qualcomm Snapdragon 439, Adreno 505, 3072	18 fps ∼27% +29%
Huawei Y7 2019 Qualcomm Snapdragon 450, Adreno 506, 3072	17 fps ∼25% +21%
LG K40 Mediatek Helio P22 MT6762, PowerVR GE8320, 2048	16 fps ∼24% +14%
Sony Xperia L3 Mediatek Helio P22 MT6762, PowerVR GE8320, 3072	fps ∼0% -100%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 435 (4.5 - 16, n=11)	11.1 fps ∼17% -21%
Average of class Smartphone (6.8 - 161, n=192, last 2 years)	67.2 fps ∼100% +380%
1920x1080 1080p Manhattan Offscreen (sort by value)
HTC Desire 12s Qualcomm Snapdragon 435, Adreno 505, 3072	7.5 fps ∼6%
Nokia 4.2 Qualcomm Snapdragon 439, Adreno 505, 3072	9.8 fps ∼8% +31%
Huawei Y7 2019 Qualcomm Snapdragon 450, Adreno 506, 3072	9.3 fps ∼8% +24%
LG K40 Mediatek Helio P22 MT6762, PowerVR GE8320, 2048	9.7 fps ∼8% +29%
Sony Xperia L3 Mediatek Helio P22 MT6762, PowerVR GE8320, 3072	fps ∼0% -100%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 435 (4.6 - 15, n=11)	7.51 fps ∼6% 0%
Average of class Smartphone (9.2 - 331, n=193, last 2 years)	116.9 fps ∼100% +1459%

GFXBench 3.1
on screen Manhattan ES 3.1 Onscreen (sort by value)
HTC Desire 12s Qualcomm Snapdragon 435, Adreno 505, 3072	11 fps ∼20%
Nokia 4.2 Qualcomm Snapdragon 439, Adreno 505, 3072	13 fps ∼24% +18%
Huawei Y7 2019 Qualcomm Snapdragon 450, Adreno 506, 3072	13 fps ∼24% +18%
LG K40 Mediatek Helio P22 MT6762, PowerVR GE8320, 2048	11 fps ∼20% 0%
Sony Xperia L3 Mediatek Helio P22 MT6762, PowerVR GE8320, 3072	fps ∼0% -100%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 435 (3.5 - 12, n=11)	8.68 fps ∼16% -21%
Average of class Smartphone (3.7 - 143, n=193, last 2 years)	54.1 fps ∼100% +392%
1920x1080 Manhattan ES 3.1 Offscreen (sort by value)
HTC Desire 12s Qualcomm Snapdragon 435, Adreno 505, 3072	4.9 fps ∼6%
Nokia 4.2 Qualcomm Snapdragon 439, Adreno 505, 3072	6.4 fps ∼8% +31%
Huawei Y7 2019 Qualcomm Snapdragon 450, Adreno 506, 3072	6.1 fps ∼8% +24%
LG K40 Mediatek Helio P22 MT6762, PowerVR GE8320, 2048	6 fps ∼8% +22%
Sony Xperia L3 Mediatek Helio P22 MT6762, PowerVR GE8320, 3072	fps ∼0% -100%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 435 (2.3 - 5, n=11)	4.11 fps ∼5% -16%
Average of class Smartphone (6.2 - 223, n=193, last 2 years)	79.6 fps ∼100% +1524%

GFXBench
on screen Car Chase Onscreen (sort by value)
HTC Desire 12s Qualcomm Snapdragon 435, Adreno 505, 3072	5.6 fps ∼15%
Nokia 4.2 Qualcomm Snapdragon 439, Adreno 505, 3072	7 fps ∼19% +25%
Huawei Y7 2019 Qualcomm Snapdragon 450, Adreno 506, 3072	6.8 fps ∼18% +21%
LG K40 Mediatek Helio P22 MT6762, PowerVR GE8320, 2048	4 fps ∼11% -29%
Sony Xperia L3 Mediatek Helio P22 MT6762, PowerVR GE8320, 3072	fps ∼0% -100%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 435 (2.1 - 5.9, n=11)	4.21 fps ∼11% -25%
Average of class Smartphone (5 - 110, n=193, last 2 years)	37.4 fps ∼100% +568%
1920x1080 Car Chase Offscreen (sort by value)
HTC Desire 12s Qualcomm Snapdragon 435, Adreno 505, 3072	2.8 fps ∼6%
Nokia 4.2 Qualcomm Snapdragon 439, Adreno 505, 3072	3.5 fps ∼7% +25%
Huawei Y7 2019 Qualcomm Snapdragon 450, Adreno 506, 3072	3.4 fps ∼7% +21%
LG K40 Mediatek Helio P22 MT6762, PowerVR GE8320, 2048	2.8 fps ∼6% 0%
Sony Xperia L3 Mediatek Helio P22 MT6762, PowerVR GE8320, 3072	fps ∼0% -100%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 435 (2.1 - 2.8, n=11)	2.55 fps ∼5% -9%
Average of class Smartphone (2.9 - 166, n=193, last 2 years)	48.5 fps ∼100% +1632%
on screen Aztec Ruins Normal Tier Onscreen (sort by value)
HTC Desire 12s Qualcomm Snapdragon 435, Adreno 505, 3072	5.2 fps ∼14%
Nokia 4.2 Qualcomm Snapdragon 439, Adreno 505, 3072	6.6 fps ∼17% +27%
Huawei Y7 2019 Qualcomm Snapdragon 450, Adreno 506, 3072	6.1 fps ∼16% +17%
LG K40 Mediatek Helio P22 MT6762, PowerVR GE8320, 2048	6.8 fps ∼18% +31%
Sony Xperia L3 Mediatek Helio P22 MT6762, PowerVR GE8320, 3072	fps ∼0% -100%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 435	5.2 fps ∼14% 0%
Average of class Smartphone (3.6 - 123, n=241, last 2 years)	38.4 fps ∼100% +638%
1920x1080 Aztec Ruins Normal Tier Offscreen (sort by value)
HTC Desire 12s Qualcomm Snapdragon 435, Adreno 505, 3072	2.8 fps ∼6%
Nokia 4.2 Qualcomm Snapdragon 439, Adreno 505, 3072	3.6 fps ∼7% +29%
Huawei Y7 2019 Qualcomm Snapdragon 450, Adreno 506, 3072	3.4 fps ∼7% +21%
LG K40 Mediatek Helio P22 MT6762, PowerVR GE8320, 2048	3.7 fps ∼7% +32%
Sony Xperia L3 Mediatek Helio P22 MT6762, PowerVR GE8320, 3072	fps ∼0% -100%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 435	2.8 fps ∼6% 0%
Average of class Smartphone (1.9 - 175, n=242, last 2 years)	50.9 fps ∼100% +1718%
on screen Aztec Ruins High Tier Onscreen (sort by value)
HTC Desire 12s Qualcomm Snapdragon 435, Adreno 505, 3072	3.1 fps ∼11%
Nokia 4.2 Qualcomm Snapdragon 439, Adreno 505, 3072	3.9 fps ∼14% +26%
Huawei Y7 2019 Qualcomm Snapdragon 450, Adreno 506, 3072	3.7 fps ∼13% +19%
LG K40 Mediatek Helio P22 MT6762, PowerVR GE8320, 2048	4.3 fps ∼15% +39%
Sony Xperia L3 Mediatek Helio P22 MT6762, PowerVR GE8320, 3072	fps ∼0% -100%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 435	3.1 fps ∼11% 0%
Average of class Smartphone (2.8 - 100, n=242, last 2 years)	28 fps ∼100% +803%
2560x1440 Aztec Ruins High Tier Offscreen (sort by value)
HTC Desire 12s Qualcomm Snapdragon 435, Adreno 505, 3072	0.9 fps ∼5%
Nokia 4.2 Qualcomm Snapdragon 439, Adreno 505, 3072	1.2 fps ∼6% +33%
Huawei Y7 2019 Qualcomm Snapdragon 450, Adreno 506, 3072	1.1 fps ∼6% +22%
LG K40 Mediatek Helio P22 MT6762, PowerVR GE8320, 2048	1.3 fps ∼7% +44%
Sony Xperia L3 Mediatek Helio P22 MT6762, PowerVR GE8320, 3072	fps ∼0% -100%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 435	0.9 fps ∼5% 0%
Average of class Smartphone (0.85 - 72, n=242, last 2 years)	20 fps ∼100% +2122%

AnTuTu v7 - Total Score (sort by value)
HTC Desire 12s Qualcomm Snapdragon 435, Adreno 505, 3072	59326 Points ∼76%
Nokia 4.2 Qualcomm Snapdragon 439, Adreno 505, 3072	77652 Points ∼100% +31%
Huawei Y7 2019 Qualcomm Snapdragon 450, Adreno 506, 3072	73468 Points ∼94% +24%
LG K40 Mediatek Helio P22 MT6762, PowerVR GE8320, 2048	71347 Points ∼92% +20%
Sony Xperia L3 Mediatek Helio P22 MT6762, PowerVR GE8320, 3072	77798 Points ∼100% +31%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 435 (56672 - 59326, n=4)	57644 Points ∼74% -3%

BaseMark OS II
Overall (sort by value)
HTC Desire 12s Qualcomm Snapdragon 435, Adreno 505, 3072	902 Points ∼17%
Nokia 4.2 Qualcomm Snapdragon 439, Adreno 505, 3072	1310 Points ∼25% +45%
Huawei Y7 2019 Qualcomm Snapdragon 450, Adreno 506, 3072	1337 Points ∼26% +48%
LG K40 Mediatek Helio P22 MT6762, PowerVR GE8320, 2048	975 Points ∼19% +8%
Sony Xperia L3 Mediatek Helio P22 MT6762, PowerVR GE8320, 3072	1166 Points ∼22% +29%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 435 (282 - 1072, n=9)	792 Points ∼15% -12%
Average of class Smartphone (411 - 9679, n=165, last 2 years)	5221 Points ∼100% +479%
System (sort by value)
HTC Desire 12s Qualcomm Snapdragon 435, Adreno 505, 3072	1751 Points ∼19%
Nokia 4.2 Qualcomm Snapdragon 439, Adreno 505, 3072	2687 Points ∼30% +53%
Huawei Y7 2019 Qualcomm Snapdragon 450, Adreno 506, 3072	2879 Points ∼32% +64%
LG K40 Mediatek Helio P22 MT6762, PowerVR GE8320, 2048	2195 Points ∼24% +25%
Sony Xperia L3 Mediatek Helio P22 MT6762, PowerVR GE8320, 3072	2517 Points ∼28% +44%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 435 (1489 - 1980, n=9)	1734 Points ∼19% -1%
Average of class Smartphone (2376 - 19657, n=165, last 2 years)	8991 Points ∼100% +413%
Memory (sort by value)
HTC Desire 12s Qualcomm Snapdragon 435, Adreno 505, 3072	701 Points ∼12%
Nokia 4.2 Qualcomm Snapdragon 439, Adreno 505, 3072	1316 Points ∼23% +88%
Huawei Y7 2019 Qualcomm Snapdragon 450, Adreno 506, 3072	1377 Points ∼24% +96%
LG K40 Mediatek Helio P22 MT6762, PowerVR GE8320, 2048	690 Points ∼12% -2%
Sony Xperia L3 Mediatek Helio P22 MT6762, PowerVR GE8320, 3072	1247 Points ∼22% +78%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 435 (557 - 1224, n=9)	831 Points ∼15% +19%
Average of class Smartphone (670 - 11617, n=165, last 2 years)	5660 Points ∼100% +707%
Graphics (sort by value)
HTC Desire 12s Qualcomm Snapdragon 435, Adreno 505, 3072	785 Points ∼7%
Nokia 4.2 Qualcomm Snapdragon 439, Adreno 505, 3072	1000 Points ∼9% +27%
Huawei Y7 2019 Qualcomm Snapdragon 450, Adreno 506, 3072	964 Points ∼8% +23%
LG K40 Mediatek Helio P22 MT6762, PowerVR GE8320, 2048	767 Points ∼7% -2%
Sony Xperia L3 Mediatek Helio P22 MT6762, PowerVR GE8320, 3072	760 Points ∼7% -3%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 435 (591 - 789, n=9)	759 Points ∼6% -3%
Average of class Smartphone (697 - 31928, n=165, last 2 years)	11692 Points ∼100% +1389%
Web (sort by value)
HTC Desire 12s Qualcomm Snapdragon 435, Adreno 505, 3072	685 Points ∼47%
Nokia 4.2 Qualcomm Snapdragon 439, Adreno 505, 3072	834 Points ∼57% +22%
Huawei Y7 2019 Qualcomm Snapdragon 450, Adreno 506, 3072	835 Points ∼57% +22%
LG K40 Mediatek Helio P22 MT6762, PowerVR GE8320, 2048	776 Points ∼53% +13%
Sony Xperia L3 Mediatek Helio P22 MT6762, PowerVR GE8320, 3072	776 Points ∼53% +13%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 435 (10 - 744, n=9)	543 Points ∼37% -21%
Average of class Smartphone (10 - 2392, n=165, last 2 years)	1459 Points ∼100% +113%

When browsing the web the HTC Desire 12s was noticeably slower than its competitors. We took particular issue with the regular Wi-Fi disconnects that we did not experience with any other device.

WebXPRT 3 | Octane V2 | Mozilla Kraken 1.1

WebXPRT 3 - ---
Average of class Smartphone (36 - 292, n=138, last 2 years)	116.2 Points ∼100% +330%
Nokia 4.2 (Chrome 74)	38 Points ∼33% +41%
Huawei Y7 2019 (Chrome 73.0.3683.90)	34 Points ∼29% +26%
Sony Xperia L3 (Chrome 72)	30 Points ∼26% +11%
LG K40 (Chrome 74)	29 Points ∼25% +7%
HTC Desire 12s (Chrome 75)	27 Points ∼23%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 435	27 Points ∼23% 0%

Octane V2 - Total Score
Average of class Smartphone (4633 - 74261, n=202, last 2 years)	30421 Points ∼100% +845%
Nokia 4.2 (Chrome 74)	4810 Points ∼16% +49%
Sony Xperia L3 (Chrome 72)	4422 Points ∼15% +37%
LG K40 (Chrome 74)	4197 Points ∼14% +30%
Huawei Y7 2019 (Chrome 73.0.3683.90)	4115 Points ∼14% +28%
HTC Desire 12s (Chrome 75)	3219 Points ∼11%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 435 (2689 - 3314, n=11)	3112 Points ∼10% -3%

Mozilla Kraken 1.1 - Total Score
HTC Desire 12s (Chrome 75)	13538 ms * ∼100%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 435 (11007 - 13586, n=11)	12667 ms * ∼94% +6%
LG K40 (Chrome 74)	11955 ms * ∼88% +12%
Sony Xperia L3 (Chrome 72)	11185 ms * ∼83% +17%
Huawei Y7 2019 (Chrome 73.0.3683.90)	11012 ms * ∼81% +19%
Nokia 4.2 (Chrome 74)	9768 ms * ∼72% +28%
Average of class Smartphone (414 - 9999, n=170, last 2 years)	1888 ms * ∼14% +86%

* ... smaller is better

When tested with our Toshiba Exceria Pro M501 reference card, the HTC turned out to be slightly slower than its competitors.

However, accessing the internal storage was fairly fast and the device was only outperformed by the Huawei Y7 2019. You will not get high-end smartphone storage performance but at least loading times should be noticeably shorter than on many other devices.

	HTC Desire 12s	Nokia 4.2	Huawei Y7 2019	LG K40	Sony Xperia L3	Average 32 GB eMMC Flash	Average of class Smartphone
AndroBench 3-5		-35%	22%	-4%	-1%	7%	801%
Sequential Read 256KB	286.9	220.4 -23%	305 6%	261.7 -9%	290.9 1%	242 ?(25.8 - 452, n=246) -16%	1228 ?(215 - 4512, n=234, last 2 years) 328%
Sequential Write 256KB	105.6	18.17 -83%	88.8 -16%	100.5 -5%	87.5 -17%	100.5 ?(14.8 - 196, n=246) -5%	815 ?(57.5 - 3062, n=234, last 2 years) 672%
Random Read 4KB	49.9	17.51 -65%	83.5 67%	52.6 5%	28.83 -42%	43.1 ?(3.59 - 117.2, n=246) -14%	215 ?(22.2 - 543, n=234, last 2 years) 331%
Random Write 4KB	11.4	4.31 -62%	17.48 53%	10 -12%	16.36 44%	22.1 ?(0.75 - 91, n=246) 94%	225 ?(13 - 572, n=235, last 2 years) 1874%
Sequential Read 256KB SDCard	79.8 ?(Toshiba Exceria Pro M501)	86.7 ?(Toshiba Exceria Pro M501) 9%	86.4 ?(Toshiba Exceria Pro M501) 8%	77.6 ?(Toshiba Exceria Pro M501) -3%	80.9 ?(Toshiba Exceria Pro M501) 1%	71.8 ?(8.2 - 96.5, n=178) -10%
Sequential Write 256KB SDCard	57.4 ?(Toshiba Exceria Pro M501)	65.9 ?(Toshiba Exceria Pro M501) 15%	65.8 ?(Toshiba Exceria Pro M501) 15%	57.4 ?(Toshiba Exceria Pro M501) 0%	61.7 ?(Toshiba Exceria Pro M501) 7%	52.9 ?(3.4 - 87.1, n=178) -8%

Gaming

The built-in Adreno 505 GPU is capable of gaming, albeit limited to simpler games such as Angry Birds 2. Fast racing games, such as Asphalt 9, will require a faster and more expensive smartphone.

The orientation sensor and touchscreen worked flawlessly during games, which we tested by playing the endless running video game Temple Run 2.

Emissions

Temperature

Under load, the Desire 12s gets very hot. We measured up to 46.2 °C at the top, which is definitely too hot. When idle the device remained fairly cool.

Max. Load

Idle


46.2 °C 115 F	43.2 °C 110 F	44.2 °C 112 F
45.5 °C 114 F	42.1 °C 108 F	43.7 °C 111 F
44.3 °C 112 F	41.8 °C 107 F	42.8 °C 109 F

Maximum: 46.2 °C = 115 F
Average: 43.8 °C = 111 F


36.9 °C 98 F	42.3 °C 108 F	42.5 °C 109 F
36.5 °C 98 F	41.8 °C 107 F	43 °C 109 F
38.3 °C 101 F	42.3 °C 108 F	43.8 °C 111 F

Maximum: 43.8 °C = 111 F
Average: 40.8 °C = 105 F

Power Supply (max.) 41.2 °C = 106 F | Room Temperature 21.3 °C = 70 F | Voltcraft IR-260

(-) The average temperature for the upper side under maximal load is 43.8 °C / 111 F, compared to the average of 32.7 °C / 91 F for the devices in the class Smartphone.
(-) The maximum temperature on the upper side is 46.2 °C / 115 F, compared to the average of 35 °C / 95 F, ranging from 21.9 to 56 °C for the class Smartphone.
(±) The bottom heats up to a maximum of 43.8 °C / 111 F, compared to the average of 33.8 °C / 93 F
(+) In idle usage, the average temperature for the upper side is 29.6 °C / 85 F, compared to the device average of 32.7 °C / 91 F.

Speakers

The single mono-speaker is located at the bottom of the device, and it is loud enough to fill a small room. The soundscape is fairly balanced and neither highs nor mids are too pronounced. Overall, the resulting audio is acceptable for media consumption.

The device supports external speakers via Bluetooth and 3.5-mm headphone jack. Both worked flawlessly and produced clear audio.

Frequency diagram (checkboxes can be checked and unchecked to compare devices)

HTC Desire 12s audio analysis

(+) | speakers can play relatively loud (82.4 dB)
Bass 100 - 315 Hz
(-) | nearly no bass - on average 66.9% lower than median
(+) | bass is linear (0% delta to prev. frequency)
Mids 400 - 2000 Hz
(-) | nearly no mids - on average 66.9% lower than median
(+) | mids are linear (0% delta to prev. frequency)
Highs 2 - 16 kHz
(-) | nearly no highs - on average 66.9% lower than median
(+) | highs are linear (0% delta to prev. frequency)
Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz
(-) | overall sound is not linear (123.2% difference to median)
Compared to same class
» 90% of all tested devices in this class were better, 9% similar, 2% worse
» The best had a delta of 12%, average was 39%, worst was 134%
Compared to all devices tested
» 97% of all tested devices were better, 3% similar, 1% worse
» The best had a delta of 4%, average was 26%, worst was 134%

Nokia 4.2 audio analysis

(+) | speakers can play relatively loud (87.1 dB)
Bass 100 - 315 Hz
(-) | nearly no bass - on average 34.8% lower than median
(±) | linearity of bass is average (9.9% delta to prev. frequency)
Mids 400 - 2000 Hz
(±) | reduced mids - on average 6.4% lower than median
(+) | mids are linear (6.4% delta to prev. frequency)
Highs 2 - 16 kHz
(±) | higher highs - on average 5.8% higher than median
(+) | highs are linear (6.3% delta to prev. frequency)
Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz
(±) | linearity of overall sound is average (25.9% difference to median)
Compared to same class
» 58% of all tested devices in this class were better, 7% similar, 35% worse
» The best had a delta of 12%, average was 39%, worst was 134%
Compared to all devices tested
» 75% of all tested devices were better, 5% similar, 20% worse
» The best had a delta of 4%, average was 26%, worst was 134%

Battery Life

Power Consumption

Power consumption is a mixed bag. On the one hand, idle and low-load consumption is pretty good. On the other, the Desire’s consumption under load is above average.

Power Consumption

Off / Standby	0 / 0.1 Watt
Idle	0.9 / 1.6 / 1.9 Watt
Load	4.6 / 5.5 Watt


Key: min: , med: , max: Metrahit Energy Currently we use the Metrahit Energy, a professional single phase power quality and energy measurement digital multimeter, for our measurements. Find out more about it here. All of our test methods can be found here.

	HTC Desire 12s 3075 mAh	Nokia 4.2 3000 mAh	Huawei Y7 2019 4000 mAh	LG K40 3000 mAh	Sony Xperia L3 3300 mAh	Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 435	Average of class Smartphone
Power Consumption		8%	18%	12%	24%	-33%	-3%
Idle Minimum *	0.9	0.74 18%	0.51 43%	0.68 24%	0.57 37%	1.369 ?(0.57 - 4.02, n=11) -52%	0.876 ?(0.12 - 2.37, n=166, last 2 years) 3%
Idle Average *	1.6	1.9 -19%	1.7 -6%	1.53 4%	1.5 6%	2.55 ?(1.4 - 6, n=11) -59%	1.491 ?(0.69 - 4.26, n=166, last 2 years) 7%
Idle Maximum *	1.9	2.21 -16%	1.85 3%	1.95 -3%	1.51 21%	2.86 ?(1.62 - 6.64, n=11) -51%	1.699 ?(0.79 - 4.45, n=166, last 2 years) 11%
Load Average *	4.6	3.04 34%	3.17 31%	3.5 24%	3.09 33%	4.38 ?(2.89 - 7.34, n=11) 5%	4.55 ?(2.1 - 10.9, n=166, last 2 years) 1%
Load Maximum *	5.5	4.15 25%	4.44 19%	4.9 11%	4.15 25%	5.95 ?(4 - 9.6, n=11) -8%	7.4 ?(3.56 - 13.7, n=166, last 2 years) -35%

* ... smaller is better

Battery Life

At 3,075 mAh the battery is slightly larger than what we would consider to be standard for this class of devices (3,000 mAh). The Huawei Y7 2019 is particularly well equipped with its 4,000 mAh battery. Battery life is average overall. 11:29 hours in our Wi-Fi test is decent, and the device should survive two days of normal use.

The power supply does not support fast charging and takes around 2:30 hours to charge the battery from near empty to full.

Battery Runtime


WiFi Websurfing		11h 29min

	HTC Desire 12s 3075 mAh	Nokia 4.2 3000 mAh	Huawei Y7 2019 4000 mAh	LG K40 3000 mAh	Sony Xperia L3 3300 mAh
Battery Runtime		1%	62%	8%	-7%
WiFi v1.3	689	696 1%	1113 62%	745 8%	641 -7%
Reader / Idle			2350		2127
H.264			938		750
Load			296		242

Pros

+ decent call quality

+ interesting design

+ decent battery life

+ acceptable main camera

Cons

- Wi-Fi connectivity issues

- gets very hot under load

- poor performance compared to similarly priced competitors

- blue tint on display

Verdict

In review: HTC Desire 12s. Review unit courtesy of HTC Germany.

HTC’s flagships were once considered to be at the forefront of innovation, but the crestfallen Desire 12s is the exact opposite. The only feature that stands out is the striped pattern at the back. Otherwise, the 12s is nothing but an affordable run-of-the-mill mid-range smartphone. Its main problem is that other manufacturers managed to integrate much better hardware at the same price, be it bigger batteries and more performance (Huawei) or better connectivity with NFC and a dedicated microSD slot (Nokia 4.2).

What the HTC Desire 12s has to offer is a somewhat bright display, a somewhat accurate GPS, and a decent battery life. It lacks any highlights and suffers from a blue tint on the display, high temperatures under load, and aggravating constant Wi-Fi disconnects. HTC has to improve upon its software ASAP, and an update could be an easy way to raise the Desire 12s’s quality and value.

The HTC Desire 12s is a good-looking well-designed mid-range smartphone with too many issues, and ultimately it does not deserve our endorsement.

Considering the alternatives we cannot by any means give the Desire 12s our endorsement. Maybe we will once HTC updates the software to a more current and up-to-date version of Android and addresses the device’s Wi-Fi issues.

Note: Due to the annoying and permanent Wi-Fi disconnects we have reduced the overall rating by 2%.

HTC Desire 12s - 2019-07-01 07/01/2019 v6^(old)
Florian Schmitt

Chassis

67%

Keyboard

65%

Pointing Device

92%

Connectivity

34%

Weight

92%

Battery

94 / 70 → 100%

Display

82%

Games Performance

21%

Application Performance

41 / 91 → 45%

Temperature

85%

Noise

100%

Audio

59%

Camera

65%

Add Points

-2%

Average

64%

78%

Smartphone - Weighted Average

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Editor of the original article: Florian Schmitt - Managing Editor Mobile - 1069 articles published on Notebookcheck since 2009

I initially wrote about gaming laptops when I joined Notebookcheck in 2009. I was then involved with the setup of the comparison portal Notebookinfo and worked with social media concepts for large companies like BMW and Adidas, while also returning to work for Notebookcheck in 2012. Nowadays, I focus on smartphones, tablets, and future technologies. Since 2018 I have been Managing Editor for mobile device reviews, working alongside my colleague Daniel Schmidt.

contact me via: @FloSchmi26, LinkedIn, Xing

Translator: Finn D Boerne - Translator - 450 articles published on Notebookcheck since 2017

Born in the United States and raised in Germany I became acquainted with both languages from an early age and turned this into my profession later in life. Computers have always played an important role in my life, and my love for all things digital is a huge part of my daily routine. Virtual Reality has captured my imagination and interest in particular, and I cannot wait to see what the (near) future will bring.

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> Notebook / Laptop Reviews and News > Reviews > HTC Desire 12s Review: Striped Smartphone

Florian Schmitt, 2019-07- 2 (Update: 2019-07- 3)

HTC Desire 12s Review: Striped Smartphone

Case

Size Comparison

Connectivity

Software

Communication and GPS

Telephony and Call Quality

Cameras

Accessories and Warranty

Input Devices and Handling

Display

Screen Flickering / PWM (Pulse-Width Modulation)

Display Response Times

Performance

Gaming

Emissions

Temperature

Speakers

HTC Desire 12s audio analysis

Nokia 4.2 audio analysis

Battery Life

Power Consumption

Battery Life

Pros

Cons

Verdict

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