Handset manufacturer HTC has confirmed that it had started testing Android 2.3 Gingerbread on the Desire smartphone.

Using its official Facebook page, HTC stated, “We’re excited to share that we are testing our build of Gingerbread for HTC Desire and will start doing quality assurance for it this week.”

The confirmation came a few weeks after HTC declared that it would not be possible to bring both Gingerbread as well as the HTC Sense user interface to the Desire due to memory size constraints.

But, outcry from the side of Desire owners forced the company to backtrack, and assure customers that the smartphone would in fact get the latest version of Google's mobile OS.

Gingerbread isn't a bigger upgrade than Android 2.2 Froyo, but it brings a few interface tweaks, and support for video calling through a front-facing camera.

The HTC Desire is one of the most popular handsets available in the market for under £300.