The HTC One: A Remarkable Device, Anand’s mini Review
by Anand Lal Shimpi on March 21, 2013 4:49 PM EST- Posted in
- Smartphones
- HTC
- Mobile
- HTC One
For the past week and a half our own Brian Klug has been hard at work on his review of HTC’s new flagship smartphone, the One. These things take time and Brian’s review, at least what I’ve seen of it, is nothing short of the reference piece we’ve come to expect from him.
In the same period of time I’ve been playing around with a retail HTC One and felt compelled to share my thoughts on the device. It’s rare that I’m so moved by a device to chime in outside of the official review, but the One is a definite exception. By no means is this a full review, and I defer to Brian for the complete story on the One - something we should be getting here in the not too distant future.
I’m not a financial analyst, but HTC hasn’t been doing all that well over the past few quarters. There’s a general feeling that the aptly named One is HTC’s last chance at survival. Good product doesn’t always translate into market dominance, but it’s a necessary component when you’re an underdog. Luckily for HTC, the One is great.
Design
Over the past two years HTC has really come into its own as far as design is concerned. The difference between the HTC One X and the plethora of flagships that came before it was remarkable. Moving to the One, the difference is just as striking.
I don’t seem to mind plastic phones as much as everyone else, but the One is in an appreciably different league compared to its peers. It’s the type of device that you just want to look at and touch. Given how much you do end up looking at and touching your smartphone, HTC’s efforts here seem well placed.
The One looks and feels great. The proportions are a little awkward in my hands, but I fully concede that’s going to vary from person to person. Despite the heavy use of aluminum, I don't feel overly worried about scratching/damaging the finish.
The challenge with any smartphone is to build something that looks distinct in a sea of black rectangles on a wall in a store. With the One (and arguably the One X before it), HTC does a good job of balancing the need to be seen with the need to be subtle. Elegant is the right word here.
While I’m sure there will be comparisons to the iPhone, the fact of the matter is that the design cycle on these smartphones falls somewhere in the 12 - 24 month range. With something as sophisticated as the One, you’re looking at the longer end of that spectrum. For what it’s worth, if I had to estimate I’d say design work on the One probably started before the iPhone 4S came out.
Smartphone Spec Comparison | ||||||
Apple iPhone 5 | HTC One | Samsung Galaxy S 3 | Samsung Galaxy S 4 | |||
SoC | Apple A6 1.3GHz | Snapdragon 600 1.7GHz | Snapdragon S4 1.5GHz | Exynos 5 Octa (1.6/1.2GHz) or Snapdragon 600 1.9GHz | ||
DRAM/NAND/Expansion | 1GB LPDDR2, 16/32/64GB NAND | 2GB LPDDR2, 32/64GB NAND | 2GB LPDDR2, 16/32GB NAND, microSD | 2GB LPDDR3, 16/32/64GB NAND, microSD | ||
Display | 4.0-inch 1136 x 640 LCD | 4.7-inch SLCD3 1080p, 468 ppi | 4.8-inch Super AMOLED 720p, 306 ppi | 5-inch Super AMOLED 1080p, 441 ppi | ||
Network | 2G / 3G / 4G LTE Cat 3 | 2G / 3G / 4G LTE Cat 3 | 2G / 3G / 4G LTE Cat 3 | 2G / 3G / 4G LTE Cat 3 (depending on region) | ||
Dimensions | 123.8mm x 58.6mm x 7.6mm | 137.4mm x 68.2mm x 4mm - 9.3mm | 136.6mm x 70.6mm 8.6mm | 136.6mm x 69.8mm x 7.9mm | ||
Weight | 112g | 143g | 133g | 130g | ||
Rear Camera | 8MP | 4MP w/ 2µm pixels | 8MP | 13MP | ||
Front Camera | 1.2MP | 2.1MP | 1.9MP | 2MP | ||
Battery | Internal 5.45 Wh | Internal 8.74 Wh | Removable 7.98 Wh | Removable 9.88 Wh | ||
OS | iOS 6.1.2 | Android 4.1.2 | Android 4.1.2 | Android 4.2.2 | ||
Connectivity | 802.11a/b/g/n, BT 4.0, USB 2.0, GPS/GNSS | 802.11ac/a/b/g/n + BT 4.0, USB2.0, GPS/GNSS, IR LED, MHL, DLNA, NFC | 802.11a/b/g/n, BT 4.0, USB 2.0, NFC, GPS/GNSS, MHL | 802.11a/b/g/n/ac (HT80) + BT 4.0, USB 2.0 NFC, GPS/GNSS, IR LED, MHL 2.0 |
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flyingpants1 - Thursday, March 21, 2013 - link
And weaker battery (1800mah vs. 2100mah GS3)darwinosx - Friday, March 22, 2013 - link
Nobody cares.CeriseCogburn - Friday, March 22, 2013 - link
Only you are nobody.piroroadkill - Friday, March 22, 2013 - link
Whoops! A lot of people care.eebrah - Saturday, March 23, 2013 - link
The sales figures BEG to differhaze4peace - Friday, March 22, 2013 - link
It's all subjective. In tipoo's opinion it was better. In your opinion it is not. This world is big enough for more than one opinion on cell phones. Try to be a little less absolute.CeriseCogburn - Monday, March 25, 2013 - link
Who has to be less absolute ? Tippo talked his crap, and someone pointed out why they consider it crap.Which party has to be less absolute, the one giving their opinion first or the other correcting or giving another opinion ?
Maybe you get to decide, but no, instead you have a fit and demand others not counter an opinion they consider ridiculous or is in some cases not an opinion but false ?
Try to be a little less estrogen doused demanding control when differences arise - take your own advice.
CeriseCogburn - Monday, March 25, 2013 - link
Another point is, many will not take a phone without a removable cover for battery replacement and SD card slot.Others will take either, sealed or not. BOTH are welcome to do as they please and NO ONE HAS TO BE LESS ABSOLUTE.
If we heard about people who will only take a sealed phone ( we have not in this entire thread), your stupid mind may have not brain farted so badly.
mwildtech - Thursday, March 21, 2013 - link
Still waiting on the Droid DNA Review......? What happened with that?mwildtech - Thursday, March 21, 2013 - link
BTW Anand - Nice Picture of RDU and Video in Lafayette Village :)