HTC One max Review - It's Huge
by Brian Klug on October 28, 2013 10:00 AM EST- Posted in
- Smartphones
- HTC
- Mobile
- One
- Snapdragon 600
- Android 4.3
- One max
Concluding the One max review is difficult. I have a lot of conflicting thoughts about the larger sized smartphones and the state of that market, which seems to serve two purposes independently. For users who either don’t want or can’t budget for a tablet, the larger sized phones seem to bridge a functional gap between smartphone and tablet. Simultaneously, there are users who want the larger screen just to have it, and maybe there’s the perception that the larger phones still have some elevated status that comes with it. There’s a regional bias at play here too, and the One max seems to be a product designed to cater maybe more to some regions where supersized smartphones make up a bigger part of the market than others.
For me, the One max is probably a new upper bound in terms of size. It’s a very large phone, and although it fits in the front pockets of my jeans and shorts, it’s sometimes a stretch to sit down comfortably with the One max in a pocket. In terms of ergonomics, the One max is very much a dual-hand device.
The One max is really a product designed to fill out a hole in HTC’s One series portfolio than anything else, and doesn’t really change up the formula too much. It’s literally a scaled up version of the HTC One with few changes – OIS is unfortunately gone, the screen is obviously huge, there’s now a microSD card slot, and of course the new fingerprint sensor. Other than that though, the One max really is the One scaled up to gigantic size, with parts of the One mini tossed in for good measure.
I’ve said my part on the fingerprint sensor on the One max already. It works but isn’t the best or most intuitive implementation to date, although I think it’s fairly easy to make the case that nobody, not even Apple, has nailed a fingerprint sensor yet. The fingerprint scanner’s location on the back makes sense when you’re holding the One max in one hand, but becomes a problem when you’re using the phone on a flat surface. The use of a swipe sensor as well makes positioning on the back somewhat problematic unless you enroll fingers at a natural angle.
There’s also that elephant in the room about platform, specifically HTC’s inclusion of Snapdragon 600 APQ8064T instead of the faster Snapdragon 800 MSM8974 we’re seeing devices start shipping with right now. Although 8064 is still plenty fast and no slouch, there’s still a perceptible performance delta between an 8064 device and the newer 8974 phones I have on my desk now. I worry a lot about whether HTC will fall behind on platform, especially since it used to be the one OEM always shipping new Qualcomm silicon first. I have a feeling the One max saw platform change at the last minute, delaying its launch, but that's almost entirely speculation.
If you want a larger-screened smartphone and liked the One but have been waiting for a long time for the One max, by all means, get it. If you want a larger screened smartphone however, I think it’s easy to make the case that there are better devices out there right now. Had the One max arrived a month or two after the launch of the original One, this conclusion would've likely been a very different one.
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BlakKW - Monday, October 28, 2013 - link
+2cbrownx88 - Monday, October 28, 2013 - link
+3MarcSP - Monday, October 28, 2013 - link
+4hrrmph - Tuesday, October 29, 2013 - link
+5The Saint - Monday, October 28, 2013 - link
"I’ve said my part already on microSD cards and the fact that they’re going the way of the dodo in smartphones, I just don’t need one anymore, and definitely not at the expense of build quality. It is convenient not having to use a SIM ejector tool though, even if I carry one around all the time anyways. For the incredibly small percentage of users that clamors for an SD card every single smartphone launch, it’s at least one point which won’t be belabored so tiresomely this time."That's funny. Seems to me if there's one thing that seems to be going the way of the dodo, it's Android manufacturers like HTC who think prettiness and premium feel are more important than functionality. It will be nice once they go out of business to be able to stop hearing from that tiresome segment of pretend geeks who treat their cellphones like how divas treat their purses - as fashion accessories.
Meanwhile, Samsung will continue laughing by being both the only player that focuses on functionality, and the only player that makes money in the Android world.
nerd1 - Monday, October 28, 2013 - link
Apple charges $100 for 16GB memory and you can find 32GB micro SD at around $15. I wonder why most reviewers conveniently ignore this fact and just compare the baseline price of the products. I can do the math and I won't buy any device without expandability.Drumsticks - Monday, October 28, 2013 - link
I'm not sure that expandibility is the biggest selling point for galaxy phones outside of tech enthusiasts. Most people are not movie hogs etc and find 32GB reasonable. Business users and media enthusiasts on the other hand, would. But they don't represent everyone. Especially with streaming.I think its more brand name appeal and how much more recognizable they are. After all, apple does even better, and its not like they've ever offered MicroSD support.
personally I just think 16GB needs to die, and 32 should be standard up to 128GB in $50 increments max using high quality flash.
Spunjji - Monday, October 28, 2013 - link
Agreed about 16GB needing to die. But why would it when plenty of companies still make an extra $100 per sale by forcing people to upgrade to the minimum serviceable level? At least the Micro SD slot, with all its failings, allows some sort of other option. "pay as you grow" instead of throwing the whole shebang away when your storage needs outpace the crappy little chip soldered into your device.The0ne - Monday, October 28, 2013 - link
My decision on a phone is1. Screen size and resolution
2. MicroSD slot
I use my phone more as a e-reader and media device than a phone. That's not to say I don't use it as a phone normall, I do but it's not all that it does. Duh? Having the MicroSD slot for expansion is Godsend. All my books and technical PDF's are there. All my music, videos and photos are there (just the favorite ones), and so forth.
Why wouldn't you want to have all of those on your phone? It is convenience for me. One device to do what I like to use it for.
Davidjan - Tuesday, October 29, 2013 - link
Agree with you. We can use OTG reader to expand storage like Meenova MicroSD Reader if we want: http://goo.gl/U6IyY