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
Obviously the highlight of the One max is its huge 5.9-inch 1080p display. After all, the huge display is literally the reason for the max moniker and its gargantuan size. It’s still an IPS LCD, and like the One, resolution is 1920x1080. Using the same resolution at larger size means lower PPI, but the One max is still high enough (373.4 PPI) that individual pixels shouldn’t be visible at all.
One interesting thing to note about the One max however is that the android display density is still set to 480 PPI, putting it in the same DENSITY_XXHIGH category as the One. This means that applications will look like scaled copies of what you’d expect them to look like on the One. There’s an interesting ongoing debate about what users really expect from these larger-sized smartphones and the demographic that’s buying them. Do users want scaled, larger applications which are easier to read, or the ability to display more content. HTC oddly enough seems to have scaled parts of their own UI, for example the widget panels are five row instead of four on the One max, and the launcher defaults to the 4x5 size instead of 3x4 which would look downright silly, further the status bar is also smaller.
HTC One (Left), HTC One max (Right) – Note the grid and icon size changes
I’m not complaining, it’s just interesting to see 480 in Android but the HTC apps scaled down to give more real-estate, which is what I’d prefer since I have good vision.
One improvement I’m really happy about in Sense 5.5 is a change to the auto brightness function. Rather than just have a checkbox, the One max will allow you to set an upper bound for the auto brightness algorithm. Ideally I would like a higher or upper bound, or a bias function (+/- some delta), but this is a step in the right direction.
The One max display goes very bright, up to 506 nits, higher than the One or One mini. White point is also a bit more controlled than the One, at 7301 K average. My biggest complaint about the One max is that like the One it has a dynamic brightness/contrast function that adjusts screen brightness as a function of the content being displayed. That alone isn’t a huge problem, it’s just that there’s no way to disable it in the UI, which would be great, since it’s distracting watching screen brightness change as you move around the UI. I would love to see HTC go the Google approach and restrict these functions to full screen video playback, and give the option to turn it off entirely.
Running it through our display tests, it’s clear that the One max also has a bit of the saturation boost we’ve seen popping up on other phones as well. The saturation curves are great until the second to last point, which is almost set to maximum saturation. I’d love to see even more emphasis on color accuracy for the next generation of phones, the One max seems to be in the general ballpark of the One, but slightly worse.
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Dentons - Monday, October 28, 2013 - link
Brian, we know you hate SD cards and removable batteries. We also know that you are far more impressed by a phone that shows a bit of metal skin than by a phone that has actual features like removable batteries and microSD expansion.Your statement that "SD cards are going the way of the dodo" is laughably out of touch. Despite your personal wishes, the best selling smart phones on the planet, in nearly every size category, still have both microSD expansion and removable batteries.
You don't want these features, we get it. For whatever reason, you embrace the removal of these usable features. You clearly don't appreciate the convenience of being able to carry large volumes of media files at an economical price. Just as clearly, you don't mind having to search for chargers in every airport. Some of us aren't like you, many of us in fact.
It does seem odd that an in-depth technology site like Anandtech puts far more emphasis on the material making up the thin outer skin of a device, than the actual hardware features of that device. Each of Brian's reviews features a long discussion either lauding a metal skin or deriding a plastic one, while almost nothing on SD or batteries.
Is it too much to ask for a little less focus on your metal skin fetish and more focus on a device's actual features.
nerd1 - Monday, October 28, 2013 - link
Good point. Whenever you go to airport, you'll see lots of iPhones getting charged at power outlets. It's beyond me how people can expose their $$$$$ phone that way.Brian Klug - Monday, October 28, 2013 - link
I see lots of every kind of phone being charged at power outlets, and I'm in airports nearly every week :)-Brian
fenneberg - Monday, October 28, 2013 - link
keep dissing your base and you´ll be lost Mr. Klug.I am on my third battery and on a SD that holds all of western Europe Garmin quarterly up-dated maps and 45 GB of music on a Garmin-Asus A50 that I love cause it works and works.
steven75 - Thursday, October 31, 2013 - link
You are the fringe. AT will be just fine.Tegeril - Friday, November 1, 2013 - link
Don't let the door hit you on the way out?superflex - Tuesday, October 29, 2013 - link
Dont be silly Brian.Samsung phones never need to be recharged. Only sheeple and HTC One owners have to recharge.
Sheesh
ddriver - Monday, October 28, 2013 - link
It's because apple products don't have mSD slots ;) I bet the moment they start including those (by some miracle of nature I suppose :D ) the extra slot will be the best thing since sliced bread around AT :Dsherlockwing - Monday, October 28, 2013 - link
Apple won't accept mSD slots on phones, paying Microsoft license fee for every Iphone & Ipad sold due to their FAT 32 patent is too much for them.apertotes - Monday, October 28, 2013 - link
Completely agree. This Rivendel Aluminum praise is getting old. Phones are tools, not jewels or fashion statements.