Update:
We've now got our hands on an HTC One X complete with Android 4.0.4 and
Sense 4.1 - read on to see if it really makes that much of a
difference.
The HTC One X brings the best processor, an HD screen
and a sublimely thin chassis as the Taiwanese firm looks to recreate the
success of the original Desire.
The
One X is a phone that's had us intrigued for a while – running a quad
core CPU (Nvidia's Tegra 3) plus one of the largest screens on any HTC…
and that's without being given a gargantuan name like the Titan.
It's
clear from the outset what HTC is trying to do with the One X: shake
off the slight doom and gloom surrounding the brand's fall in profits,
and bring out a slick, powerful and, more importantly, useable handset
that has now fallen to the palatable price of around £30 per month on
contract.
Check out the HTC One X video below to find out the main features it's packing in that slim body.
With Ice Cream Sandwich
running from the outset (now boosted to Android 4.0.4 and Sense 4.1),
this is the phone that really takes HTC to the next level – but is it a
case of too much, too soon for a brand that's still really just over a
decade old?
Design
HTC's phones have been
slowly moving towards sleeker design ever since the purchase of One
& Co (which may have had more than a little to do with the new
naming strategy) and the release of the HTC Legend. Since
then, unibody designs and smooth lines have been a feature of its
devices, and that principle has been evolved with the HTC One X.
However,
before you read any further, a note of caution: if you're not willing
to accept a pretty large mobile, then you're better off waiting for the
likes of the HTC One S – the One X is a large piece of phone estate in your hand.
But
it's that large 4.7-inch screen that is such a stunning feature of the
One X – it's a 720p HD display packed into a chassis that's only 8.9mm
thick. Plus it's also using the Super IPS LCD 2 technology that, while
it lacks the vivid colour reproduction of Samsung's Super AMOLED range,
really brings games and movies to life. We're
not going to get into the pros and cons of OLED vs LCD – suffice to
say, it's a matter of choice whether you prefer improved contrast ratios
or a more true to life colour reproduction. In our opinion, both are
excellent and the One X will certainly not disappoint.
Like the Samsung Galaxy Nexus, it's got a pixel density (screen sharpness) that rivals the iPhone 4S,
but does it on a screen that's over an inch larger. It's one of those
devices that you have to see to really believe, but there's a good
chance you'll confuse it with a shop model with a static image
Sellotaped onto the front. The
rest of the phone design is, again, pretty subjective. For the large
size, it's very light indeed at 130g. That's quite a bit heavier than
the likes of the Samsung Galaxy S2 (14g, in fact) but lighter than the Galaxy S3 but in reality you'll consider it to be almost impossible to feel in the pocket.
The rest of the phone is pretty minimal in design. Unlike the Samsung Galaxy Nexus,
we're offered some physical (well, touch sensitive) keys on the front
of the HTC One X, meaning the display won't need to jump up and down to
show the contextual versions. There's
an expected volume rocker switch on the right-hand side, a power button
on the top (accompanied by a 3.5mm headphone jack) and a microUSB slot
on the left-hand side – which also doubles a Mobile High-Definition Link
to hook up to a TV.
It's a very sparse offering on a phone that's
so expansive in its design, and leads to a very minimalist feel, which
will likely appeal to many. That
effect is compounded by the microSIM slot on the back of the phone,
which requires an Apple-esque device to open it up – and there's no
microSD support to be found here either, with the battery locked into
the unibody design.
While the smaller SIM will be a slight
annoyance to those upgrading from the full-size version, the lack of a
microSD slot will be a big worry for many, especially as HD movies and
large games will play very well on a phone like this.
There is 32GB of onboard storage, but that's not going to be enough for the ilk of smartphone user that wouldn't buy an iPhone until capacity was raised to 64GB. The
rear of the phone features the 8MP camera, which protrudes quite a lot
from the handset, but thanks to the slightly curved nature of the
chassis, doesn't affect the phone too much when resting on a table.
The
power button on the top of the phone can be quite hard to hit with the
phone resting in the palm if you've not got the largest hands in the
world, although the travel is such you'll hit it pretty accurately most
of the time, which is something some phones fail to manage.
The
size is the main design issue we can see for most people – this
sleek-looking, lightweight phone will appeal to both men and women, but
those with smaller hands will struggle to use the HTC One X effectively
without doubling down on their digits. We
reviewed the white version of the One X, and it's worth noting that in a
few hours it was quite dirty with fingerprint smudges and the like, so
be warned you might want to fork out for a case too.
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