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.
Top tech reviewers agree: MOTOROLA RAZR MAXX is packed with power.
On one full charge, you can host a marathon 17.6 hr conference call —
that's twice as long as our leading competitor's smartphone. Whip
through the web for 10 hours straight. Get your movie fix with 17
uninterrupted hours of flick watching. Jam out all weekend. Yes, on one
full charge, you can listen to music for two and half days straight.
SMARTACTIONS: UNLOAD YOUR WORKLOAD
MOTOROLA RAZR MAXX is ready to do your bidding. Always kill the ringer at work? Or tweak your Bluetooth® settings at home?
SMARTACTIONS
understands. It's an app that automates everyday tasks so you’re free
to focus on otherworldly pursuits. And even though MOTOROLA RAZR MAXX
already has a super long talk time, you can push things even further
with SMARTACTIONS battery optimization settings.
DESIGN: SERIOUS POWER, SERIOUSLY THIN
MOTOROLA RAZR MAXX isn’t changing the rules — it’s creating a whole
new game, in a full-on assault to what’s possible. At 8.99 mm, it’s
thinner than most smartphones and it packs more battery, too. Thinner
and a talk time twice as long as our competitor's smartphone? The
competition doesn’t stand a chance.
CONSTRUCTION: UNBEATABLE STRENGTH
Seriously thin, MOTOROLA RAZR MAXX is the exact opposite of frail.
It’s made strong with DuPont™ KEVLAR® fiber, while Corning® Gorilla®
Glass defends the screen against scratches and scrapes. A
water-repellant force field shields the phone against water attacks —
even the electrical boards inside.
SPEED: FEROCIOUSLY FAST
MOTOROLA RAZR MAXX makes "Mach 10" seem slow. These speeds will have
you rocketing through your everyday. Speed through your everyday,
multi-tasking, web surfing and downloading thanks to a dual core
processor and 1 GB RAM.
SECURITY: YOUR SECRETS ARE SAFE
MOTOROLA RAZR MAXX may know a lot about you, but it also knows how
to keep a secret, featuring business-ready security that would make any
IT manager proud. Government-grade encryption protects your email,
contacts and calendar, so you can feel secure knowing your data — and
your company's data — is secure.
Experience everything in HD with the sharpest+ smartphone display
A next generation smartphone, from Sony.
A super fast experience
Don’t like waiting? The Xperia SL is powered by a super fast dual
core 1.7 GHz processor. The latest version of the Android platform makes
your smartphone experience complete. Enjoy Face unlock – wave goodbye
to passwords and use your face to unlock your phone. You can also easily
keep track of your data consumption and set limits or warning levels.
Let the music play
The original is back. Xperia SL comes with the new Sony “WALKMAN”
app, featuring a manual equalizer, surround sound and a beautiful,
dynamic and intuitive user interface. So fill it with your playlists. Or
tap into one of ours. See what your friends are listening to. Go
explore a world of music.
Easy sharing
Great song. Want others to hear it too? Share your music wirelessly
with One-touch Listening on your NFC speakers. And to view your pictures
and videos on a big screen, just swipe the display and you’re ready to
enjoy it all on your tablet, TV or laptop via DLNA. Or simply plug your
smartphone into your HDTV’s HDMI port.
One of your friends couldn’t make it tonight? See him anyway. Have a
face-to-face chat via Xperia SL’s HD front-facing camera. And if your
battery ever runs low, you’ll have it recharged in a snap too with fast
charging from Sony.
12 megapixel camera
With the 12 megapixel fast capture camera, you’ll never miss another
shot again. It goes from sleep to snap in just over a second. Low light?
No worries. The Exmor R™ for cell phone camera sensor lightens up any
gloomy day. Make the most of your pictures – you’ll love Xperia SL’s
photo effects and apps like Instagram.
Shoot HD video
First day of the summer. Last day at the beach. Memories may fade,
but the Sony Xperia SL HD mobile keeps them bright. Record it all in
full HD video. And to grab still images from your videos, just download
Sony’s frame grabber app from Google PLAY.
Razor sharp HD display
View everything in razor sharp clarity on the stunning, 4,3” Reality
Display with Mobile BRAVIA® Engine. The Xperia SL HD screen has the
highest PPI – pixels per inch – of any Sony smartphone, and is certified
as the sharpest+ HD smartphone display.
If sharing is your thing, the Samsung Galaxy S® III is your phone.
With S Beam, you can share large HD files in seconds – just touch
compatible devices back-to-back. S Beam takes full advantage of NFC
(Near-Field Communication) and Wi-Fi Direct technology, making it quick
and easy for you to share photos, videos, documents, calendars, contacts
and more. And you don’t even need Wi-Fi® or a cellular signal.
Share Big
As much as you like a crowd huddled around admiring your new
phone, it won’t be necessary with AllShare® Play. Because now, you can
play your music, videos and slide shows on any compatible HDTV or
computer for all to see. Go big.
Share Photos Instantly
Share Shot lets you share your photos with up to five friends – as
you take them. What does this mean? You don’t have to remember to share
later; just share on the spot and forget it. Sharing has never been so
much fun, so fast or so hassle-free.
Gesture Smarter
The Galaxy S III goes beyond swiping and pinching. Special motion
gestures let you do things easier and more intuitively than ever before.
For example, to capture a screen shot, just swipe your hand across the
screen. To get to the top of a list, just tap the top of your phone. Or
if you're texting someone and want to call them, just put the phone to
your ear. It doesn’t get any smarter than that.
Speak, and the Galaxy S III will Listen
S Voice™ responds to your every voice command, acting as your
on-board personal assistant to give you helpful, accurate information,
dial phone numbers, send messages, open apps and more. It will follow
your commands and answer your questions quickly and intelligently. You
can tell your phone to wake you up, take a photo, answer a call, send a
text message or play your favorite song. In fact, thanks to S Voice, you
might never talk to real people again.
Simplify any Task
Samsung TecTiles™
is the short-hand way to operate your Galaxy S III. Just program your
“tiles” to automatically handle repetitive actions, like changing
settings or performing certain tasks. After that, all you’ll need is a
simple tap of your phone. It can launch apps, connect you to Facebook®
or Twitter® or share a contact with any NFC-enabled phone.
Memories in a Moment
The Galaxy S III is as powerful as it is stylish. For starters,
the camera has 8.0 megapixels and absolutely zero shutter lag, so you
can catch memories the moment you press the shutter. Want more? Take up
to 20 continuous shots in seconds with Burst Shot. The front-facing
camera even has a full 1.9 megapixels, so you can get yourself into the
HD action.
Picture-in-Everything
The display is so bright and beautiful on the Galaxy S III, you
won’t ever want to stop watching. With Pop Up Play, you won’t have to.
It’s a picture-in-picture feature that lets you continue to watch your
HD videos while you surf the web or check your email. It’s multitasking
to the max.
Powerful Hardware and Software
The Galaxy S III gives you the most powerful hardware and software
you’ll find anywhere. First of all, there’s a 1.5 GHz dual-core
processor to make sure everything works quickly and smoothly. Second of
all, there’s the Android™ 4.0, Ice Cream Sandwich platform. You’ll have
the smartest smartphone around.