The HTC ONE X was released in the 2nd quarter of 2012 with design and specifications looking to compete with close counterpart, the Samsung Galaxy S3. Here reviewed are design specs and operating power of the HTC One X.
OVERVIEW
HTC has pulled out the stops with the One X, and it's a cohesive and appealing design. A combination of lightweight polycarbonate and Gorilla Glass combine - with some neat curves and join-line detailing - to make a phone that belies the scale of its display. HTC still manages to fit in an 8-megapixel main camera, a 1.3-megapixel front camera, and docking connectors for an optional cradle, along with the 4.7-inch 1280 x 720 Super LCD screen. The HTC One X addressed major complaints with pretty much the majority of HTC's industrial design of their handsets over the past couple of years.
DISPLAY:
That screen is bright and clear, and ideal for multimedia playback. Colors are clean though don't show that over-saturated artificial hue we've seen from some AMOLED panels, and the touch layer itself is responsive. Opting for plastic rather than metal has an impact on hand-feel but it's worth it: one of our big criticisms of 2011 HTC flagships was that they felt heavy and cumbersome, something we can't say of the One X.
HARDWARE:
Inside, in European form at least, is NVIDIA's 4+1 core Tegra 3 chipset along with 1GB of RAM and 32GB of storage. There's no access to the battery and no way to add extra memory; instead you get a pop-out microSIM tray and a free two-year 25GB DropBox account that's integrated with the various apps on the One X. Connectivity rises to quadband WCDMA/HSPA+ (850/900/1900//2100) but no LTE; for that we'll have to wait for AT&T's version, due later this year, which adds in 4G but uses a Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 dual-core chipset rather than the NVIDIA quadcore of its Euro counterpart.
Otherwise it's a roll-call of the latest and greatest: WiFi a/b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.0 complete with support for the aptX high-quality streaming stereo audio profile, DLNA and MHL-HDMI for wireless or wired HD video output (with the correct adapter, not included), a 3.5 headphones jack with Beats Audio, and NFC. The latter is currently used primarily for Android Beam, useful for firing across webpages and the like between the One X and the Galaxy Nexus, though at some point Google Wallet may make an appearance.
FEATURE :
FEATURE :
Finally there's the expected digital compass, g-sensor, GPS, proximity and light sensors, and gyroscope. HTC throws a compact AC adapter, a set of headphones and a USB to microUSB cable in the box with the One X.
Software and Performance
Until now, HTC devices have run on Android 2.3 Gingerbread; in fact it's only been within recent weeks that Ice Cream Sandwich has been pushed to existing users. The One Series - of which the One X is the flagship - changes all that, launching with Android 4.0 as standard, complete with HTC Sense 4.0.
The usual suite of Android apps - Gmail, the freshly renamed Play Market, Google Talk, etc. - are onboard, and HTC adds in its own Music Hub with shortcuts to TuneIn radio, local tracks and more. We were never much fans of Sense because it felt like it bogged down the system, hindering performance and chewing away precious battery life, but 4.0 changes things for the better.
BATTERY:
BATTERY:
The 1,800 mAh Li-Ion battery is non-replaceable, HTC following a trend led by its rivals and trading flexibility for benefits in design. HTC managed to slim the One X down to only 8.9mm as a result of its unibody design, but we still managed to get on an average of 7-9 hours of "regular" usage, and peaking at 12-hours and 41 minutes on less busy days. HTC's camera on the One X is a group effort: a new 8-megapixel backside-illuminated sensor, paired with F2.0 28mm wide-angle optics and a dedicated imaging processor. There's also a smart LED flash which is meant to adjust its brightness depending on the proximity of the subject, though we struggled to see too much of a difference.
CAMERA:
CAMERA:
The camera app is streamlined, with simultaneous on-screen controls for taking snapshots and shooting video. It's possible to do both at the same time, too. Up to 1080p HD video can be filmed - 720p from the front camera - with digital image stabilization and optional slow-motion.
