HTC One X hands-on at MWC 2012 (video)
HTC Sense 4 review
HTC One S review
A few days before flying to Barcelona and after being sworn to secrecy, we were quietly whisked right into a San Francisco conference room with clear instructions: no pictures or video. There, in the course of the table, was a white phone that instantly caught our eye -- the HTC One X. To write down that we came away impressed after briefly using it's a massive understatement. This was obviously a halo device made for geeks like us, something designed to tackle the Galaxy Nexuses of the arena, something with the mummy of all spec sheets, something running Ice Cream Sandwich with a significantly thinner and lighter version of Sense. Better yet, there have been two other handsets with an identical impeccable attention to detail -- the single S and the only V. HTC was finally showing some vision again with strong branding, gorgeous design and a sophisticated user experience. While first impressions go far, there is a lot to be learned a couple of product by living with it for a couple of days. So is the single X truly HTC's comeback device- Are we still delighted- Is that this the Engadget phone- Hit the break for our full review.
HTC One X review
Hardware
HTC went back to the drafting board. While a lot of its products from 2011 blended together in an amorphous, Sensation-esque blur, the company's drawn a line within the sand -- it really is its flagship and it is a beauty. The telephone is housed in a polycarbonate unibody that's matte at the back and shiny on the sides. This polycarbonate material means the body shouldn't interfere with the telephone's signal, while incidental scratches will reveal yet more brilliant white. Some considered contours along the body of the phone mean that despite its 8.9mm (0.35 inch) profile -- and a 4.7-inch display -- it usually felt safe in our grasp. Although its size could be borderline for some people's palms, it's nowhere near as monstrous because the Galaxy Note. In comparison to the likes of the Rezound and Sensation, it is also around 30 grams (1.1 ounces) lighter -- presumably because of the new materials being put to apply on HTC's great white hope.
Touring the body, the device is refreshingly unencumbered by complications -- the earpiece speaker is even integrated into the polycarbonate shell. The staple volume rocker is a white bar at the right side, while the micro-SIM tray is now hewn into the unibody (you will want a metal pin to access it on the top of the back). At the left edge there's the MHL-capable micro-USB port, while the headphone socket and tool button are both found at the top. Again, HTC's placement of this key, which also wakes the screen, makes less sense than if it was placed along the proper edge, however the buttons are solid and responsive, coated inside the same polycarbonate white because the unit -- no easily-chipped silver paint. The camera noticeably protrudes from the guts of the telephone, accented by a metallic circle -- this can be a phone that's pleased with its camera and we've dedicated a piece to this below. There's also a five-pin connector along the best side, ready for those inevitable docks and in-car holsters.
HTC One X vs. HTC Sensation XL... fight!
0 1 2 The speaker grill, produced from 84 individually-drilled holes, belts out numerous noise. In case you are seeking to use it to broadcast your music, you should have the device face down -- a built-in Sense feature does exactly that once you flip the device over during calls. It still suffers from an identical loss of bass present in most phones, although the single X is considered one of HTC's first devices to bring Beats Audio enhancements across all apps, removing considered one of our complaints with the tie-up. If you are trying to find more detail in this Beats Audio offering, check the write-up we gave it in our Sensation XE review.
Behind the polycarbonate gloss, the telephone arrives with 32GB of memory, with 26GB of this accessible to the user. That is further augmented by a brand new Dropbox deal offering a further 25GB to anyone that registers a tool from the only series. It is all running on NVIDIA's quad-core (plus one) Tegra 3, clocked at 1.5GHz and different from its incoming LTE variant set to reach with Qualcomm's dual-core 1.5GHz Snapdragon S4. The processor is teamed up with 1GB of RAM, while HTC's joined the NFC party, adding Android Beam functionality -- where ICS apps allow it. We were capable of ping some email addresses and internet sites between the single X and the Galaxy Nexus.
Display
3 The One X's 720p display under a USB microscope at about 230x zoom.
The One X matches the Rezound's 720p resolution, but houses it in a brand new Super LCD 2 panel and gifts it with 4.7 inches to play with, which translates to a pixel density of 316ppi. At this resolution, it embarrasses the remainder of its similarly-sized cousins (e.g., the 4.7-inch HTC Sensation XL) when put next side by side. And while we are not sure whether it is the pseudo-concave design of the display, that drops ever-so slightly on both edges or the thinner Gorilla Glass, the high definition pixel matrix seems to skim around the face of the telephone -- viewing angles are great, especially if the brightness is cranked up. Super AMOLED Plus aficionados, it truly is what your rival seems like. At the non-Pentile One X, colors seemed more natural and the whites were whiter than on AMOLED devices just like the Galaxy Nexus. When outdoors, we needed to max out brightness, but when we did, the screen was both navigable and readable.
Camera
There are two basic ways manufacturers implement cameras on higher-end phones. One approach is to construct a no-compromise imaging-centric device geared towards photography buffs, as popularized by Nokia with the N8 and the recently announced 808 PureView. The choice is to take a reliable shooter and make it simple and bulletproof for anyone to enjoy, something Apple and (to a lesser extent) Samsung have achieved with the iPhone 4S and Galaxy S II (and derivatives).
While HTC has aimed -- and mostly succeeded -- at pleasing both the shutterbug and the layperson with handsets just like the myTouch 4G Slide, Amaze 4G and upcoming Titan II, it has usually favored the convenience-of-use approach. The only X continues this trend by delivering the most efficient valuable all-round imaging experiences we've come upon without sacrificing quality -- because of an 8-megapixel backside-illuminated sensor, an exceptionally wide aperture f/2.0 autofocus lens (vs. f/2.2 at the Amaze 4G, f/2.4 at the iPhone 4S, f/2.65 at the Galaxy S II and f/2.8 at the N8) and another processor called the ImageChip.
It's also the quickest cameraphone we've ever reviewed, the 0.7-second startup time and zero.2-second delay between shots beating even the speedy Galaxy Nexus. A single LED flash in a position to five different intensity levels completes the package. While the hardware is often state-of-the-art, there are about a omissions that prevent this shooter from hitting the bull's eye. Most disappointing is the dearth of a dedicated two-stage camera button -- we'll make do without the mechanical shutter, xenon flash and autofocus-assist light common to devices just like the N8, but we'll take a suitable mechanical shutter key over a basic on-screen button anytime. We're also serious about the long-term durability of the glass covering the optics that's exposed to fingerprints and scratches by protruding from the phone's body.
4 Just just like the remainder of the only X, the camera specs only tell 1/2 the tale. The software -- called ImageSense, naturally -- plays a major part within the handset's imaging mojo. It packs serious processing chops and supports a smorgasbord of features like real-time filters, HDR, panorama, burst and slow-motion video (to call just a few). Rather then unraveling every minute UI detail, let's focus (pardat the pun) on the shooter's functionality. First, there is no more distinction between photo and video modes -- you're welcome to take still or moving pictures anytime by tapping the correct on-screen shutter key. This indicates you are able to capture 8-megapixel widescreen images (3264 x 1840 pixels) while recording video! Better yet, it's even possible to snatch HD frames (1920 x 1088 pixels) from an existing video during playback.
Second, there is a full set of Instagram-like filters -- including tweakable vignette and depth of field effects -- that are applied to photos in real-time or after the truth. Both the camera and gallery apps provide a plethora of adjustments available before shooting and later while editing, akin to contrast, saturation and sharpness. There's also an array of manual settings to selected from, corresponding to exposure level, white balance and ISO. We now have a couple of niggles though -- conspicuously absent is any kind metering option (center-weighted, spot or average) and while touch-to-focus also offers some control over EV there is no thanks to lock focus and exposure before reframing. Most shooters enable this either by half pressing the dedicated two-stage camera button (N8), tapping and holding any a part of the viewfinder until the lock indicator appears (iPhone 4S) or -- our favourite for loss of a suitable mechanical shutter key -- tapping and holding the on-screen camera button (Galaxy S II). Hopefully here is something HTC can fix in a future update.
HTC One X sample shots
5 6 7 8 9 Now let's point out image quality. We pitted the only X against the present cream of the crop -- the N8, Amaze 4G, iPhone 4S and Galaxy Note (which uses the similar module because the Galaxy S II) plus Canon's S95 compact point-and-shoot. The camera landed somewhere in the course of this star-studded pack, marginally beating the Galaxy Note and iPhone 4S while almost matching the Amaze 4G. Sure, it isn't inside the same league because the N8 (which rivals the S95 every so often), but that is one stellar camera, especially seeing that HTC isn't positioning this phone as an imaging-centric device just like the Amaze 4G.
Low-light performance is especially impressive because of the quick f/2.0 lens and backside-illuminated sensor, which combine to collect an immense amount of sunshine. HDR night shots are truly magical -- no mushrooms required. Still, the software is determined by a little bit an excessive amount of noise reduction in extreme low-light which ends up in a noticeable lack of detail, and because there is no assist light, the autofocus often struggles at midnight and requires a number of touch-to-focus attempts before getting a lock. Pictures taken in most conditions look fantastic, but looking closely we're craving for a sensor with a much broader dynamic range and better quality lens (yes, the N8's Carl Zeiss optics are hard to conquer).
While color balance is frequently top-notch we noticed some issues with the white balance being off occasionally right after launching the camera -- it rights itself after just a few seconds, but it is a problem if you are looking to catch that fleeting moment. Metering is often accurate, however the loss of exposure lock signifies that in some instances (like sunsets) we resorted to fidgeting with the EV to prevent washing out parts of the shot. Needless to say, we're being picky here and none of this takes under consideration ease-of-use, which rivals the experience at the iPhone 4S (and beats it, in the case of speed). Yes, the proof is inside the pudding -- individuals who care little about aperture and shutter settings will take great photos with the only X.Yes, the proof is inside the pudding -- those who care little about aperture and shutter settings will take great photos with the only X.
The One X captures 1080p video at a silky smooth 30fps with continuous autofocus and stereo audio. Results mostly look sharp and sound clear -- we noticed some faint video compression artifacts (bitrate is 10Mbps) and the automated gain control reacted slightly too quickly to wind noise, but it truly is nothing to be troubled about in most situations. By contrast with how quickly the camera handles stills, there's a couple of four-second (!) delay between tapping the on-screen video capture button and the real start of the recording that means you're prone to miss some firsts if you are not prepared. There's one other neat trick worth mentioning, and that is slow motion. Yes, this shooter is ready to record 480p widescreen video (768 x 432 pixels, to be exact) at 60fps for playback at about 24fps -- take a look at our sample video below.
Performance and battery life
0 Quad-core phones have arrived. While we've already seen the NVIDIA tech on one among our favourite Android tablets, the only X is our first Tegra 3 smartphone to reach for testing and it doesn't disappoint. We tried to push the hardware up to shall we and it handled the vast majority of our tasks effortlessly. GTA3 loaded effortlessly -- and was fast. Even task-switching couldn't sink the telephone, even though it does pause to think while you jump between heavier tasks like video and gaming. Browser performance is a revelation too. We couldn't spot any tiling issues as we scrolled at high-speed in the course of the front page of Engadget -- none -- pictures were there before we even got to them.
This triumphant real-world performance is backed up by some understandably jaw-dropping benchmark scores, besting even the Transformer Prime in Quadrant and Vellamo performance tests and thrashing the Galaxy Note -- our previous smartphone heavy-lifter -- around the board.
| HTC One X | HTC One S | ASUS Transformer Prime | Galaxy Note | |
| Quadrant | 4,906 | 5,053 | 3,023 | 3,998 |
| Linpack single-thread (MFLOPS) | 48.54 | 103.88 | 43.35 | 64.3 |
| Linpack multi-thread (MFLOPS) | 150.54 | 222.22 | 67.05 | 95.66 |
| NenaMark2 (fps) | 47.6 | 61.0 | 46.07 | 32.8 |
| NenaMark1 (fps) | 59.5 | 60.8 | 60.07 | 56.6 |
| Vellamo | 1,617 | 2,452 | 953 | 901 |
| SunSpider 9.1 (ms, lower numbers are better) | 1,772.5 | 1,742.5 | 1,861 | 2,902 |
While an AT&T-branded One X is determined to reach carrying LTE (and a SnapDragon S4), this global model features both quad-band EDGE and HSPA+ 42Mbps (2100 / 1900 / 900 / 850MHz). Speed tests on AT&T within the US reached about 6Mbps down and 1.2 Mbps up on HSPA+, and 3 and O2 within the UK averaged around 2.2Mbps down and slightly below 1Mbps up on HSPA. Call quality is ideal, with the noise-cancelling second mic helping to concentrate on the voice, although some background static remained on our test calls on several networks.
Battery life, however, looks prone to pay the cost for this. With brightness set to 50 percent, WiFi on but not connected, the single X's 1,800mAh juicepack managed six hours of constant video playback -- that's two hours in need of its sibling, the single S. Obviously, one of these activity is probably going to apply the phone's multiple cores, but we found that Tegra 3's 4-PLUS-1 setup still continues to slurp the battery on very light use -- we didn't notice that extra companion core taking any type of burden off the phone's power consumption. Checking our battery status, it kind of feels like HTC's Super LCD 2 screen -- perhaps unsurprisingly-- was also responsible for a life span that did not last an entire workday.
Software
1 The latest version of HTC's proprietary skin, Sense 4, comes on top of Android 4.0.3. But this is not your father's old version of Sense. In reality, it is a far more refreshing tackle a skin that was once incredibly slowed down by nonsense animations and unnecessary UI elements. Is it stock Ice Cream Sandwich- No, not by a protracted shot. But what you will get with the only X's user experience is a nice mixture of ICS and Sense, both halves somehow finding how to live together in harmony.
That's to not say Sense 4 is an entire and excellent Android skin. However it does a higher job identifying the spirit of stock Android and really striving to emulate the OS, other than throwing Google's designs and inspiration out the window. HTC's goal was to make the recent Sense much lighter and fewer burdensome to the remainder of the platform, and we might say it has largely succeeded.
There is much to talk about within the new Sense that our overview of it became too large to incorporate with the remainder of our impressions at the One X. To get the complete scoop complete with screenshots and video, visit our incredibly comprehensive Sense 4 review.
Wrap-up
2 There's absolutely little question that the single X is a masterpiece of an Android device: it obliterates mainly all of its competitors by giving even the mighty Galaxy Nexus a run for its money. HTC's really crafted something special here, with an excellent combination of branding, industrial design and user experience. This handset looks and feels stunning, with top-notch materials and build quality, essentially the mostsome of the most gorgeous display we've ever stared at on a phone, a good looking camera that's fast and simple to make use of and a laundry list of each possible spec under the sun. Sense 4 is thin and light-weight enough to improve -- not detract from -- stock Ice Cream Sandwich. Pinch us, 'cause frankly, we're smitten.
Still it isn't all rainbows and glitter. While it's incredibly quick and smooth in actual use, we're surprised that the quad-core Tegra 3 within the One X performed slightly worse in our benchmarks than the twin-core Snapdragon S4 inside the One S. Battery life is by far our biggest concern and we actually hope that HTC addresses this head-on with future software updates. It will be interesting to look how its LTE equipped twin (that is also Snapdragon S4-based) fares in those areas when it launches within the following few weeks -- let's just hope AT&T keeps the firmware as unadulterated as possible. Ultimately, buying a One X is lots like getting a unicorn -- it's wild, fast, white, beautiful, expensive and fickle. Time will tell if dressage school tames this power hungry beast.Ultimately, buying a One X is lots like getting a unicorn -- it's wild, fast, white, beautiful, expensive and fickle.
Mat Smith and Brad Molen contributed to this review.
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