The HTC One: A Remarkable Device, Anand’s mini Review
by Anand Lal Shimpi on March 21, 2013 4:49 PM EST- Posted in
- Smartphones
- HTC
- Mobile
- HTC One
![](https://images.anandtech.com/doci/6851/DSC_9915_678x452.jpg)
For the past week and a half our own Brian Klug has been hard at work on his review of HTC’s new flagship smartphone, the One. These things take time and Brian’s review, at least what I’ve seen of it, is nothing short of the reference piece we’ve come to expect from him.
In the same period of time I’ve been playing around with a retail HTC One and felt compelled to share my thoughts on the device. It’s rare that I’m so moved by a device to chime in outside of the official review, but the One is a definite exception. By no means is this a full review, and I defer to Brian for the complete story on the One - something we should be getting here in the not too distant future.
I’m not a financial analyst, but HTC hasn’t been doing all that well over the past few quarters. There’s a general feeling that the aptly named One is HTC’s last chance at survival. Good product doesn’t always translate into market dominance, but it’s a necessary component when you’re an underdog. Luckily for HTC, the One is great.
Design
Over the past two years HTC has really come into its own as far as design is concerned. The difference between the HTC One X and the plethora of flagships that came before it was remarkable. Moving to the One, the difference is just as striking.
I don’t seem to mind plastic phones as much as everyone else, but the One is in an appreciably different league compared to its peers. It’s the type of device that you just want to look at and touch. Given how much you do end up looking at and touching your smartphone, HTC’s efforts here seem well placed.
The One looks and feels great. The proportions are a little awkward in my hands, but I fully concede that’s going to vary from person to person. Despite the heavy use of aluminum, I don't feel overly worried about scratching/damaging the finish.
The challenge with any smartphone is to build something that looks distinct in a sea of black rectangles on a wall in a store. With the One (and arguably the One X before it), HTC does a good job of balancing the need to be seen with the need to be subtle. Elegant is the right word here.
While I’m sure there will be comparisons to the iPhone, the fact of the matter is that the design cycle on these smartphones falls somewhere in the 12 - 24 month range. With something as sophisticated as the One, you’re looking at the longer end of that spectrum. For what it’s worth, if I had to estimate I’d say design work on the One probably started before the iPhone 4S came out.
Smartphone Spec Comparison | ||||||
Apple iPhone 5 | HTC One | Samsung Galaxy S 3 | Samsung Galaxy S 4 | |||
SoC | Apple A6 1.3GHz | Snapdragon 600 1.7GHz | Snapdragon S4 1.5GHz | Exynos 5 Octa (1.6/1.2GHz) or Snapdragon 600 1.9GHz | ||
DRAM/NAND/Expansion | 1GB LPDDR2, 16/32/64GB NAND | 2GB LPDDR2, 32/64GB NAND | 2GB LPDDR2, 16/32GB NAND, microSD | 2GB LPDDR3, 16/32/64GB NAND, microSD | ||
Display | 4.0-inch 1136 x 640 LCD | 4.7-inch SLCD3 1080p, 468 ppi | 4.8-inch Super AMOLED 720p, 306 ppi | 5-inch Super AMOLED 1080p, 441 ppi | ||
Network | 2G / 3G / 4G LTE Cat 3 | 2G / 3G / 4G LTE Cat 3 | 2G / 3G / 4G LTE Cat 3 | 2G / 3G / 4G LTE Cat 3 (depending on region) | ||
Dimensions | 123.8mm x 58.6mm x 7.6mm | 137.4mm x 68.2mm x 4mm - 9.3mm | 136.6mm x 70.6mm 8.6mm | 136.6mm x 69.8mm x 7.9mm | ||
Weight | 112g | 143g | 133g | 130g | ||
Rear Camera | 8MP | 4MP w/ 2µm pixels | 8MP | 13MP | ||
Front Camera | 1.2MP | 2.1MP | 1.9MP | 2MP | ||
Battery | Internal 5.45 Wh | Internal 8.74 Wh | Removable 7.98 Wh | Removable 9.88 Wh | ||
OS | iOS 6.1.2 | Android 4.1.2 | Android 4.1.2 | Android 4.2.2 | ||
Connectivity | 802.11a/b/g/n, BT 4.0, USB 2.0, GPS/GNSS | 802.11ac/a/b/g/n + BT 4.0, USB2.0, GPS/GNSS, IR LED, MHL, DLNA, NFC | 802.11a/b/g/n, BT 4.0, USB 2.0, NFC, GPS/GNSS, MHL | 802.11a/b/g/n/ac (HT80) + BT 4.0, USB 2.0 NFC, GPS/GNSS, IR LED, MHL 2.0 |
434 Comments
View All Comments
Pylon757 - Thursday, March 21, 2013 - link
Um, Apple and their sapphire lenses?uhuznaa - Friday, March 22, 2013 - link
Sapphire glass cover over the lenses, not the lenses itself.CeriseCogburn - Friday, March 22, 2013 - link
glass covers front and back of the iphone shatterbricks...LOL
crack !
jayseeks - Friday, March 22, 2013 - link
Wow, you're an invalid.tipoo - Friday, March 22, 2013 - link
Correct, but if I remember right wasn't there a Sony phone with all glass elements?JDG1980 - Thursday, March 21, 2013 - link
For all the concerns about smartphone camera quality, why haven't there been any phones that let you shoot images in RAW format? For anyone who wants to do serious post-processing, JPEGs simply aren't good enough. You need the full dynamic range captured by the sensor.nerd1 - Thursday, March 21, 2013 - link
Phone camera sensors don't have ANY dynamic range to speak of.That's why they are trying heavily the HDR stuff.
evonitzer - Friday, March 22, 2013 - link
In an academic sense, it would be good to see the RAW results from phone cameras, but I have a feeling the results would be pretty hideous. The first manufacturer to release RAW will be praised by enthusiasts, but will be mobbed by the fake-enthusiasts for the amounts of noise coming off their sensors. Which will be copious.danbob999 - Thursday, March 21, 2013 - link
I find your conclusion pretty ironic. As if "enthusiasts" should prefer a phone that, according to you, looks better but the mass would prefer a phone with factual benefits (such as larger display, smaller size and larger battery).I would have said the opposite.
"Mainstream" customers are those who buy phones that sucks only because they look good.
CeriseCogburn - Friday, March 22, 2013 - link
That's the applefanboy argument - which includes "the feeeeeeeeeel".If they actually use a phone they won't notice the feeeeeel after a week if that long, more likely days.
At that point the harsh appletard edges cut into your hands and finger tendons before the shatterbrick breaks when dropped.