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
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 | ||
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Death666Angel - Friday, March 22, 2013 - link
The SGS2 was using either the Exynos Dual Core or a TI OMAP 4430. I had the SGS2 for over a year before switching to the Galaxy Nexus. It was super smooth. Even more so after upgrading to 4.0. Maybe you are doing something to the OS that you shouldn't? :Dlopri - Friday, March 22, 2013 - link
If Samsung made a phone that looks like this one, they would be accused of copying Apple. HTC doesn't run that risk for the virtue of being small. Something to think about, on our perverted IP laws in general.A5 - Friday, March 22, 2013 - link
This doesn't really look anything like any Apple devices. It's pretty clearly a different thing, especially with the different home screen.A Galaxy S or S2 with Touchwiz looks an awful lot like an iPhone 3GS, though. Samsung has done better with the S3 and S4 in that department, to be fair.
uhuznaa - Friday, March 22, 2013 - link
Why should someone bother to sue someone else who's in no way a threat? While of course someone else who IS a threat will be fought by all legal means, that's just business. Don't pretent that companies in a billion dollar market should be more holy than common people (who'll happily sue for much less money anyway).evonitzer - Friday, March 22, 2013 - link
What a weird comment. Are you accusing HTC of copying Apple by saying that if Samsung made this phone they would have been accused? Do you think they are copying Apple? Do you have any thoughts on the matter or are you just prognosticating on the reaction of the internet fanboys to a hypothetical situation?Anand did address this a little by saying that lead time on devices is pretty long. So they couldn't have started copying the iPhone 5 (which is most similar) before it was even out.
mazz7 - Friday, March 22, 2013 - link
A very nice phone and a nice review Anand, but not as i expected from your anandtech.com site :)Plastic phone are so very last year, i will definitely buy this when it's come out. once you go HTC you'll never buy anything. PS: from SGS2 and HTC One X owner.
Arbie - Friday, March 22, 2013 - link
No microSD card = no sale. Still.And for the non-removable battery: What do people do with these phones in two years when the battery will no longer hold a charge? Throw them away? Send them in for refurb?
CeriseCogburn - Friday, March 22, 2013 - link
Oh stop it. He has a right to his opinion, he loves apple so let him vent.Why are you such an anti first amendment nazi ? Ask yourself that.
jayseeks - Friday, March 22, 2013 - link
Trollposts? CeriseCogburn has been on a tear trolling anyone who even slightly disagrees with the notion that microSD and removable battery are not that important.CeriseCogburn - Monday, March 25, 2013 - link
Oh goody, the little tattle tale told everyone... not run to Mommie... I'm sure everyone wanted to know that hadn't seen it.