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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evonitzer - Friday, March 22, 2013 - link
I was thinking the same thing. 1280x720 = 340ppi in 4.3 inches. Back it up with some decent hardware and I think we'd have a winner. Perhaps they could go the Nokia route with their cheap phones and make it thicker and plastic (and maybe crazy removable backs?) so we could see if people really are interested in a thicker phone with good innards. Price it like the Nexus 4, and I would snap it up in a heartbeat.Mook1e - Friday, March 22, 2013 - link
I'm just going to post two anecdotes with regards to both removable batteries and microsd storage.Let me caveat my statements by admitting I own a Galaxy Note 2 and am an advocate for both features.
I was recently working with someone who had 2 iphones on Verizon simply so that he could have double the battery life. He didn't use an external charger, but instead called Verizon and deactivated and then activated the iphones when the battery died on his first phone! Ridiculous.
I always carry two batteries for my phone, even though the Note 2 lasts 2 days with moderate use. I've just gotten into the habit and it's great to have the simple option if I am away from power unexpectedly.
I was also recently snowboarding in Keystone, Colorado using my Note 2 for music and a GoPro to record my runs.
I had purchased a 64GB microsd for the Note 2 and a 16GB microsd (with sdcard adapter) for the GoPro. I would swap the chips and watch my runs on the gondola back up to the top of the mountain. Needless to say, the glorious huge screen (even though not fullhd) of the Note 2 and the fact I was even able to swap cards was awesome, and numerous fellow gondola riders stated the same when I did it.
These incidences have only happened in the last 2 WEEKS and they perfectly demonstrate the flexibility you have with those two simple design choices.
One more thing about this mini review.. why is it every other review/preview of the One and S4 has indicated that while the One has good low-light camera performance, overall its camera is of lower quality to the S4/Z chip and S4 software? Just wondering.
Death666Angel - Friday, March 22, 2013 - link
To your last point: Anand did state:"In well lit outdoor scenes the One’s camera does a reasonable job (although HTC seems to have an issue with noise in these well lit scenes from whatever processing they seem to be doing)"
Which shows that he thinks that in that scenario, it is only par for the job or even below par. And I don't think he has a G4 to compare with, hence no comparison to that. :)
Mook1e - Friday, March 22, 2013 - link
That's all well and good, but in his S4 comparison he implies the One has better camera quality versus the S4's list of features. Better low-light quality, but arguably worse quality overall.Can we have some honesty, please?
phillyry - Tuesday, March 26, 2013 - link
Mook1e,Try listening to the podcasts and/or reading Brian's article on optics - that's what's biased Anand. He respects Brian's knowledge and understanding of optics and smartphone cameras and is likely placing some faith in Brian's assertion that the One is going in the right direction when it comes to smartphone cameras.
nerd1 - Tuesday, March 26, 2013 - link
Actual sample pics says elsewise.Mook1e - Friday, March 22, 2013 - link
I'm just going to post two anecdotes with regards to both removable batteries and microsd storage.Let me caveat my statements by admitting I own a Galaxy Note 2 and am an advocate for both features.
I was recently working with someone who had 2 iphones on Verizon simply so that he could have double the battery life. He didn't use an external charger, but instead called Verizon and deactivated and then activated the iphones when the battery died on his first phone! Ridiculous.
I always carry two batteries for my phone, even though the Note 2 lasts 2 days with moderate use. I've just gotten into the habit and it's great to have the simple option if I am away from power unexpectedly.
I was also recently snowboarding in Keystone, Colorado using my Note 2 for music and a GoPro to record my runs.
I had purchased a 64GB microsd for the Note 2 and a 16GB microsd (with sdcard adapter) for the GoPro. I would swap the chips and watch my runs on the gondola back up to the top of the mountain. Needless to say, the glorious huge screen (even though not fullhd) of the Note 2 and the fact I was even able to swap cards was awesome, and numerous fellow gondola riders stated the same when I did it.
These incidences have only happened in the last 2 WEEKS and they perfectly demonstrate the flexibility you have with those two simple design choices.
One more thing about this mini review.. why is it every other review/preview of the One and S4 has indicated that while the One has good low-light camera performance, overall its camera is of lower quality to the S4/Z chip and S4 software? Just wondering.
name99 - Friday, March 22, 2013 - link
"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."I don't know about that. The champfering, in particular, seems so much an iPhone5 design cue that isn't forced by the overall design concept. But that's not what I want to discuss.
What I find interesting here is the question of how much profit HTC makes on these devices, which I suspect are crazy expensive to make. My larger thinking is based on the question of: "how is Apple competing", a question that is constantly answered on the internet by reference to what Apple was doing 18 months ago rather than what Apple is doing today, let alone next year.
At first Apple competed on the basis simply of having a smartphone that actually was a smartphone, not a piece of crap like every competitor.
This persisted until Android became at least marginally viable (around 2.2 or so) at which point the competition shifted to screen quality. This was the basis of competition for two years or so until Apple's exclusivity contracts ran out, or perhaps until competitors managed to retool for retina displays.
Both of these features (OS quality and screen quality) remain Apple selling points, and Apple fanatics will point out ways in which they remain superior; but their superiority is now a matter of degrees and opinion, not the qualitative difference of before.
So what's the new basis for competition. I submit that it is build quality. The iPhone5 is a truly astonishing device to hold. The iPhone1 (and 3G and 3GS) had really obvious seams and edges; even the iPhone 4 and 4S had noticeable edges. But the 5 seems like it is almost organically grown in its perfection. And so it provides an answer to the question "Why should I pay more for an iPhone".
Samsung does not (as far as I can tell) appear interested in competing along this dimension. (Whatever other people have said about SGS4, they have not raved about its build quality as something new.) This may be because they haven't had time to retool; or it may be that Samsung simply appreciate that their customers are not willing to pay for this --- there's no shame in selling a Honda Civic at Honda Civic prices, the only shame is pretending your Civic is a Mercedes.
HTC, on the other hand, seem to have decided this is a space in which they want to compete; and at least from the photos they seem to have succeeded --- I haven't seen one in real life, so don't know if there are non-obvious problems. This may make sense for them, catering to the Android-loving set who are willing to pay more (BMW to Apple's Mercedes); but it all hinges on whether they can make a profit. Apple have invested (we know this from a variety of clues) a MASSIVE amount, like billions of dollars, in tooling and in learning over the years, to get to the point where they can make an iPhone5, sell it at the price they do, and make a profit.
It's not clear to me that HTC can make the economics work in the same way.
Which is a shame --- high-end competition for Apple benefits us all; but if I had to bet, my betting would be on HTC going broke over this, not on it saving HTC. I expect the end-game will be some sort of merger --- MAYBE Samsung buying HTC, but more likely either one of the Taiwan computer companies or maybe nVidia.
haze4peace - Sunday, March 24, 2013 - link
Hey thanks for the insightful post.nerd1 - Tuesday, March 26, 2013 - link
CNC machining has been around for decades and it does not cost that much ($2-$3 i guess)And apple havent invested anything to improve cnc technology either. Literally anyone can uae machine if they are willing to do - see nokia, htc, and even samsung (their series 9 laptop has cnc unibody)
Also apple has way higher margin than even samsung who makes most parts in house. All other OEMs uses obviously better display, larger ram, better ap, larger battery... Apple products are not BMW, they are polished civics with BMW prices.