The HTC One is easily one of the most important
devices HTC has ever released as it tries to regain
its profitable positions and return it to positive
dynamics, and now the One handset to help it
achieve those goals has finally become official.
The HTC One brings big improvements in
four key areas – camera quality with a new BSI
camera with optical image stabilization and
UltraPixel technology, a premium metal unibody
design, a new simplified HTC Sense Android
experience and enhanced stereo sound.
But first, here is a quick recap of the HTC One
specs:
– 4.7-inch 1080p full HD screen with 468ppi
– Aluminum unibody, 9.3mm thin, 143 grams
– 1.7GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 600
– HTC UltraPixel Camera with improved low-light
performance
– 32GB or 64GB of internal storage, 2GB RAM
– Stereo front speakers, HDR microphone
– New simplified HTC Sense with BlinkFeed
– 4G LTE connectivity
– 2,300mAh battery
The HTC One comes with a brand new design,
one that reminds us the HTC Droid DNA and the
iPhone 5 of course. Dominated by a 4.7-inch
1080p full HD Super LCD3 display protected by
Gorilla Glass 2 and with a pixel density of the
whopping 468ppi, it features two speakers for
stereo sound on the front.
Overall, it looks premium all-around with an
aluminum unibody crafted with what would
instantly remind you of Apple – starting from the
material and down to the two distinct strips
where the speakers are located and the rounded
chamfered edges. Looking at it, we’re wondering
whether Apple is not already gearing up for
another lawsuit.
On the inside, the HTC one is running Android
4.1.2 Jelly Bean with a brand new and simplified
HTC Sense skin. It stands out with the BlinkFeed
feature, a home panel filled with large tiles of your
latest updates from social networks and apps.
Additionally, HTC has baked in Sense TV turning
your HTC One into a TV remote (using an infrared
blaster built in the power button). The Sense TV
feature also acts as an interactive program guide.
HTC One: the processor and internals
The HTC One is one of the first devices featuring
the Qualcomm Snapdragon 600 with a quad-core
1.7GHz Krait 300 processor. The chip also known
as the APQ8064T is the 2013 successor to the
Snapdragon S4 Pro, and compared to it, the
Snapdragon 600 is expected to improve
performance by up to 40%. The Snapdragon 600
has actually already been confirmed to be in the
LG Optimus G Pro, and we expect it to arrive in
many more devices in the second quarter of the
year.
The handset also features Adreno 320 graphics
and 2GB of RAM, a powerful combination that will
help for smooth rendering of the millions of pixels
on the 4.7-inch 1080p display.
The HTC One comes in two versions with plentiful
storage, one of 32GB capacty and a 64GB one.
There is no microSD card slot to further expand
on-board storage.
In terms of connectivity, the HTC One, of course,
supports 4G LTE, but it also has an NFC chip and
Bluetooth 4.0, along with the standard Wi-Fi a/ac/
b/g/n and GPS with Glonass.
HTC One: UltraPixel Camera and improved
BoomSound
Probably the biggest innovation in the HTC One
however we saved for last – the HTC UltraPixel
Camera. HTC does not name the official megapixel
count, but what matters is not the pixels here, it
is how HTC is using them.
With ultrapixels HTC dares put an end to the
megapixel race and instead to the sensible thing
of increasing pixel size, and thus the amount of
captured light. The end result is drastically better
low-light images as the new and larger image
sensor captures 300% more light than previously
possible with conventional smartphone cameras.
The sensor itself is a 4-megapixel backside-
illuminated (BSI) with f/2.0 aperture and a 28mm
wide-angle lens. The camera is also relying on a
new dedicated HTC ImageChip 2 for fast image
processing.
Additionally, HTC is bringing a ton of little tweaks
to the camera with new features HTC Zoe that
creates 3-second animated short clips making
your memories come alive.
Finally, sound is also given a boot with HTC
BoomSound, the dual front stereo speaker setup
(the speakers come with built-in amps) and Beats
Audio support. Recording in videos is clearer with
an HDR microphone.
HTC One price and release date: is it the
One?
HTC has really improved every important aspect
of the phone’s experience with the HTC One. At
first sight, it is an absolutely brilliant phone with a
gorgeous design. But last year HTC had a similarly
brilliant One X as its flagship (truth is it had sub-
par battery life), with a best-in-class screen and a
beautiful design, and it still couldn’t make a dent
in the Samsung-Apple duopoly.
The HTC One will be released in March on a
whopping 185 carriers in over 80 markets.
And this year, HTC will hopefully market the new
One enough to give it a chance against Samsung
and Apple.
How do you like the new HTC One?
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