HTC has just announced its 2013 flagship, named “One”, and we’ve been there in New York to check out every possible aspect of the phone which can be analyzed with the occasion of a brief encounter. The first thing which strikes you most and right from the beginning is the aspect of the phone; HTC managed to bring a nice, unique, refreshed and intriguing design to the table and the One will surely catch everyone’s attention.
Specifications
Attractive looks are complemented with promising specs. The One packs a Qualcomm Snapdragon 600 chip and features a full HD display in a 4.7-inch package. There are 2GB of RAM, 32GB of internal flash storage (64 optional), and a 2300mAh battery. HTC’s choice for the camera raised a couple of eyebrows; in a world where everyone is upping the megapixel count (from eight to thirteen), the Taiwanese manufacturer decided to equip the One with a four-ultrapixel camera, basically multiple four-megapixel sensors meant to increase image quality and light sensitivity.
Software features complement the camera and imaging experience; HTC’s ZOE takes still shots along with your HD video recordings, and automatically compiles highlight reels. ZOE also captures a couple of seconds of video with every picture so the gallery is no longer a static collection of thumbnails but a dynamic representation of shots which remind you of the exact moment you snapped your image, adding context.
Software
The One runs on Android Jelly Bean but HTC has slapped the latest iteration of its own Sense custom UI on top of it. Sense 5 looks and feels different and it aims to bring a minimalistic look in certain places, like BlinkFeed, for instance, which gathers all the important information on the home screen in a nice, tile-like, representation.
Comparisons
Just how well does the HTC One stack up against the Droid DNA? Check out the video below!
Of course there’s the eternal debate on whether you should go for the silver (light) color option or the black one. Beyond personal preference the light flavor usually does a better job at hiding fingerprints, smudges, and other unwanted artifacts from your device. Let’s see if that’s the case with the One too!
Conclusion
The HTC One impresses, not only with its looks, but also with its specs. During our brief time with the One we also noticed that Sense 5 appears to be fluid.
About the only aspect of the device which is a question mark, at the moment, is camera performance. Four megapixel images might probably suit most people’s needs but we’re yet to see how the camera performs in conditions controlled by us.
Will the One be enough to stop HTC’s sliding trend? Can it be a worthy competitor for the Galaxy S IV this year? We’re eagerly waiting to get this bad boy in our labs for an extensive review and tell you all about it.
