Alex-Davies
- edited
UPDATE: The Telus HTC One V is now listed on FutureShop.ca and should be available very soon!
HTC used to be the king of the hill when it came to Android. The very first Android phone, the Dream/G1, the first flagship developer Android phone, the Nexus One, and the first 4G phone, the EVO 4G, were all made by HTC. However, over the past year, HTC ceded their leadership of the Android handset market to Samsung, with their now-dominant series of Galaxy phones. Many analysts attributed this loss to two main factors – HTC’s too large a selection of similar spec’d and priced handsets, all with different name plates, caused confusion in the market, and their Sense UI interface had become bloated and cumbersome.
For 2012, HTC is coming back with a vengeance, with a new handset strategy that they hope will win them back the Android crown. At the 2012 Mobile World Congress (for more highlights from MWC you can read Teddy K’s MWC blog entry), this past February, they announced their new HTC One series of Android phones. Like Samsung, they are using a single unifying name, One, that they hope consumers will think of when they want to buy the best Android phone. HTC has also addressed the issues with their Sense UI interface by rebuilding it from the ground up over the latest version of Android, Ice Cream Sandwich. This new Sense UI 4 is a lot more streamlined than the previous version, and should be much easier and more intuitive to use.
Three HTC One models have been announced so far - the X, S and V, and all three are coming to Canada. The HTC One X is exclusive to Rogers, but the S and V will be available on multiple carriers. The One S is coming to Telus, Bell, Virgin Mobile and Fido, and the V to Telus and Bell.
I recently had a chance to spend some time with the Telus versions of the HTC One S and One V at an event, and I came away very impressed. The build quality of the phones was typical HTC, which means excellent material choice, fit and finish, and the new Sense 4 running over Android 4.0 was a big improvement over Sense 3. Below are some pictures of the new phones, with some comments. Once I get a chance to spend a longer period of time with them, expect a more detailed hands-on report.
The HTC One series of phones is expected to be out soon in Canada, but no official dates have been announced. I expect to see them released sometime in April, but don’t quote me on it!
You can also go to HTC’s site to get more information about the Telus HTC One S and Telus HTC One V.
HTC One S
Specs:
- Operating System: Android 4.0 (ICS) + HTC Sense
- Processor: 1.5 GHz Dual Core Qualcomm MSM8260A
- Memory RAM: 1 GB DDR2
- Memory Storage: 16 GB onboard storage
- Display: 4.3" qHD Super AMOLED 960 x 540
- Network: HSPA 42 Mbps
- Wi-Fi: 802.11b/g/n
- Battery: 1650 mAh, Embedded
- Camera (Main): 8 MP, f/2.0, BSI, Single LED - Smart Flash, ImageChip 1080p HD Video with Stereo Sound
- Camera (Front): VGA (640 x 480)
- Audio: Universal Beats Audio
- Dimensions: 130.9 x 65 x 7.8mm, (8.9mm for bump area)
The One S is mid-range Android phone with a 4.3" qHD (960x540) Super AMOLED screen and 1.5 Ghz dual-core CPU. While it is a brand new device, it is NOT an LTE phone, so as to keep the cost down.
It has an aluminum unibody construction, similar to that of the HTC Sensation. Unfortunately the 1650 mAh battery is non-removable. Also the Telus model doesn't have the space-aged Micro Arc Oxidation "ultra-matte black Ceramic Metal surface" - this is exclusive to a version of the One S which, at the moment, isn't coming to Canada.
The One S is nice and slim, only 7.8mm at its thinnest point.
It has a front facing VGA camera. You can also see the precise fit of the 4.3" screen to the aluminum body.
On the back here you can see the 8 MP, f/2.0 back-illuminated sensor camera (similar to the iPhone 4S camera) and the microSIM slot. In 2012 expect most new phones to use microSIMs, already used in the iPhone 4/4S and Nokia Lumia 800. As you can see, there is NO microSD memory expansion slot, so you'll have to rely solely on the 16GB of on-board storage.
The new Sense 4.0 UI over Android 4.0 is a lighter 'skinning' of Android. While the icons and menus are still 'HTC-ified', Sense 4 is a lot closer to stock Android Ice Cream Sandwich than previous versions of Sense.
Here is the widget list, which combines the visual widget menu from stock Android 4 with the ability to select at the top which homescreen to place the widget on.
One page of the standard HTC Android menu, with a selection of stock Google apps and some custom HTC ones.
The software info screen shows that the HTC One S is running the latest version of Ice Cream Sandwich, ver. 4.0.3.
A nice feature of Sense 4 are these "tool-tip" overlays that appear the first time you access a default app on the phone - great for first time users.
Here is one of the home-screen folders that you can drop app shortcut icons into, to de-clutter your screen.
The Sense 4 on-screen keyboard, which looks very similar to the one found in Sense 3, widely considered to be one of the best Android keyboards.
The new camera app, showing how the image fills up the entire screen and the minimal interface overtop. HTC claims that their new ImageSense suite of camera and imaging features "sets HTC One apart from other phones". While I haven't had a chance to test this out, HTC's most recent phones did have great cameras, so I can only assume the next generation will be even better. The headlining features they are touting are simultaneous video and still capture, better low-light performance, and faster focus.
I ran a quick benchmark on the HTC One S, and as you can see the new Snapdragon S4 MSM8260A dual-core processor pushes this phone to speeds slightly faster than the Galaxy S II and Galaxy Note. While it's not a lot faster, keep in mind that this test was ran on pre-release hardware and software, so it will probably score higher when the final version is released. Also the One S is a mid-range device, not top-of-the-line like the Note and Galaxy S II. Expect the top-end HTC One X to score much higher.
You can also check out this hands-on video of the black HTC One S, from the New York launch event in February, by my friends over at MobileSyrup.com:
HTC One V
Specs:
- Operating System: Android 4.0 (ICS) + HTC Sense
- Processor: 1 GHz Qualcomm MSM8655
- Memory RAM: 512MB
- Memory Storage: 4 GB onboard storage, microSD expansion slot
- Display: 3.7" WVGA super LCD2 480 x 800
- Network: HSPA, speed not specified
- Wi-Fi: 802.11b/g/n
- Battery: 1500 mAh, Embedded
- Camera: 5 MP with autofocus ImageChip, LED flash and f/2.5x Lens, 720p Video Recording at 30 frames per second
- Audio: Universal Beats Audio
- Dimensions: 120.3 L X 59.7 W X 9.24 mm
The One V is an entry-level phone with a 3.7" screen and single-core CPU, and is looks a lot like the popular HTC Hero.
While its hardware is a little dated, compared to the top-end superphones, its software is right up-to-date, and it runs the same Android 4.0.3 with Sense 4 that is installed on the HTC One X and S. From my short time spent with the One V, it was well optimized and ran super smooth, even on the single-core CPU.
Like the One X and S, the V also has a unibody construction and a non-removable battery. It only has 4GB of storage, but at least it has a microSD slot, unlike its bigger brothers.
A unique feature of all the HTC One phones is the Beats By Dr. Dre Audio, for "richer, more authentic sound whether you’re listening to your favorite music, watching a YouTube video or playing a game."
As you can see the smaller One V is nice and compact in the hand, perfect for someone looking for a phone that actually fits in your pocket, unlike some of the giant superphones, such as the Galaxy Note!
The software info screen showing that it runs Android 4.0.3 with Sense 4.
You can also check out this short hands-on video of the HTC One V, from the same event I attended, by my friends over at MobileSyrup.com:
All pictures by Alex Davies
The HTC One V is the versatile, do-everything phone that's perfect for your busy, active lifestyle. The amazing no-shutter-lag camera is always ready to capture that special moment, and the One V makes it quick and easy to share with all your friends. Add a Beats Audio headset and you can immerse yourself in incredibly true-to-life sound, wherever your music takes you.
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