PC World
11/04/12
HTC's new flagship One X is a beautifully designed smartphone with a great screen and slick software. A very good camera adds to a well rounded package, though poor battery life and inconsistent HTC Sense software are downsides to an otherwise excellent Android device.
The HTC One X features a superb design, a fantastic display and offers excellent performance along with some very well designed software. Poor battery life and some annoying inconsistencies in software are downsides to an otherwise excellent Android phone.
• HTC One X preview
• HTC One X coming soon to Virgin Mobile
• Optus opens HTC One X pre-orders
To say the HTC One X has an attractive design would be completely underselling it. This single block of polycarbonate plastic is simply gorgeous and is without doubt one of the best looking phones we've ever reviewed. Like the Samsung Galaxy Nexus before it, the One X has a slightly curved profile that makes it both distinctive and comfortable to hold. This curvature is elegant yet subtle — it's hard to notice if you look at the phone front on.
The polycarbonate finish on the HTC One X isn't new, as Nokia has made it a key feature on its Lumia 800 and N9 smartphones. However, we prefer the smooth curves of the One X over Nokia's block shaped Lumia 800. We also prefer the finish of the One X over the plastic design of the Galaxy Nexus. The former is easier to grip and simply feels sturdier and better constructed.
This preference is easy to understand once you've held the One X in your hands. The attention to detail in construction and design is very impressive. The earpiece and rear speaker grills are both visible, but rub your finger across them and you can't physically feel the laser drilled holes. The bezel surrounding the screen is so thin it's barely noticeable. The power and volume buttons are perfectly positioned and provide great tactility when pressed. The One X simply feels elegant, a phrase not often associated with Android phones.
That being said, the design of the One X isn't perfect. The camera lens protrudes from the back and therefore directly comes into contact with a desk or table when you sit the phone on it. While the lens itself seems to be protected by a slightly raised outer rim, both the lens cover and the rim itself were visibly scratched after a few days of use.
The edges of the microSIM tray on our review unit were left looking slightly flimsy after it was opened a few times, while the polycarbonate design means a non-removable battery. There's no room for a microSD card slot, either. We also found audio output via the built-in speaker rather low. It's not as low as the volume on the Galaxy Nexus, but it isn't as loud as we expected and often made ringtones and notification tones difficult to hear when the phone was in our pocket. None of these issues are enough to completely overlook the One X, but the lack of expandable memory will annoy many current Android users.
The HTC One X has a brilliant 4.7in Super IPS LCD2 display with a HD resolution of 1280x720. It's crisper, brighter and sharper than the Samsung Galaxy Nexus' 4.65in Super AMOLED HD display. It has excellent viewing angles, great sunlight legibility and good colour reproduction. It also has a very high pixel density of 312ppi, putting it only slightly behind the iPhone 4S's ppi of 326.
Next page: Software, performance, camera and more
1
Battery life is really poor and mine keeps locking to "Emergency Calls" only - been without it for over 48 hours now. Not at all happy - never had any problem with my i-Phones.
2
nice looking camera with a few problems that hopefully can be sorted
3
I have no idea, who does this phone target? It is the best entertainment phone currently in the market. if display could be handy and compactible to pocket size, I would be more satisfied. Also Battery life could be better. Still more innovation I am expecting. This phone didn't produce more than better software.
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susan blanch
1
I do not like the fact that they have No cd/dvd/paper manual with htc one XL and I cannot find how to download my pictures onto my laptop and it does not seem to have a photo chip? someone please help me?
peter
2
go to settings> connect to pc> change to disk drive > connect to pc> find pictures folder
done xD
Catherine
3
Mine keeps going to 'Emergency Calls' only - but this time it's locked and not coming back. I called Telstra and they said to take the battery out - but there's no battery! Any ideas please? Getting desperate without my phone.
Fasih Sheikh
4
I want to know that while using htc one x does the battery heats up ?
Does the battery last only for six months ?
...
5
@susan blanch
lol
Trina - Brisbane
6
Piece of junk....completely shut down....twice....kept freezing, taking photos of its own screen, all the bottom buttons (3) stopped working and poor battery life. As well as all that it heats up to Im really disappointed and think Im going to purchase something reliable - like an iPhone or Samsung.
Dave
7
I'm on my second one, the first was a real lemon with 6 different faults straight out of the box. My replacement worked for a few days but at least two to three times a day loses connectivity and says emergency calls only. Basically the HTC one XL is a heap of crap and I wouldn't recommend them to anyone
Michael
8
Calls people when not asked to. Episodically uses mega data. Wont send photos anymore and I cant find out why. Incesssantly demands I use the video sharing thing and I cant fond out how to stop it telling me in its cutesypie voice how muich fun it is to share watching videos and pictures on the TV