HTC has long favored 4.7” displays and it has suited them very well. The HTC One is a gorgeous phone and one I personally own however with the “Rise of the Phablets” HTC saw an opportunity to cater to the needs of those of you who love bigger screens. Did they deliver with the HTC One Max or should they have left well enough alone?
Style/Sound Quality
For starters the HTC One is a gorgeous phone and at first glance the HTC One Max appears to be more of the same, until you look closer. The HTC One Max is much bigger and too heavy and it takes away from the beauty that comes with the original flagship HTC One. On the plus side it packs a massive 5.9” screen that’s beautiful, bright and sharp and touts a removable back cover. Don’t sound the trumpets just yet the battery isn’t replaceable however you can increase storage with a micro sd card. Simply slide the button on the side to remove the back plate.
Instead of the one piece aluminum body found on the HTC One the HTC One Max still has an aluminum body but with plastic edges. This makes the HTC One Max seem a tad less premium.
The fingerprint scanner is found on the back of the phone and 9 out of 10 times did NOT recognize my fingerprint. I thought it was maybe because of the size and my hand was maybe awkward but regardless of how I flipped this thing it barely read my fingerprint so I opted after day one to just use a password. A bit disappointing since my iPhone 5S fingerprint scan is seamless.
Sound-wise I got no complaint from callers on the other end even when standing new the ocean and wind blowing.
HTC One Max Features
Enhanced Camera – You can create high-definition 30 second video shorts with footage from any events. You can choose from your own personal library to add music to the clip. Then share. As with the HTC One there is the Zoe, which you will need to use to unlock the new Gif Creator feature.
Loud Bass, No Beats– Dual front-facing stereo speakers—with built-in amps—minus the beats audio this go around. You will NOT be disappointed because the bass in the HTC BoomSound is even more killer than before. I will say that when paired with the new Beats Studio headphones the sound squashed the beats audio enhanced HTC One.
Get Scanned – the finger scanner (black square under the camera) on the backside of the phone lets you log up to 3 fingers. It not only unlocks the phone with the swipe of your finger but can also be programmed to launch specific apps.
Blinkfeed – With HTC BlinkFeed™ you can build your own personal, automatically refreshing home screen with the information and updates you want, including Instagram.
Snapdragon Oomph – The powerful Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ 600 processor in the HTC One max accelerates performance for lightning-fast apps, downloads, and web surfing. It enables up to 40% faster battery charging too. With its efficient Qualcomm Snapdragon processor, the HTC One max responds faster, games better, and lasts longer.
Final Thoughts
If you ever ask yourself the question can a phone be too big – your answer after using the HTC One Max could be yes. I love HTC and completely still in love with my HTC One but out the box this bigger, heavier version is a bit disappointing. With LG G2 using Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 processor you would expect at least that in the HTC One Max – you could definitely see the difference upon use. The HTC One Max is available on Verizon and Sprint only. My review phone was on Sprint network and it is important to note that most of my issues with the phone stemmed from that. With the rumors of a new variation of the HTC One maybe HTC will get it right. I can’t wait to see them give this another whirl on more carriers.
Of course if you’re a diehard fan and you’re still interested in picking up the HTC One Max you can check it out here priced between $199.99-$249.99.
