There is a new Android device just about every other month really. So one might find it annoying to think you just brought the new hotness and then bam another one drops. While this may be the case, this assume that these new hotness devices release for every single carrier when they do. So you have the Nexus line which represent the latest and greatest, which is suppose to set the trend by Google. Then you have the hotness by carrier. For Verizon one can’t argue that it is definitely the Motorola DROID RAZR MAXX. Building off the RAZR and adding a battery that last well into the next day made that the obvious choice for Verizon Wireless. For T-Mobile that is now the HTC One S which is a sexy device in itself. Sprint will have its own version of the One X the 4G EVO LTE, and for AT&T the new hotness is now the HTC One X. Coming in at $199.99, let’s dive into why this is the new hotness!
Style
To say the HTC One X looks great would be an understatement. The One X is one sexy piece of hardware. I think this has be one of the thinnest phones to come from HTC (there is also the One S for T-Mobile which is quite then as well), and it is a really good look for them. While an white device probably wouldn’t be my first choice, with the One X I can let it slide and it just works. Made out of one unibody piece of polycarbonate, it has a plastic feel but doesn’t look or feel cheap.
The HTC One X will come in dark grey and or white. Personally lean towards the blacks or dark grays, but if you really want to stand out, you’ll opt for the all white. Well the white tends to show when it is dirty most, it can be cleaned up with a cloth and warm water with some elbow grease.
Tech
Tech in the HTC One X is a step up also from previous HTC Android phones. First off this is rocking Android Ice Cream Sandwich OS which is Google’s latest and greatest. This also is rocking HTC’s Sense 4.0 interface. If you have a previous HTC device that was just upgraded to ICS (like the HTC Vivid), you’ll only have up to Sense 3.6. Now while there are similar features shared with both, as a former HTC Vivid users, I can say I want Sense 4.0. The looks and feel is a little better, so while Sense 3.6 is a nice step up, Sense 4.0 is on the next level.
Beyond Sense 4.0, and in harmony with Sense 4.0 devices, you’ll be getting 25GB (I’m up to 26.2GB myself now) of storage space with Dropbox.com through a deal they have in place with HTC. This will come in handy because unlike the international version of the One X, the AT&T version only comes with 16GB of internal storage space instead of 32GB. Since there is no MicroSD card slot, after you 16GB (really 10GB or less) your pretty much done. But with the Dropbox storage, and now with Google Drive with 5GB free, at least you’ll have some options.
Once you get off the storage worries another great feature is the camera on this one. First instant picture taking, no log time. I still find myself waiting after hitting the shutter, to realize the picture has been taken already. Then there is the continuous shooting. Simply press and hold the button, it will take up to 99 shots at a time. This might should like hell for you Gallery app after, but it groups all those shots together so when you go to Gallery you will see it take up only one thumbnail vs seeing 99 thumbnails in you gallery. This is a really cool things HTC has done. After you look through the images, if you find one you like and don’t care about the rest, you can just delete them all in one shot or keep them, it really up to you. You’ll also really like the look and feel of the improved UI for the camera app as well. Even more so the camera advancements are there for the video portion as well. Being able to shoot 1080p video, but not only can you shoot video, but say you are recording and want to snap a picture, you can do so while recording! Sweet!
Man there is some much more tech wise, but I don’t want to overwhelm you lol. The last item I’ll talk about will be the HTC Media Link. While you will need to buy a separate accessory this will come in handy as it let you mirror what is on you phone to you HDTV. You can literally 3 finger swipe up and it will connect and show you screen. This can definitely come in handy as you say want to watch a movie on the big screen and still be able to use your phone to do other stuff. Or maybe for gaming, or even perhaps if to share some pictures of video with others quickly and easily. Also just to drop in there is Beats Audio which I guess makes it better. I know you’ll definitely want to have it on, but does it really improve sounds? I’m still on the fence about this.
Experience
I have been using the HTC One X for a little over a week now and I love this thing. I think I knew within two days that this was the hotness HTC smartphone I’ve used in awhile. I’m a current HTC Vivid user and I thought the 4.5 inch screen was already kind of big, so when I seen that this was 4.7 inches I had my reservations. However due to the slimness of the phone and the way it was made, it felt very comfortable in the hands. I didn’t experience any difficulty using it. Now I’m not going to lie, if you have smaller hands you will have moments when you find it hard to get to the top of the screen, it wasn’t too bad.
Now while I do like a phone that is slim and sexy, being able to get through the day is still a big thing for me. With every smartphone I have used so far, I find I end up needing to recharge midday which is a problem. I’m not going to say you are going to get a couple days on a charge with the HTC One X, or even going to get Motorola DROID RAZR MAXX endurance, the One X WAS the first Android phone I was able to at least last the work day for me. During one of my real world use battery tests, I unplugged the One X at around 7:50am and was able to make it until after 7pm before I reached under 10% battery left. While this isn’t highly impressive in terms of battery life, being able to just make it through the day I can get down with. But if you will be having a long night out, I suggest bringing a charger or charging before you leave work.
In terms of performance, the HTC One X was snappy. So even though it isn’t QUAD CORE, it handled ever task I threw at it with easy. I didn’t see any slow down while using multiple apps. So the DUAL CORE it does have is good for you everyday use.
Overall
If your on AT&T and up for an upgrade, this is a no brainer! You need the HTC One X in your life. If you are on another carrier, and thinking of switching, yea I would for the One X. Should you leave you iPhone for this? If you want a hot phone that actually has real 4G LTE speed hell yea! And if you are just stepping into the smartphone game, if you pick this one up, you’ll really be looking like #AllTheCoolGeeks.
So don’t forget, $199.99 on AT&T come May 6th!
