The One to rule them all. Review on HTC One

Speculations are over, it is here: The one that will rule them all. Call it sexy, call it revolutionary or call it Hi tech, I have no words in my vocabulary to describe it. It does not go overboard with huge numbers but works better than those with it. Let me introduce you to the HTC One (Initially code named – the M7).

Disclaimer – This is a specifications review and not a user review. This phone is expected to hit the Indian shores net month.

Dimensions – The phone is 9.3 mm thick or thin however you’d like to call it and weighs about 143 grams but the build quality of the device. At the first look it seems very similar to the recently released Blackberry Z10 and the Iphone 5 but it is still different in many respects. First of all, HTC has hit the sweet spot with its size. It is apt for one handed operations, the size should not be any less or any more. HTC has always maintained very high standards for its design and this time it has taken it a notch higher. With an uni-body aluminum design which is similar to the iphone 5 and the Blackberry Z10, but very impressive ergonomically. The placement of the buttons on the body makes it feel as if it is a kind which can be easily used. The screen is 4.7 inches in size but the phone remains compact and the screen uses much of the space which is supported by the lack of the bezels. Overall it is one of those HTC phones that really impressed me to an extent that I’m thinking of shifting my loyalties.

Display – The phone has a 4.7 inch super LCD 3 capacitive display with 16 M colors. It has a resolution of of 1080 x 1920 pixels which gives it a pixel density fo around 469 ppi. HTC added one more phone its full –HD list after the Butterfly. But with full HD displays comes a tremendous drain of Battery. But with full HD displays comes a tremendous drain of battery life. HTC has increased the battery capacity in this case but its performance is yet to be seen. The display does take cues from the clear black display of the windows phones (one in many similarities between the phones). I do not glorifying statistics (except when it comes to Sachin Tendulkar)   but at 468 ppi it is most dense screen in the market. But 468 or 400 doesn’t matter much until you use a microscope to view the screen. But for now, taking the statistics into account HTC is well above the rest.

Camera – The main aspect of the HTC one is its camera. It has a 4MP rear camera and a 2 MP front camera. Yes, I know that you re-reading the lines I have written above. Yest its true, HTC one has a 4 ‘MEGA PIXEL’ camera but its not a normal pixel but an ultra pixel . Let me explain you the difference – A ultra pixel is a new unit for measuring the resolution of a image or the smallest unit of an image multiplied by a factor of 3.3. That means the ultrapixel will absorb 330% more light than the pixel and hence will perform better in low light conditions. This is different from the sensors we use in the Camera’s which tries to magnify the light received. This camera also has a BSI sensor , so you not only get enough natural light you also get better magnification and hence splendid lowlight performance. On top of that it also has a new Image signal processor called the Image Chip 2 allowing autofocus in less than 200 ms. The Image chip implements a buffered capture cycle for pre and post shutter reading similar to the Blackberry timeshift.

The Zoe is another thing that adds spice to this amazing camera. It is a vine line feature where you can capture a 3 second full HD video with one shutter press and share it in various social networks using the Zoe. The link generated by the Zoe share lasts for one month.

The camera also captures 1080 p HDR video at 30 fps and 720 p at 60 fps. Overall the camera is simply outstanding and finally   busts the ‘Megapixel’ myth.

By the way the 4 MP camera in the HTC one is equivalent to a 13.3 MP camera in other cells in the market due to the ultra pixel phenomenon , if you are still hung up on the pixels.

Chipset and Processor – The device has a Snapdragon 600 chipset and a 1.7 Ghz Quadcore Krait CPU and an adreno 320 GPU. Again this is the best specifications that you will find in the market right now and the One proves to be the best in its class even in benchmarks so much that the S3 will attempt suicide.

Gsmarena carried out a few benchmarks tests on this device. Here are the results and it is off the charts.

https://blog.gsmarena.com/htc-one-benchmark-scores-are-here-ready-to-blow-your-mind/

Battery - The device has a 2300 mah battery, the largest among the HTC family. I’m still a little skeptical about the performance though. Only a hands on experience will tell us how the battery fares.

Memory – The device has 2 GB of RAM and 64 gb of Internal storage but without micro card expansion slot but you don’t need much as you will also be provided with 25 GB of free drop box space.

Software and OS –The device runs on Android 4.1.2 Jellybean and can be upgraded to Jellybean 4.2 possibly on the release itself. But the important aspect here is the Sense 5.0 which makes my dream of seeing a live tiles interface on the android phone come true. It beats the current market leader touchwiz by miles. HTC has officially made the best UI in the market, another reason for you to buy this phone.

Price and availability – The device will be available by March worldwide and will be price around INR 45000. But the phone is definitely worth the price. IT is simply OUTSTANDING!!!

Thanks and Regards,

SlightlyDrunk