HTC One X reviewed: it’s awesome

The first handset for HTC in 2012 is a awesome smartphone, bringing together a high definition screen, fast quad-core processor, and Google’s latest version of Android in a handset of winning proportions.

Features

Encased in a white plastic chassis, the HTC One X is the first of a new line of handsets falling under the “One” branding, with HTC said to be releasing less handsets this year, instead of the 20-odd the company is known to make annually.

As the first, this is technically HTC’s flagship handset, bringing together some of the best technology to grace a mobile device in 2012. Much of this technology borrows from the template Google and

Samsung set up in the Galaxy Nexus, although HTC has tried to make it more consumer friendly than that developer-styled handset.

First up is the operating system, and we’re pleased to see HTC is using the latest version of Google’s Android operating system – Ice Cream Sandwich. Complimenting it is the fourth generation of HTC’s “Sense” overlay, a customised version of Android designed to make it easier to use the Google OS, integrate social networking services, check weather, and personalise the handset.

Under the hood, HTC has equipped the One X with one of the fastest chips to grace a mobile handset. Like many of the Android tablets being released this year, the One X features the Nvidia Tegra 3 processor, a 1.5GHz quad-core chip that should power almost anything you’re able to throw at it over the next two years.

Storage is provided in the form of 32GB built in, although unlike most of the Android handsets that have passed by our reviews desk, this phone lacks a micro SD slot, meaning there’s no way expand the memory.

All of this sits under a 4.7 inch screen running a 720×1280 resolution, with a value of 312ppi that, while not as high as the iPhone 4’s Retina grade 330ppi, should provide clear text and images. Like many of the HTC handsets we’ve seen in the past year, this screen is covered in Corning’s scratch-resistant Gorilla Glass.

The screen is simply beautiful on the HTC One X.

Multimedia wise, HTC has equipped the One X with a rear 8 megapixel autofocus camera with LED flash, front 1.3 megapixel camera, and dedicated camera chip which apparently improves speed and quality.

As far as connectivity options go, HTC has included WiFi a/b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.0, GPS, Near-Field Communication technology, and a maximum mobile downlink speed of 21Mbps.

For the first time in an HTC handset, the regular SIM has been switched out for the smaller micro SIM standard, accessible by a tray that ejects by poking a metal rod through a tiny hole.

Few buttons exist on the handset, with three soft buttons at the very bottom of the screen – back, home, and application manager – with a physical power button on the very top of the handset and a physical volume rocker on the right side. A microUSB port sits on the left side and a 3.5mm headset jack on the top.