HTC One X reviewed: it’s awesome

Adding to the camera is the audio support. Following last year’s partnership with Dr. Dre’s Beats Audio, the feature is now part and parcel with the smartphone, working with more than just the HTC audio player and functioning across the platform, even with Bluetooth headphones.

You’ll also find a GPS here, Bluetooth 4.0 support, support for HDMI over the microUSB port, WiFi, DLNA, WiFi hotspot mode, FM radio, and a front camera that offers 720p video conferencing but doesn’t handle low light all that well.

As much as we love the One X – and it’s a really easy handset to fall in love with – there are a few bones we have to pick with it.

One of these is the battery. After reviewing as many smartphones as we have in the past year, we’re well aware that the average mobile handset lasts about a day or two of battery life, but the Tegra-powered One X only lasts a max of one day.

Our usage consisted of calling up a few people and having five to ten minute chats, sending messages, social networking, taking pictures with the camera, and playing the odd game, and by the end of a work day, we’d require a charge without doubt.

We’re also surprised by the lack of a 4G LTE connection on this handset. One of the next HTC handsets promises to feature the high-speed fourth generation wireless connection technology – the One XL – but this model will also use a dual-core processor and feature less memory (16GB) on-board.

As the flagship handset, there’s some expectation that HTC would support top tier technologies, and while we have Near-Field Communication for wireless and the excellent camera, the omission of LTE is a tad surprising.

Also surprising is the lack of Beats headphones, one of the pieces thrown in the box of both the HTC Sensation XE and XL released last year. Beats Audio is here on the phone, but you have to buy your own decent headphones to make the most of it.

Looking at the back of the handset, we can’t help but wonder if Australians are missing out on a dock, like with last year’s HTC Rhyme. Five contact dots line the back of the handset and a dock mode sits in the settings menu, suggesting HTC has some form of charge dock planned, despite no Australian release date being announced.

Conclusion

While it’s not perfect, the HTC One X is the closest Android phone to get near perfection, and is easily one of the best smartphones we’ve played with to date.

The combination of a simple one-piece design, excellent high resolution screen, up-to-date operating system, and strong camera capabilities make this phone simply awesome, and is one of the best smartphones you’ll find on the market.