HTC One X review: Complete features, hardware, interface, price and verdict
Multimedia
The gallery arranges different category of images and videos in stacks. Once clicked the stack, you will see thumbnails arranged side-by-side. You can share individual photos or the whole stack via facebook, twitter, mail, Bluetooth etc.
The music app lists all music-related apps in it so that you can play them inside music. The sound enhancer while playing a song can enhance the quality but it’s not available for speaker. It doesnot crackle at maximum volume, but the output through speaker is rather low and flat. Connect your earphones and the whole experience changes with crisp sound ad bass where you can hear each note very clearly.
The video player can play 1080p video. There is no video app so you will have to go to gallery and play your videos. There is an image capture button with which you can capture images in the video.
Other tools
The calculator is usual and turns to scientific in landscape mode.
The virtual keyboard is very comfortable to type even in portrait mode. You can also use the voice command.
The calendar app can show you events in day and month modes. We would’ve liked a week mode as well. There are also agenda and invite modes.
The car app is a very useful app which makes operating your HTC easy while driving. It has the various apps in large icon so that you can operate them with one hand.
The flashlight app acts as a torch with three brightness level.
The FM Radio does need you to insert your earphones to be able to play.
HTC Hub is its own app-store where you can find lot of apps and customization tools.
The mirror app allows you to utilize your front-camera.
The move editor app has basic editing and custom frames with which you can edit a movie. Somehow it couldnot load the 1080p video to edit.
The note app lets you record and then make notes listening to it. It also integrates with Evernote to make your notes accessible on other devices – something we wish Samsung did!
Other common tools include Task manager, tasks that syncs with Google task and Voice recorder.
Google apps
All common apps you get with Android.
Third-party apps
7digital lets you buy and stream music on the go. The Bollywood Hungama is hub for your Bollywood gossips. eBuddy XMS is an online free sms service. Other apps include facebook, twitter and Polaris office pro.
Benchmarking
Quadrant puts the One X right on top, even above the Transformer Prime, Bravo! Same is the case with Antutu, so thus with Vellamo (only One XL tops it here) in both full benchmarking as well as only SunSpider. The One X was able to calculate Pi at 10000 digits in an incredible 1.69 that says a lot about the brain beneath. However BrowserMark says the default browser on Transformer Prime is faster than that on the One X. Below are the complete results from all benchmark testings.
Battery
This is the sole aspect that is good, but doesnot exactly justify the One X’s top of the chain personality. A moderate use with only Wi-Fi on gave us about 12:20 hrs of juice, and 15hrs without Wi-Fi and background syncing switched off. However the 1800mAh battery only lasts for about 9 ½ hrs in full power – Wi-Fi and 2G on and connected all the time, about one hour of video, about 45 mins of talking and some extensive browser. In most of the cases this is extreme except while you’re travelling long distances maybe – so you can take it as about 12hrs and be prepared to charge it every night.
Verdict
Let’s see some pros and if there are any cons at all –
Pros
- Out of the world looks and very good built
- Sense is lighter and faster than ever with ICS
- Beats audio
- Best in its class camera
- Brilliant display
- Decent pricing, reduced recently
Cons
- Average battery life
- Non-replaceable battery
- microSIM
- no microSD slot
I can live with most of the cons happily when the pros are so overwhelming. It only competes with the Galaxy SIII but sadly we are yet to test the later. Apart from that, I don’t see any competitors really, except the price. If you have cash, can spend and want the absolute best – get this baby! You don’t find such devices every day that can start a new standard.
Pallab
