The specs are not that different – 4.7” HD 1080p 478 PPI Gorilla Glass screen, Snapdragon 1.7GHz quad core, 2GB ram, 32/64GB SD, NFC, Wi-Fi AC, Bluetooth 4.0, GPS, Cameras, 2300 mAh battery etc… In short a quality phone with all the goodies you want.
The differentiator is the HTC Home screen using ‘BlinkFeed’ – a social media aggregator screen that continuously updates the screen (data charges could apply).
It also has BoomSound Beats Audio with dual front stereo speakers and a better amplifier. Yes it can be loud.
The camera is called UltraPixel – HTC does not reveal the MegaPixel count but says that it’s a ‘great leap forward’ using larger pixels and a better ImageChip so we will need to see results before we comment on this aspect. Flash is still a single LED which has its limitations but HTC have added five automatic settings to compensate.
All this wrapped in a full metal body that from a distance looks like an upmarket hipflask. Don’t get this confused with the HTC One X, X+, XL, S, V…
Analysts have said that in comparison to the impending Samsung S IV (4) HTC has a nicer user interface but lacks a microSD slot for memory expansion (not really an issue) and a removable battery (not an issue unless you want to keep the phone for 5 years!). HTC is generally regarded as having a better build quality than Samsung's offerings (but we have yet to see the S IV so lets take that with a grain of salt).
Release date in Australia is ‘late March’.
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