If you're a regular reader, you might be a bit confused. I constantly have articles that praise Apple, and shun Android. So, if I hate Android, then this review must be one of two things, right? Either I've switched to Android or I'm using this as an excuse to write down all the flaws and imperfections of the HTC One, showing how the iPhone is the better phone along the way.
Neither is true. What I set out to do here was do an unbiased review of what's being called "the best Android phone yet". What I found may surprise you. HTC did something here that I didn't think they could do, something they've never done before. They made a good phone.
I didn't buy an HTC One for this review. In fact, I just found a demo unit in an AT&T store, and played with it for about half an hour. I'm sure I frustrated a few sales people by walking out after I was done looking at it for so long, but it helped me play around with it enough to at least be able to do a quick yet decent review.
Hardware
Apple is the king of making good looking hardware. Sleek lines, durable, aluminum construction, and a minimalistic look that's nothing but class. HTC, like all other Android manufacturers, have made phones that pale in comparison to the iPhone. But finally, HTC may be stepping out of the shadows, with aluminum unibody of the HTC One. It actually looks good.
Screen
The screen of the HTC One is the best I've ever seen on an Android phone. In fact, I'd put it right up there with the iPhone, although the colors weren't quite as vibrant, and the screen had an artificial, bluish hue. Still, the screen has a higher resolution display than the iPhone, and it displays full 1080p on a 4.7 inch screen. The screen looks great, but I felt as though it was about a half of an inch too big. I found myself reaching up with my second thumb, even for basic navigation. Needing two hands for a device that should only need one isn't the optimal situation. The screen would be great, if only it was a bit smaller.
Design
The design of the One is very nice, something I couldn't say of most Android phones. Overall, it's 9.3mm thick, about 1.7mm thicker than the iPhone 5. However, it has a tapered edge, so from the side, it seems to be thinner. Holding it in your hand reveals the truth, although with the curved back, it's still comfortable to hold.
The power button is on the top, and the volume buttons are on the side, operated by the thumb. The power button is also an infrared blaster, capable of turning the HTC One into a universal remote. I didn't have a TV handy, but it looks to be a cool feature, especially if you lose your remote often.
One thing about the design of this that really bugged me though, was the headphone jack. If you're OCD, especially about design, then the location of the headphone jack is going to bug you too. It's closer to the center of the device than the power button is, and isn't in the middle of the phone depth-wise either. It's not something you'd see often, but from a design standpoint, it's one of the few things that really takes away from the aesthetics of this phone.
Speed
Most Android phones I use have noticeable lag between a tap or gesture, and the phone doing what you've asked of it. The HTC One, however, didn't have this lag, at least not that I noticed in my short time playing with it. That's thanks to a 1.7ghz quad core Snapdragon processor. It's a very powerful processor, and it enables the HTC One to feel much quicker than most other Android phones.
I was able to download Temple Run 2 on the demo unit, which I thought could give me an idea of the speed of this phone. It's not a very complex game, but it's one that's available for both iOS and Android. It was taking forever to download, but was much quicker after I turned WiFi off, and used AT&T's 4G. It took about 10-15 seconds longer to start up than the iPhone version, but after it did start, there was no noticeable lag or pausing. I couldn't test it against a more taxing app, but for this little app, it did quite well, besides the initial load time.
Camera
I didn't get to take a variety of photos, so I have to go off of what I've read in camera comparisons, along with the few that I took and we taken by the device by customers before me. The camera is something unique. It has a 4 megapixel sensor, but produces clear images thanks to its "ultrapixel" sensor. The sensor captures more light than your average digital camera sensor. Don't believe the megapixel myth, more megapixels doesn't mean a better image. In fact, the images taken with this camera are on par with the iPhone 5 and Nokia 900. They're clear, and while the color may be off in some photos, and dark photos have substantial graininess, they're still very good photos for a cell phone camera.
Sound
The HTC One has what HTC has unfortunately named "Boomsound". In no way is the name acceptable, but the feature itself is very good. The two (stereo) speakers on the HTC one are actually very good. While you probably wouldn't listen to music with them, they do work well for watching a video. I'd compare the sound quality to that of a laptop more than a cell phone. It's good, not great, but better than any other smartphone speaker I've heard. I was able to clearly hear music in the middle of a busy mall, and turning it up all the way would have gotten the attention of everyone around me. The speakers are very good on this phone. They're no replacement for good headphones, even cheaper ones, but the sound is still very good for external speakers of cell phone.
Software
With the One, HTC introduced the latest version of their Android skin, Sense 5. It's alright, but coming from iOS, I spent as little time on the home screen as I could, only using the app browser. The weather widget looks nice, but Blinkfeed, a sort of news widget didn't seem too useful. It aggregates news similar to the way Zite of Flipboard does, but there's no way to narrow down what displays on your home screen, and it can't be completely uninstalled. You'll spend most time looking at the app view, which sorts apps alphabetically, and scrolls vertically, rather than paging horizontally. As far as Android goes, it's not as bad as other phones I've used. Although, since I don't use Android regularly, it's tough to make an accurate comparison here, though from what I have used of Android devices, I disliked the navigation of this one the least.
The keyboard is big, but it didn't feel right. The keys ween't properly sized, as letters that are frequently typed were smaller than other keys. Also, when trying to fix an error, the text selection wasn't very intuitive or easy to use. I wasn't a fan of the keyboard or the autocorrect. I could see getting used to the keyboard, but it just wasn't designed to be perfect out of the box.
One thing I will mention, it comes with plenty of bloatware from AT&T. The Sprint version also has considerable bloatware. This is just one of those issues you'll have to deal with on any Android phone. It can often be removed, but you'll need to root your phone.
Conclusion
People often ask me for smartphone advice, and I always give them the same answer. "Get an iPhone". That's still going to be true. If you were to ask me to recommend a phone, I'd say the iPhone 5, and the iPhone 4S if you're looking to spend less money. I still think that all around, the iPhone 5 especially, is still a better phone, hardware and software. But, if you were to reply "no, I don't want an iPhone" I can now say "ok, get an HTC One". The HTC One is honestly the best Android phone on the market, and I'm not the only one saying that. The AT&T store had a Samsung Galaxy S3 next to the One, which felt like a slow, plastic, child's plaything next to the One. Android still is slower than iOS, requiring incredibly fast processors just to keep up. It also has security vulnerabilities, a less intuitive interface, and less third party support, both from developers and accessory makers. But at least I can tell you that while it's no iPhone, the HTC One is a great phone. Still, if you're absolutely against getting an iPhone, right now, any phone other than the HTC One would be the wrong choice.
The HTC One is $199 with a new 2 year contract on AT&T or Sprint. Or, you could get it off contract for $575, which may be the better option, as it doesn't come loaded with bloatware like the AT&T/Sprint versions.
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