HTC Announces 8S and 8X Windows Phones

Text and photos by Nicholas Montgomery

New York - Building on HTC and Microsoft's 15-year relationship, HTC's Peter Chou and Microsoft CEO Steve Balmer introduced the HTC Windows Phone 8X and 8S by HTC in a press event in New York this morning. HTC officially joins Nokia and Samsung as hardware partners for the upcoming Windows Phone 8 mobile operating system expected later this year.

"This is the most exciting thing we've done with Microsoft. It was clear what HTC had to do," Peter Chou, CEO of HTC said.

The 8X and 8S are both crafted with 3D gorilla glass on all four sides of the device. The 8X is the larger device with a 4.3" HD-resolution super LCD screen and the smaller 8S has a 4" LCD.

The two devices are the first Windows Phones with Beats Audio. A feature that figured heavily in HTC's recent Android smartphones. HTC bought a stake in Beats Audio last year,

Going along with the colours found in Windows Phone's OS, HTC announced the HTC 8X in California Blue, Graphite Black, Flame Red and Limelight Yellow. The Windows Phone 8S will be in Domino, Fiesta Red, Atlantic Blue and High-Rise Gray.

The rear camera features an 8 megapixel sensor with improved low-light performanceand  a 28mm lens.The camera can be trigged with a physical button, even if the phone is locked for easy access.

While we haven't seen a comparison with the camera in the recently demoed Nokia 920, the front facing camera claims "best in class," at 2.1mp camera and ability to shoot full 1080p video. This should enhance video messaging and Skype performance substantially.

The front facing camera also has an ultra-wide 88 degrees lens on which allows for getting more then just yourself in the photo.

The 8X's screen is a 4.3-inch Super LCD2 display and is powered by a dual-core 1.5 GHz Snapdragon S4 processor. The HTC 8X has 1GB of RAM, 16GB of internal storage, and supports 4G and LTE.

“Pairing HTC’s beautiful new Windows Phone 8X and 8S with our brand is a big milestone for both companies,” said Steve Ballmer, CEO of Microsoft. “Together we are offering customers a clear choice and a truly unique experience. I’m thrilled to take our longstanding partnership to the next level.”

The best device for comparison would be the Nokia Windows Phone Lumia 920 and 820, both which are slated for release sometime this fall. 

The Windows Phone 8S and 8X will be the flagship, signature devices for Windows Phone. The product launch is HTC's largest yet, coming into 50 countries and 150 moblie operators around the world. The phones will be available with Rogers and Bell early November.