Review: HTC One X + Android smartphone

Text and photos by Gadjo Cardenas Sevilla

HTC's original One X flagship smartphone really impressed us last year. Ushering in a new bold design direction, a class-leading multifunctional camera, sleek lightweight unibody design and a powerful processor as well as a crisp and lavish 4.7-inch screen. HTC's taken the best features of its earlier flagship and improved them all around for the HTC One X +.

Keeping the same lightweight dimensions and curvaceous profile, the HTC One X + could easily be mistaken for its predecessor but what HTC has done with this device is quite remarkable.

The phone maker claims that the HTC One X + offers a '67% faster 1.7GHz quad-core processor,' 2X more memory with 64GB internal storage and that it has up to 50% more battery life.

It's quite impressive that HTC managed to improve so dramatically on its flagship smartphone in less than a year's time. The big attraction for many users will be the 1.7 GHz quad core processor on the X + which is an improvement over the original Canadian One X which was given a dual core processor because a quad core processor with compatible LTE features was unavailable. So, that's been fixed this time around.

I didn't get much time to test the HTC One X+ and I did not have an original One X to compare it to. That said, I was impressed with the build. look and feel of the HTC One X +. The screen flex flaw issue with the screen that plagued the earlier model wasn't as pronounced and I'm a big fan of the One X + choice of rubbery matte finish over the predecessor's smooth plastic exterior.

While I've said time and again that the HTC Sense overlay is looking tired, it does run smoothly on the One X +, so no complains there. 

HTC has taken one of the best Android smartphone experiences and improved the areas that count the most. Namely, processing power, storage capacity and battery life.

That they've managed to do this within months of the initial product's release while maintining the same svelte shape and profile that made the original HTC One X so appealing, is quite an achievement. HTC has taken a successful and competitive smartphone and made it even more compelling specially now that there are varioius challengers in the super smartphone segment. The HTC One X+ is available in Canada on Rogers and TELUS.