Text and photos by Gadjo Cardenas Sevilla
The HTC One is a giant step for HTC in terms of smartphone design and innovation. The Taiwanese company has always been focused on devices that are very well designed, intuitive and beautiful. With the HTC One, the company has come a long way and has produced what is arguably one of the most desirable smartphones we've seen this year, but will it have enough mojo to get customers to abandon their current devices?
The HTC One is the pinnacle of a design and development journey that began years ago when HTC was tapped by Google to make the first Android smartphone, the T-Mobile G1.
Since then, HTC has been a steadfast backer of the Android mobile OS and has launched a long series of respectable smartphones including the first Nexus device and last year's HTC One X flagship devices.
The best way for me to appreciate the HTC One was to see how it evolved from its progenitor, the T-mobile G1.
Reflective of smartphone design at the time when the original iPhone was the most revolutionary product in the market, the G1 combined a touchscreen with a slide out QWERTY keyboard as well as a small trackball. The G1 ran the pure Android OS without any overlay or HTC's Sense UI (that would come later).
Seeing the genesis of the HTC Android phone from its inception all the way to the HTC One is quite dramatic. In five years, we've seen the move to larger HD screens, a mostly multi-touch focused user experience and in the case of HTC, the use of more robust and premium materials as well as the new zero-gap construction ethos which is integrated, minimalist yet functional.
All of these features need to coexist in a device that's capable of LTE data speeds, one with above average battery life as well as myriad features such as a great camera, HD video recording, Near Field Communication (NFC) and the latest quad-core processors.
Look and Feel
The HTC One is a beautiful phone. The design is well balanced, pleasing to the eye and a joy to touch. The only other smartphone right now that is crafted to this insane level of detail and precision is the iPhone 5. They share some of the same manufacturing processes after all.
Photos of the HTC One don't really do it justice and one should go check one out in person to really experience the crisp and responsive screen as well as feel the exacting level of build and engineering that went into this device.
THe HTC One's minimalist design is strengthened by its seamless construction. Run your fingers across the device and there's hardly a hint of any line or separation in the case. The curved rear case is smooth save for the slight indentations in the top and bottom that house the antennas, the smooth glass of the camera lens, the etched Beats Audio logo and the inlaid HTC logo.
The rounded edges are smooth and you can barely feel the diamond-cut chamfers with your fingers and nails. The downside of this seamless design is that the power on/wake button on the top left and the volume up/down rocker on the right are almost flush with the body of the phone.
Some users will find this a bit frustrating, specially in dark situations where they're fumbling for their phone. While it speaks to a high degree of precision and build, the flush button layout can be a hindrance to operation.
The bottom of the HTC One has one solitary microUSB port for charging and synching and one of the two dual membrane microphones for improved audio. Plugging the phone to my MacBook Pro didn't give me the plug-and-play options I experienced with most Android phones but the HTC One seems to require installation of an app in order to synch files.
The left side of the HTC One has a single MicroSIM card slot. There's no expansion for any microSD cards which is unfortunate, since those cards are inexpensive and users would always appreciate the extra space for movies, photos and documents. I am also wondering how one is to go about getting their battery replaced on the HTC One since there don't seem to be any visible screws on the case.
iFixit has boldly gone and taken the HTC One apart and according to their experience, it is incredibly difficult to repair or get into. This raises the question on how hard it might be to replace the battery.
So, in terms of design, the HTC One is a high point for smartphones in general and for Android devices. It is the best device HTC has ever created. Buyers who choose the HTC One for its minimalist looks and level of construction will be pleased.
That said, HTC One owners should consider getting a case for theri smartphone. While resilient to scratches, the HTC One's aluminum case will likely dent if dropped.
Functionality and performance
I've had the HTC One for only a few days so I've not been able to spend a lot of time testing all its features. That said, I was quite impressed with the experience.
HTC incorporates a new BlinkFeed overlay application that generates live updates from various social media, news and personal email accounts to create a tapestry of information that appears on the screen even before you move to the applications screen.
This is quite similar to what we've seen from Windows Phone's Metro UI, Google Now's cards, and more recently Facebook's Home application.
HTC's BlinkFeed is well executed and if set-up correctly can really put the user's most important news sources at the palm of their hand. But for users who may not want such a service, there doesn't seem to be a way to turn it off. This brings us to one of our earliest criticisms of HTC Sense (or any other overlay, for that matter) is that there doesn't seem to be a way to opt out of using them.
One of the biggest features of the HTC One is the Ultrapixel camera. With the ability to let in three times more light into a pixel, the HTC One can capture images more accurately in low light conditions and is expected to do a better job in all shooting conditions. HTC says you can get good 8x10 printouts from the HTC One's ultrapixel shooter.
Above are some photo samples taken on a moderate Spring afternoon in downtown Toronto. Quality of the pictures seems to be above average for a smartphone camera but I have yet to compare them directly with the iPhone 5 and the Nokia Lumia 920, which are two of the best in the business right now.
I liked taking panorama photos on the HTC One, not only does it offer great stabilization, there's a built-in electronic level that makes sure your sweep panorama is on point. This results in better looking panorama shots.
HTC's Zoe feature is interesting. It combines photos and short videos into stylized presentations. They are created on the fly and edited in-camera which is impressive considering it is dealing with high definition images and video with rather large file sizes. Zoe can conjure up a neat remix of an afternoon picnic, or baby's first steps. I can also see it being used to turn events and parties into mini-music videos.
Playing these back on the HTC One is quite an experience, the BoomSound front-facing stereo speakers are the loudest we've tested on any smartphone so far and are great for handsfree use or for filling up a hotel suite with music while traveling.
HTC Sense TV is one of the more innovative features that the HTC One offers. I was able to set it up simply by entering my country, area code and cable TV provider and it quickly generated a list of upcoming shows. Since my demo unit had a Virgin Mobile SIM card it also came with the prerequisite Bell TV and PVR features which I could not test since I am on Rogers at home.
HTC Sense TV is easy to use and can replace one's existing all-in-one remote and navigation system. IT combines your TV, cable box and home theatre remotes and since it uses a touchscreen, it is much easier to use and figure out.
Summary
I like the design direction that HTC is taking with the HTC One. I also see value in some of their software applications although I feel the new interface for the apps menu wastes a lot of space. Stylish and functional, the HTC One sets a high bar for smartphones to follow. It does't feel too big for a 4.7-inch screen device and the level of design, craftsmanship and engineering is simply impressive.
The HTC One isn't just another 'me too' product but a thoughtfully packaged attempt at creating the perfect, user-focused Android device. It is a tool, toy and personal accessory but it is more than that in so many new ways.
Rating: 5 out of 5