HTC One X Hands-On Review: Screen, Camera and Sense 4.0

Specifications

• 4.7-inch HD Super LCD at 1280 x 720 with Gorilla Glass
• 1.5 GHz dual-core Snapdragon, 1 GB of RAM, 16 GB of storage
• 8 MP rear camera, 1.3 MP front camera
• LTE, NFC and Beats Audio
• 134.8 x 69.9 x 8.9 mm, 130 g

Body and screen

The One X is plastic, less sleek than the metal One S, and the camera bump sticks out. The power button felt a little soft. Because it uses soft buttons, the screen has all 720 pixels of height, so it looks larger than its size. Image quality was striking, with popping colours and sharp pixels.

Software

Sense 4.0 felt less obtrusive than older versions, though there were still many apps and widgets. The reviewer liked the card-style visual task switcher, easy folder creation, the pull-the-ring lock screen and a keyboard with swipe typing and good predictions. The main issue was relearning a new menu layout.

Performance and battery

There was no noticeable lag until the phone was heavily loaded. Battery life edged out the reviewer’s Nexus, even with apps that normally drain it. Beats Audio gave some bass but nothing earth-shattering.

Camera

The reviewer found the camera good enough that most everyday snapshots no longer need a separate camera, though family portraits would still go to a dedicated one. It offers HDR, slow motion, panorama and filters. Automatic photo upload makes it work much like an Eye-Fi card.

The signal glitch

The phone sometimes lost its cell signal for no clear reason and showed an X in the signal bars. Airplane mode did not bring it back, and neither did changing the network mode through the hidden settings menu. Only a hard reboot did. After Rogers sent a new SIM card, the problem did not return for the reviewer, though another tester kept seeing it.

Verdict

The reviewer would consider switching from a Nexus, held back mainly by doubts about Sense, the phone being available only on Rogers and a fresh three-year contract.