Superb Android phones seem to hit the market every day, so any given device has to be truly impressive to be memorable. Models with “Phone of the Year” potential are therefore few and far between. In the case of the HTC One X, there’s reason to believe that 2012 may have just found its first must-have handset. As the premium model of the HTC One lineup, the HTC One X is the ultimate ‘Droid at the moment in terms of specs and software. Here are just a few reasons why the HTC One X is one of the most appealing options for cell phone buyers at the moment.
Amazing Hardware & Features
The obvious advantage of the HTC One X and the entire HTC One lineup is that it boasts the most powerful and most efficient hardware that can be had at present. Beneath the silky exterior lines of the One X beats the heart of a champion. At the core of the production is a 1.5 GHz quad-core Nvidia Tegra 3 CPU, 1 GB of RAM and 32 GB of internal storage. Those specs alone make the HTC One X one of the most powerful T-Mobile HTC phones available to consumers at the moment.
Internals aside, the HTC One X is also blessed with plenty of exterior features that make it the Android to beat in 2012. First off, it sports a 4.7-inch, 1280 x 720 Super IPS display with a pixel density of 312 ppi that’s protected by Corning Gorilla Glass. In addition, the One X provides a few clutch extensibility options like micro USB and microSIM. Sadly, there’s no microSD included in the One X, though it’s tough to cram a lot of ports onto a phone that’s just 8.9mm thick. Lastly, this particular HTC model sports a magnificent 8 MP auto-focus rear camera.
Ice Cream Sandwich
Complaints abound in the Android world when it comes to the relative lack of ICS – equipped phones. Fortunately, a slew of new ICS phones are debuting this spring and the HTC One X is one of the best Android 4.0 models of the bunch. Ice Cream Sandwich boasts many helpful upgrades including organizable home folders, resizable widgets, a streamlined UI and better overall performance than earlier versions of Android. It’s easily one of the most popular selling points of this phone in and of itself. While the operating system is full-featured and quick, the specialized HTC skin that runs on top of it is equally impressive.
Killer Default Apps
The One X comes equipped with Sense 4.0, a sleek new spin on HTC’s popular Android skin. Unlike some other custom OEM user interfaces, Sense actually enhances the stock Android experience rather than getting in the way. In terms of layout and appearance, Sense 4.0 is subtle and refined without a lot of the visual clutter that plagues other UI environments. It’s just one more element that adds to the overall One X experience.
As for default apps, the HTC One X comes equipped with a handful of clever, well-executed programs that make everyday usage far more convenient. For instance, it features HTC’s own ImageSense camera app for easy mobile photography, HTC Car for simple navigation and HTC Sync Manager for uncomplicated file management. In addition to helpful default utilities, the One X comes with some solid pre-installed services as well, including 25 GB of free Dropbox storage space and Beats Audio by Dr. Dre. Thanks to the multitude of excellent apps that come standard, the One X is one of the best all-around handsets in terms of functionality.
Lightning Fast Networking
The mobile broadband capabilities of the HTC One X are nothing to sneeze at when compared to competing Android models. Regardless of which carrier you decide to go with, the fact of the matter is that the One X is extremely fast on any network. It’ll support either LTE or HSPA+ depending on mobile broadband provider and location. In any event, you can expect superlative speeds whether you use AT&T, Verizon or T-Mobile. In addition, it also supports DLNA, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, FM Radio with RDS and GPS to boot.
Edge of Your Seat Performance
We mentioned earlier that Ice Cream Sandwich is a slick customer with lots to offer. The combination of ICS and the superb internal hardware of the One X make for a stellar mobile experience whether you’re browsing the web or playing media. It puts up some impressive numbers in general computing benchmark programs, notching 4,906 in Quadrant and a score of 1,772.5 milliseconds in SunSpider. If those numbers make no sense to you, just rest assured that the HTC One X is a snappy, responsive phone that excels at multitasking under a heavy workload.
Final Word
All in all, the One X and T-Mobile HTC phones like it represent an entirely new breed of smart phone for Android. For the first time since the release of the iPhone, even Apple fans will have to think long and hard about which operating system delivers the best performance possible. In a nutshell, the One X marries best in class hardware with the latest version of Android for the ultimate smart phone experience. If you’re looking for a future-proof phone that will go the distance and provide years of value, the One X is one of the few models you should consider.