This review focuses on the HTC One S smartphone, which is currently the second oldest in the One line. Nevertheless, this device can rightfully be considered the company's flagship. The key specs of this smartphone are a 1.5GHz dual-core processor, 4.3-inch SuperAMOLED display and 7.8mm anodized aluminum body. The device has a great appearance, suitable for various categories of users. It is worth noting the extremely user-friendly HTC Sense user interface. There is no doubt that HTC One S will become a prominent player in the smartphone market in the second half of 2012.
This is a unique apparatus. Most likely, over time we can expect the appearance of smartphones HTC One SII and SIII, the main distinguishing features of which will be, firstly, a thin body made of high-quality materials, an excellent display, and secondly, and a first-class camera, thirdly. I even assume that the new HTC smartphone with a Beats Audio headset (if one goes into production) will be based on the HTC One S. That's how successful I think this model is.
- Specifications:
- Ultra-durable 7.8mm body
- Work in cellular networks GSM / GPRS / EDGE and 3G
- 4.3 '' qHD resolution (540 x 960 pixels) capacitive SuperAMOLED touchscreen, Gorilla glass coverage
- Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich operating system, HTC Sense 4.0 proprietary user interface
- Dual-core 1.5 GHz processor, Adreno 225 graphics chip, 1 GB RAM
- 16 GB permanent memory
- 8 MP autofocus camera, LED flash
- FullHD video recording at 30fps, taking photos while video recording
- Front-camera
- Wi-Fi b / g / n, Bluetooth 4.0
- A-GPS
- Stereo FM radio with RDS function
- MicroUSB port (battery charging), standard 3.5mm audio jack
- 1650mAh battery
UNPACKING
The HTC One S smartphone arrives on the shelves with a standard set of accessories. The box contains a USB cable that is used to connect to a computer and to charge the battery, a compact charger and a regular wired stereo headset. The stereo headset has good playback quality.
GREAT DESIGN, GREAT ERGONOMICS
The dimensions of the HTC One S are 130.9 x 65 x 7.8 mm. The weight of the smartphone is only 119.5 g. These are outstanding indicators not only against the background of other HTC smartphones, but also in comparison with devices from other manufacturers.
The first thing you notice when you pick up the HTC One S smartphone is the extraordinary durability of the device. I mean both the reliability of the materials from which the device is assembled, and the accuracy with which the individual elements of the case are fitted to each other. Another important feature is the slim body of the smartphone. With a case thickness of less than 8mm, the One S is compact enough to be carried in pockets without any problems. The device is really pleasant to use.
HTC One S is available in two body colors: black and gray. In both cases, the unibody body of the smartphone is made of anodized aluminum. Separately, it must be said that the color of the case is the real color of the material, not the paint. The gray body is “just” anodized aluminum. The black case is made of aluminum, tempered in a special way literally to a black state. Such a body is several times stronger than steel. Both types of metal case cover have a pleasant texture.
The sense of admiration for the device is only amplified over time thanks to the 4.3-inch capacitive touch display of the highest quality. In this case, the technical characteristics are unlikely to surprise anyone: the display has a qHD resolution (540 x 960 pixels, the density is 256 pixels per inch), the display matrix is made using SuperAMOLED technology. All together create a gorgeous, colorful, vibrant image.The viewing angles of the display are maximum, and in sunlight the information on the screen remains readable. The One S display allows you to fully enjoy HD movies, first. Secondly, when reading from this screen for a long time or when surfing the web, your eyes do not get tired.
The screen is covered with a protective glass such as Gorilla Glass, which prevents scratches on the screen even when the smartphone "collides" with cutting and piercing objects.
In general, looking from different angles at the thin, durable body and working with the large high-quality touch screen of this smartphone, there is a distinct feeling that the HTC One S is a unique device. We are seeing more and more iconic Android smartphones go on sale, and each time it becomes more difficult to say that a certain smartphone has a wow effect. However, the One S does make a stunning impression. This smartphone will long be a favorite device for everyday use.
Above the display is an inconspicuous proximity sensor and an ambient light sensor. There is also an earpiece located under a kind of perforated grille. Personally, I never pay attention to the execution of this detail, but I really liked the double-row perforation. To the right of the speaker is the front VGA camera lens.
Below the display are three tactile touch buttons: Back, Home and Application manager.
An open interface microUSB connector is located on the left side. With the purchase of the appropriate adapter, the smartphone can be connected to an HDTV through this port. On the right side there is a paired volume rocker. This key is thin and quite long. It is convenient to use it.
The upper end of the case houses a 3.5 mm audio jack, a second microphone, and a power / lock button for the smartphone. At the bottom there is a spoken microphone of the smartphone. It should be noted that the manufacturer has placed all the functional elements on the case as efficiently as possible. For example, the user can comfortably reach the display lock button with his right index finger. And with the headphones connected, the wire will not hang in front of the display and interfere with work, but will be located to the left of the smartphone case. The same applies to the placement of the spoken microphone. It is unbelievable for the user to cover the microphone with their hand.
The back of the body houses the lens of the main 8 megapixel camera equipped with an LED flash and an external speaker of the smartphone. The external speaker is covered with a three-row perforation. There is a slight thickening of the body around the camera, which can hardly be called an active lens protection, but still such a detail is useful.
Under the top removable panel there is a slot for a microSIM card. This smartphone does not have a memory card slot.
HTC One S comes with a 1650 mAh battery. With an hour of phone calls, an hour of surfing the web and an hour of watching videos, the battery was depleted at the beginning of the second day of work. With continuous video playback, the battery lasted for 9.5 hours. For an Android smartphone with such a large display and such powerful hardware, this is a good result. HTC is making strides in optimizing the battery life of its smartphones. 2-3 years ago, the devices of this particular manufacturer were subjected to the greatest complaints from users. As we can see, the situation is changing for the better.
INTUITIVE USER INTERFACE
Smartphone HTC One S runs on Android 4.0.3 Ice Cream Sandwich operating system, complemented by a proprietary user interface Sense 4.0.
The developers of HTC decided to make the most functional user interface that will satisfy the needs of any user. Deep changes in the Android OS interface have touched literally everything.
In many smartphones, the lock screen is a secondary part of the interface, which cannot be said for the HTC One S.So, by default, a virtual ring is displayed on the lock screen. If you pull the ring out to the center of the screen, the smartphone will be unlocked and the home desktop will open. The lock screen also contains four shortcuts (Phone, Web browser, Contacts list, Camera), if any shortcut is dragged inside the mentioned ring, the smartphone will be unlocked and the corresponding application will be automatically launched. The lock screen of HTC One S can display a list of recent incoming messages, missed calls, and upcoming events (Productivity). The user can place the People application on the lock screen, which is a matrix of 9 icons with the names of contacts from the phone book. If you drag the icon of a certain contact inside the ring, the smartphone will be unlocked, and information from the contact list will be displayed on the screen. Finally, when listening to music, a widget with playback control buttons is displayed on the lock screen.
The user has access to up to seven desktops, which can contain various shortcuts and widgets. A panel with five shortcuts is displayed at the bottom of the desktops. The pinned central shortcut is to access the Applications Menu. The other four can be changed by the user at any time.
The user interface can be customized depending on the activity that the user is busy with. It's about the HTC Scenes feature. By default, there are five settings on the smartphone (Basic, Work, Travel, Social Networks, Games). When you select one of the settings, not only the background image of the desktop changes, but also the set of widgets on all tables.
The user can also change the appearance of buttons, menus and other elements of the user interface. For this, the HTC Skins function is provided.
The HTC One S application menu looks familiar to smartphones from this manufacturer. All application shortcuts are presented in a matrix with horizontal page scrolling. In addition to the main tab, the Application Menu has two additional ones: Downloaded by the user and Most Used. The names of these two tabs speak for themselves. Application shortcuts can be sorted alphabetically, by installation time, or by frequency of use.
The notification panel has received a simple interface. This app only shows a list of recent events. There is a Settings shortcut on the notification panel, which allows you to go to network management, etc.
The design of the HTC One S Smartphone Application Manager is quite original. Application screenshots are presented in the form of three-dimensional tiles arranged horizontally. Present in the smartphone and the traditional Task Manager, which shows a list of all active applications.
It makes no sense to provide data from synthetic performance tests in this case. Smartphone HTC One S is equipped with a dual-core processor with a clock speed of 1.5 GHz and 1 GB of RAM, which today is the ultimate performance solution. This smartphone copes brilliantly with any 3D games.
TELEPHONE APP
Back in 2011, HTC smartphones received deep integration with social networks. First of all, this was reflected in the organization of the list of contacts (which I can not dare to call "Phone book").
The phone application is divided into four tabs: phone keypad, entire contact list, Groups (including Favorite contacts), Call list.
If you look at the information about an individual contact, the interface will again be divided into four tabs. The first one displays all the available information about this contact: various phone numbers, postal addresses, emails, etc. The second tab shows all calls, messages and emails from this contact. The third tab contains the contact's updates on Facebook and Twitter, and the fourth contains links to the contact's online galleries created on Facebook and Flickr.
At the beginning of using the HTC smartphone, the user can quickly import the contact list from the old phone via Bluetooth. To do this, you just need to indicate the model of the device in the appropriate application, and HTC One S will do the rest.
When using the HTC One S smartphone as a mobile phone, the user will not have any problems. The earpiece and microphone of this device demonstrate high-quality performance.
The phone keyboard of the smartphone occupies a little more than half of the screen. The top of the display shows a call list and a list of favorite contacts.
The smartphone has several chips related to the operation of sensors. If you put your smartphone down during a telephone conversation, the speakerphone will automatically turn on. During an incoming call, the volume of the ringtone will decrease if you pick up your smartphone. If the smartphone detects that it is in your pocket using proximity and ambient light sensors, then the volume of the ringtone will increase.
CORRESPONDENCE, VIRTUAL KEYBOARD
The Messages app hasn't undergone significant changes. All messages, SMS and MMS, are combined into chains by the name of the correspondent. You can add multimedia content, navigator data, contact information, a link to an application to the text of a new message. In this case, the SMS is automatically converted to MMS.
The virtual QWERTY keyboard preinstalled on the smartphone occupies approximately half of the display. I liked the implementation of the keyboard: the buttons are made as large as possible, with a minimum distance between them.
The smartphone comes with two preinstalled email applications. One of them is the Gmail application, the second is the proprietary HTC Mail application.
GALLERY, VIDEO, MUSIC
The Gallery application automatically organizes videos and images stored in the internal memory of the smartphone and in the user's online galleries into folders. HTC One S can share albums from Facebook, Flickr, Dropbox, Picasa, and SkyDrive. Of course, the user can upload images to online media libraries directly from the Gallery. The Gallery application can also be used as a simple graphic editor: the user can crop and rotate the image, as well as add visual effects.
The video player on the HTC One S smartphone is part of the Gallery app. The player perfectly plays video files up to 1080p. User can turn on subtitles. The video player has Beats Audio software sound optimization that makes the sound richer.
The HTC One line music player is an ergonomic application that provides the user with a variety of ways to listen to music. The user can listen to music from the internal memory of the smartphone, from the paid online resource 7digital, or go to the TuneIn Radio website, where he can select the radio station he is interested in.
The internal smartphone audio library is sorted by artist, album, playlist and genre. The interface of the current playback is minimalistic. When listening to music, a widget with the name of the current track and player control buttons is displayed on the lock screen.
The user can turn on one of the many preset equalizers or use the Beats Audio technology mentioned above.
The smartphone is equipped with a stereo FM receiver with an intuitive interface.
Today, in terms of audio playback quality, the HTC One S smartphone occupies one of the leading places among portable devices.
CAMERA WITH BSI SENSOR
The main camera of HTC One S has a resolution of 8 megapixels. The maximum image resolution is 3264 x 2448 pixels, the maximum video quality is 1080p at 30 frames per second. LED flash works incl. as a constant light source for video recording.
Due to the specifics of the camera operation, buttons for photo and video shooting are simultaneously displayed on the screen. This is done in order to take photos directly during video recording.The display also contains the following elements: a zoom slider, an Effects button, a preview of the last shot (it is also a shortcut to the Gallery application) and access to full camera settings.
The camera has several special features such as burst shooting. The HDR function allows you to capture interesting images in difficult lighting conditions. The camera detects smiles and blinks. When taking group portraits, the camera takes several shots, after which it automatically saves a photo in which everyone who is portrayed is smiling and not blinking.
The HTC One S's camera is commendable for its specs. The camera is equipped with a BSI sensor (back-illuminated sensor), which provides high-quality images in low light. The high aperture of the lens (f 2.0) also ensures good shots in difficult shooting conditions.
The quality of the captured images is really excellent. The high contrast of the image, excellent detail and color reproduction are pleasing to the eye.
The HTC One S's camera is capable of capturing 1080p and 720p videos at 30 frames per second. During video shooting, the camera records stereo sound at a bit rate of 128 kbps. The resulting video has good detail and high-quality color reproduction.
INTERFACES, CONNECTIONS
The HTC One S smartphone operates in four GSM / GPRS / EDGE frequency bands and three 3G bands. Local connections are made using Wi-Fi b / g / n and Bluetooth 4.0 protocols. A microUSB interface connector is used to connect to a computer. This smartphone can work as a Wi-Fi hotspot.
SOFT, GPS NAVIGATION
The default web browser on HTC One S is an ergonomic app. The hardware of this smartphone (both display and hardware) provides comfortable web surfing. Most of the screen is occupied by the web page itself, only at the top and bottom edges are two panels that disappear when the page is scaled. The top panel contains the address bar, drop-down menu and Back button. There are four buttons on the bottom panel. With their help, you can add the current page to your bookmarks or save it to the internal memory of your smartphone, view all bookmarks or view active tabs. The browser supports Flash 11. In general, a smartphone web browser is very similar in functionality to a desktop application.
The Polaris Office application is preinstalled on the HTC One S smartphone, which allows you to create Microsoft Office documents (Word, Excel, PowerPoint).
Calendar, Calculator, Alarm Clock and a number of other standard applications and utilities have traditional functionality.
The smartphone is equipped with a GPS navigator that, in cold start mode, connects to satellites in less than a minute. With an active Internet connection, the smartphone can update geolocation data much faster. The smartphone comes preinstalled with two sets of navigation software. The first is Google Maps, which everyone is well aware of. The second, proprietary, application is HTC Locations. This navigation software was developed by the well-known company TomTom in cooperation with Route66. The user can download a map of the country to use the GPS navigator without internet access.
CONCLUSION
The HTC One S smartphone is a device that will become a bestseller (at least in its price range). It's quite difficult to talk about competing models. In the high-end segment, there are now a number of shiny smartphones, each one unique in its own way. We can rather talk about alternatives. The Sony Xperia S and LG Prada 3.0 smartphones are most similar in specifications to the HTC One S. The other two handsets, the Samsung Galaxy Nexus and the Samsung Galaxy SII, are pretty much the same specs as the HTC One S. In addition, the cost of these ex-flagships has now dropped significantly, which will have a positive impact on the demand for these models. In the near future, several more interesting smartphones from other manufacturers will appear on sale.
Basically, the only disappointing "element" of the HTC One S is its cost.As I said at the beginning, in all its characteristics this device is close to the concept of a "flagship model", so it is not surprising that the price tags of One X and One S are almost the same.
From all that has been said above, we can conclude that the harsh attitude of analysts to the new products of HTC 2012 was unjustified. The design of the One line really does have the traditional HTC smartphones. However, the manufacturer has created several models that have their own distinctive features. 2012 will be remembered by technology historians as a remarkable time. After several generations of Android smartphones went on sale in 2009-2011, the functionality and appearance of which were far from ideal, in 2012 there is a qualitative shift. The manufacturers seemed to have started their work from scratch (Sony even re-branded).
I would like to hope that HTC will make significant progress in 2012-13. With all the obvious advantages of Samsung and iPhone smartphones, these two manufacturers should not divide the mobile device market between themselves. The appearance of the HTC One S model could significantly strengthen the position of the Taiwanese manufacturer in the market, therefore, it could lead to an expansion of the range of HTC smartphones in the near future.
With all this, HTC does not leave the segment of low- and mid-budget smartphones. It seems to me that the HTC Desire C smartphone has every chance of becoming a popular device among young people. In addition, the first HTC smartphone with support for two SIM-cards, Desire V, will appear in the near future. This part of the market is still poorly mastered by the leading manufacturers. There are several dual-SIM smartphones from Samsung and LG, so the launch of HTC Desire V will not go unnoticed.
