Alrighty. I'm going to post my thoughts on this phone after getting a solid day out of this phone.
I'm not one for typing up reviews, and i'm doing it on a smaller keyboard using my iPad, so i'll try to make sure it's not a lightweight review, but i'm also not going to spend forever typing because I don't feel like nursing hand cramps ^_^.
So here goes:
"One day, and I'm in love with One"
I find myself to be somewhat of a tech geek. I'm not like the nerdy style tech geek that knows every last detail of every last device and could detail with great ease each style of LCD screen, audio codecs, nor how many nanograms of silicon go in each processor. I can tell you, however, that I know my way around cellular phones more than the average Joe. I've had many devices in my day. I've had Palms, I've used Windows Mobile, I've used many Androids and a few iPhones... and won't touch BlackBerry. In my estimated 40 (rough estimate) cellular devices in the last 10 years, I can safely say that I've never been impressed on an "overall" level with a phone in one day of use as I am with the HTC One right now, and here's why:
1) Audio. I've used a lot of cell phones as stated above. And on all of those phones that i've used, minus the HTC surround, the speakers of those phones were on the back. I've never understood why companies do that. It would seem to be common sense that sound coming towards you would always be better than going away from you. The HTC One is finally that device that puts native speakers on the front, free from obstruction between themselves and my ears. This is something that HTC tried with the HTC surround, but failed when they required it to be slid out. There is something to say about these speakers as well. Most mobile devices are well known for that empty, tin like sound they produce. The HTC One's speakers are hands down, without a doubt, the most fulfilling sound producing speakers i've EVER heard on a cell phone, EVER. The rich vocals, surprisingly balanced bass, and vibrant high notes are a pleasure to listen to. I cannot turn the music off on this thing. I don't want to because I keep getting awestruck at how amazing it sounds. I switch the Beats audio off in the settings, and the sound reverts back to everything I hate about cell phone speakers, and turn it back on and my ears melt. It's amazing. Now I know beats audio is really more of a glorified equalizing software, but irregardless of how it's done, the audio on this device is effing amazing. Therefor;
Audio - 10/10
2) Build Quality. Nowadays we see a lot of manufacturers going with unibody designs, in which case I have no qualms. I could care less about using SD cards as i've usually got a computer available to transfer content if I need to. I also could care less about replacing batteries inside. If my phone has battery issues, they would usually arrive within the first year while the warranty is still effective... and never really ran into an issue. We've also seen a lot of manufacturers use plastic that are cured with a lot of fancy processes and such, and again, I don't really care, as long as my phone stays together and work well. Nokia has been well known for quality built phones, and even the late HTC one X and one X+ were relatively well built products. In most cases, however, people usually compare build quality of whatever device they are using to that of the iPhone. The iPhones have always been well built in my opinion, and it's hard to beat the iPhone. The HTC One, in my opinion, compares really well with build quality to iphone. It's a solid feel in the hand. No jagged edges. Sturdy aluminum body. Flush, large screen on the front accompanied by the precisely pinholes drilled for the speaker grills. This phone is a work of art. The camera on the back is flush with the phone, which I like. I was never a fan of how HTC usually had their cameras stick out on the back. Makes me feel uneasy when I set the phone down screen facing up. HTC has really done well here.
Build Quality - 10/10
3) Screen. Not going to spend too much time here. The screen reminds me of the retina display on the iPhone in terms of pixel density. Naked human eyes won't be able to pick one out of the bunch. The color reproduction in most cases from what i've seen is pretty close to accurate, however i've noticed that some of my personal photos taken with my DSLR seem like they are a *ting* warm or vibrant in some cases. In either case, I cannot complain. Viewing angles are superb just like they were on the One X lineup, and the range of brightness makes for easy viewing during the day and making sure i'm not blinded in a darker room.
Screen - 10/10
4) Camera. Let me level with you guys. I'm not going to be too critical on the camera, and while I know some of you are going to be disappointed, please understand that I'm a DSLR hobbyist first, so for a camera on a phone not to produce the same quality as my DSLR, I don't lose any sleep over it and it is not a defining factor for ME in a phone. That being said, without monkeying with settings, the camera seems to produce colors a bit on the cooler side. Bright light will allow this camera to shine, and will produce very sharp images. Just like every other cellular camera though, it doesn't matter how low the aperture can get, how many megapixels the sensor has, or what type of glass is used, the lenses are simply ALWAYS going to be too small to let in enough light to NOT produce a massive amount of noise in low light situations, creating a reason for me to try not use it unless I absolutely have to.
Camera - 7/10
5) GPS. Just a quick point to the GPS, i've used quite a few phones that have trouble getting lock on GPS sats or have trouble maintaining a lock. I ran GPS for 40 minutes today, and each new route locked within 1-2 seconds (usually on the 1 second side). While driving, it was spot on on my location, allowing google nav to properly inform me of turns that I need to be making before I get there, instead of when the turn is right up my nose.
gps - 10/10
6) Battery. I had 1.2 hours of phone calls, 32 texts, 40 mins of GPS, 2 hours of music, and probably 1.5 hours of facebook and another 30 mins of youtube. Off charger for 14 hrs with 29% battery left. Run of the mill, but at least it's not dying mid day.... but i have only had it for one day.
battery - too soon to rate
7)Sense UI - I actually wont be installing a 3rd party launcher. I like this version of sense. A lot lighter than usual, and although blinkfeed is annoying as a home screen, it's useful as a separate page. I just added a new panel and set THAT as my home page and put a normal clock and icon setup on it.
Sense - 8/10
8) call quality - The ear price plays good audio while on the call, and while not as rich as the stereo audio, it is a crisp sound. The person I was calling said I was clear, however they could still tell I was on a cell phone with a minor amount of cellular distortion and cracks. I would have to say
Call quality - 8/10.
Overall: 9/10 My hand is really starting to hurt. This is a day 1 review. Sorry if I missed points. Generally I'll say that this phone is fantastic, and if I had to choose one phone, this phone could VERY easily replace my iPhone 5. It runs smooth, feels great, sounds AMAZING (still loving the sound), the screen is beautiful, and the phone overall is something that HTC should be proud of. I'm sure the S4 will be a fantastic phone and sell better than the HTC One because HTC sucks at marketing, but if you're looking for a breath of fresh air, please take a look at your nearest store that will be carrying it and get your hands on it. This is something that people should have ZERO problem appreciating.
Thanks for reading.
(Edit)
The HTC ir blaster and tv and cable/sat box controls on this is super easy to set up and works amazingly well
(/edit)
My views and opinions were just that, opinions, and they do not reflect the views or opinions of my employer, at&t, and i'm in no way affiliated with HTC. This is a personal use review.
