HTC is one of our favorite smartphone companies. No, really. They have proven it numerous times that they can think outside the box. We've seen it in some of their earlier Android smartphones, which could easily stand out from the crowd thanks to their characteristic design features and highly-customized software experience. Once the Android mania exploded, though, and Samsung started swamping the market with countless handsets, HTC became a runner-up, trying to get its smartphones noticed among the hordes of other devices. Obviously, that's one area where the company failed, as it has been going in a steady downward motion for the last one or two years, seeing its profits dwindle to a minimum and its brand reputation fall dangerously low.
Many consider last years One line as a step towards HTC's reinvigoration, but we're not really sure if the flagship One X and the other two handsets were really a step in the right direction. At least, HTC's market performance doesn't seem to reflect such a thing. But 2012 is now history, and HTC is once again looking to stabilize its image as a reputable Android smartphone maker by introducing its new killer handsets - the HTC One. This top-end smartphone clearly has a lot going for it. For starters, it has an amazing design and a vastly overhauled user interface. It also introduces numerous new features that will try to become an inseparable part of your daily grind. How far has HTC gone in its effort to surpass what is currently available? Will it be able to regain its lost positions and prove to be a real challenge for the juggernaut that is Samsung? These are all questions that we can't really answer right now, but we can closely examine the HTC One and try to make a few educated guesses. Want to be a part of all this? Then you simply need to read on!
You don't even need to see the HTC One in person to understand that it's easily one of the better looking smartphones around. However, you do have to see it in person and hold it in your handset to appreciate the quality materials and sturdy construction of the handset. HTC has always paid attention to the appearance of its phones, but it's evident that a great amount of love has gone into the HTC One's design. More than usual! The handset has a striking appearance with two large speaker grills situated above and below the display, with contrasting colors between the metal unibody and the glass covering the screen. The handset is available in three colors: white, dark grey and red. Overall, we'd say that the appearance of the front slightly resembles that of the iPhone 5 or the BlackBery Z10, which is a good thing. Unlike those handsets, however, the One doesn't have a flat back side. The back side has been curved like in most other HTC smartphones, in an attempt to give it a more ergonomic shape.
The HTC One is made from a single piece of metal, with the wireless antenna being built into the aluminum housing. That's a pretty neat approach, because it makes the phone feel super premium and high-quality. That said, HTC has tried to keep the dimensions in check, although the One is still one pretty bulky smartphone. In comparison to the Galaxy S III, for example, the One is longer, narrow and thicker. In fact, it'll be thicker than most high-end smartphones out there with its 9.3 mm. But hey, HTC smartphones have never been about excessive thinness, right?
We're glad that HTC hasn't bumped the screen size further than 4.7 inches - it's stayed the same as in the HTC One X. That's a great thing, because we don't like our phones to be gigantic. The resolution has been improved, however, and it's now 1080x1920, delivering an amazing pixel density of 468 ppi. Yes, everything that's shown on this display looks super sharp and clear. That's in case the content you're enjoying has the needed resolution, of course. The screen itself uses the Super LCD 3 technology, so we're happy to say that we'll be enjoying an overall image that is both natural and vibrant. And since you don't want to cover that beauty in scratches, it'll be protected by a Gorilla Glass 2 panel.
