Key Features
- 4.3in, 540 x 960 pixel AMOLED screen
- 1.5GHz dual-core processor
- Fast 8MP camera with 1080p video
HTC One S - Design, Features and Connectivity
Following swiftly in the footsteps of the HTC One X, the HTC One S sits in the middle of the company's new trio of One branded Android smartphones. But while it may not be feature packed enough to perch at the top of HTC's pile, there's still potentially enough here to make this one of the choice phones of the moment.
Design
Chief among the One S' features is its design. At just 7.8mm thick, it's the thinnest phone HTC has ever produced and it holds a candle to the best of them in this regard. However, far from being a flimsy phone that's compromised by its slenderness, the metal chassis used here gives it a reassuring solidity.
As well as giving strength, the metal body looks great. The aluminium that makes up most of the back and that wraps round the edges has been bathed in a plasma field. This etches the surface, giving it a matt black (it's more of a dark grey really) appearance, and a feel that's similar to sandblasted metal finishes, though it's a little rougher. Rather than being just a cosmetic process, though, this method of etching creates a surface that is four times tougher than traditional anodised aluminium, something that is immediately noticeable.
Some people have reported this finish as being overly slippery, and while it is quite smooth we haven't found it any more difficult to handle than most other phones with a matt finish. Also, when flat on a surface the soft touch plastic bottom section provides a pretty good purchase so it won't slip off – it's a shame the camera lens sticks out in this regard.
However, while tough, this finish can't perform miracles so for instance when we received our review sample there were already a few scuffs around the microUSB socket where the steel plug of the microUSB cable has scratched it. And during our time with the phone it picked up a large scratch on the back just from rummaging around in a bag. Clearly bad fortune played a considerable part here but it's still a little alarming how easily this scratch was obtained and moreover how noticeable it is thanks to the contrasting silver of the aluminium shining through the matt black.
You can also get this phone in a graduated anodised finish. This looks just like a standard sandblasted, anodised finish but the colour fades from light to dark. It's a beautiful effect, though you do miss out on the extra toughness of this plasma-blasted (micro-arc oxidised is the technical term) finish. Then again, what scratches it does pick up may be less noticeable.
It's almost a shame then that the metal must be broken up by two sections of soft-touch plastic: up top around the camera lens, and at the bottom around the speaker. However, this is required to let the various wireless signals out, and overall it still looks very nice indeed.
On the front, HTC has performed a neat trick that gives the impression the screen curves round the sides of the phone, when in fact it's a perfectly flat panel. They've done this be extending the strip of shiny black plastic that surrounds and protects the edges of the screen down the sides. It's a bit of a cheat but it both looks and feels good.
Features and Connectivity
Features wise, up top you've got the headphone jack and power button while the left edge is home to the microUSB socket and on the right is the volume rocker that is finished in a matching matt black. Joining the main camera on the back is a single LED flash, and there's a front facing camera too. And finishing things off are the three touch sensitive, backlit navigation buttons that sit under the screen. The whole lot throws up few surprises and ticks all the right boxes. However, our bugbear of not being able to unlock the screen without stretching to reach the top edge power button rears its head once again. That said, as the One S is a smaller phone, the problem isn't as bad as on the HTC One X and you soon get the hang of it
Under the hood there has been one potentially major slip up, though. Prize off the small plastic section at the top (something that is easier said than done) and while you can add in your microSIM, you can't add anymore storage or replace the battery. And with only 16GB of built in storage, this could instantly kill the appeal of this handset for many people, especially as only about 10GB of it is available to the user.
Design
Chief among the One S' features is its design. At just 7.8mm thick, it's the thinnest phone HTC has ever produced and it holds a candle to the best of them in this regard. However, far from being a flimsy phone that's compromised by its slenderness, the metal chassis used here gives it a reassuring solidity.
As well as giving strength, the metal body looks great. The aluminium that makes up most of the back and that wraps round the edges has been bathed in a plasma field. This etches the surface, giving it a matt black (it's more of a dark grey really) appearance, and a feel that's similar to sandblasted metal finishes, though it's a little rougher. Rather than being just a cosmetic process, though, this method of etching creates a surface that is four times tougher than traditional anodised aluminium, something that is immediately noticeable.
Some people have reported this finish as being overly slippery, and while it is quite smooth we haven't found it any more difficult to handle than most other phones with a matt finish. Also, when flat on a surface the soft touch plastic bottom section provides a pretty good purchase so it won't slip off – it's a shame the camera lens sticks out in this regard.
However, while tough, this finish can't perform miracles so for instance when we received our review sample there were already a few scuffs around the microUSB socket where the steel plug of the microUSB cable has scratched it. And during our time with the phone it picked up a large scratch on the back just from rummaging around in a bag. Clearly bad fortune played a considerable part here but it's still a little alarming how easily this scratch was obtained and moreover how noticeable it is thanks to the contrasting silver of the aluminium shining through the matt black.
You can also get this phone in a graduated anodised finish. This looks just like a standard sandblasted, anodised finish but the colour fades from light to dark. It's a beautiful effect, though you do miss out on the extra toughness of this plasma-blasted (micro-arc oxidised is the technical term) finish. Then again, what scratches it does pick up may be less noticeable.
It's almost a shame then that the metal must be broken up by two sections of soft-touch plastic: up top around the camera lens, and at the bottom around the speaker. However, this is required to let the various wireless signals out, and overall it still looks very nice indeed.
On the front, HTC has performed a neat trick that gives the impression the screen curves round the sides of the phone, when in fact it's a perfectly flat panel. They've done this be extending the strip of shiny black plastic that surrounds and protects the edges of the screen down the sides. It's a bit of a cheat but it both looks and feels good.
Features and Connectivity
Features wise, up top you've got the headphone jack and power button while the left edge is home to the microUSB socket and on the right is the volume rocker that is finished in a matching matt black. Joining the main camera on the back is a single LED flash, and there's a front facing camera too. And finishing things off are the three touch sensitive, backlit navigation buttons that sit under the screen. The whole lot throws up few surprises and ticks all the right boxes. However, our bugbear of not being able to unlock the screen without stretching to reach the top edge power button rears its head once again. That said, as the One S is a smaller phone, the problem isn't as bad as on the HTC One X and you soon get the hang of it
Under the hood there has been one potentially major slip up, though. Prize off the small plastic section at the top (something that is easier said than done) and while you can add in your microSIM, you can't add anymore storage or replace the battery. And with only 16GB of built in storage, this could instantly kill the appeal of this handset for many people, especially as only about 10GB of it is available to the user.
The design isn't perfect though. One thing we didn't like about the Xperia S that the Xperia P hasn't managed to fix is the bitty look and feel. The screen has an unsightly lip around it, the front facing camera really stands out and the pathetic flap that covers the SIM slot lets the side down. Nonetheless, overall the Xperia P is a handset we'd happily be seen with.
Ergonomics and Connectivity
What's more, it's not all about vanity either. The Xperia P's design appeals because it's actually easy to handle too. It has a modest 4in screen so its overall dimensions are a manageable 122 x 59.5 x 10.5 mm. These proportions also put the side mounted power button cum screen lock switch directly under thumb or finger for easy one handed operation. Likewise the volume rocker, while the touch sensitive navigation buttons set into the plastic strip beneath the screen aren't a stretch either – and they work well too. Only the slightly uncomfortable pointy corners and slightly over-stiff buttons are an issue, and they're not much of one.
In contrast, the Xperia S is hardly the largest handset going but nevertheless it felt little bigger (and heavier) than we like, its buttons don't quite fall so nicely into place and its touch buttons are awful.
Added to these great basics the Xperia P has a shutter button for the camera and a microHDMI socket, so it's easy to take pictures and hook your phone up to a TV to look at said pictures. You don't, however, get expandable storage by way of a microSD slot (you get 16GB of built in storage), and in fact you can't remove the backplate to replace the batter either, or at least not without getting a screwdriver out.
On the wireless front you only get Blutooth v2.1 rather than v4.0 but this a relatively minor slip up. You also get everything else you should want with Wi-Fi n, NFC and quad band 3G all present and correct, so you can stream, sync, talk and text from just about anywhere.
Overall then we think the Xperia P has one of the most compelling combinations of ergonomics and features currently available, particularly if you're not into these really big phones.
Screen
Not dropping the baton is the screen, which although not up there with the biggest and best is only a step below. It's an LCD so suffers from a slightly grey look to dark images, and there's a little bit of contrast shift when viewed from an angle. What's more it has only 540 x 960 pixels, which is a fair few less than the 720 x 1280 panels of the top dogs. So, a Samsung Galaxy S3 or HTC One X beater it isn't.
But, the resolution is a step above the 480 x 800 panels that were standard a year ago and combined with the modest 4in screen size it makes for a screen that's plenty sharp enough for a nice experience whether web browsing, reading emails, watching video or playing games. It's also reasonably colourful, and because there's no air gap between the glass screen and LCD display below, the image looks like its right on the surface of the glass, giving great viewing angles.
In terms of responsiveness, it's absolutely fine too, and you've got scratch-resistant glass to keep the phone looking fresher for longer.
