HTC One X+. (Supplied)
I have played around with a couple of the HTC One phones, so I was quite eager to test out the HTC One X+, which is the most powerful phone in the line.
On the surface, it looks almost identical to the One X. The dimensions are the same: 134.36 mm x 69.9 mm x 8.9 mm with a 1,280 pixel by 720 pixel 4.7-inch display. And although it is slightly heavier at 135 g, it feels just as light when you pick it up. But, like with the One X, if you have smallish hands, it might be a little big for your grasp.
Like other members of the One series family, the X+ uses a single-piece design which utilizes embedded battery and has no memory card slots. Though the battery is 2,100 mAh and so promises up to 50% longer life than the One X’s 1,800 mAh battery. It offers up to 8.5 hours talk time and up to 390 hours on standby.
And it has 64 GB of internal storage (instead of 16 GB), so it’s unlikely you’d ever need to expand the storage capacity unless you were planning on using your phone as a server.
Coming with 1 GB of RAM and Android 4.1 (Jelly Bean) with a HTC Sense 4+ user interface pre-installed, the One X+ runs on a quad-core NVIDIA Tegra 3 1.7 GHz quad-core CPU making it considerably faster than the One X – which, in North America, is a dual-core 1.5 GHz device. Everything from running apps to simply navigate the menus is noticeably quicker.
Video and audio playback is great. The colours are rich and vibrant and, like other HTC phones, the One X+ comes with Beats by Dr. Dre equalizer software for superior audio playback.
Since the phone uses the LTE network, the Internet connection is generally stable as well. I got download speeds ranging from 26.80 Mbps to 39.69 Mbps and upload speeds ranging from 12.99 Mbps to 22.41 Mbps, which is more than sufficient for streaming content.
The camera takes great images and video. The One X is considered one of the better camera phones available in Canada and the One X+ is just as good if not better. It uses the same 8 MP main cameras as the One X, which is capable of shooting 1080p video and has an improved 1.6 MP front-facing camera for web chatting.
Phone call quality is generally decent. The in-call volume is good. But at times, depending on where you are, the voice on the other end can distort slightly. But I never had any trouble making out what people were saying, even if the person sounded a bit robotic.
Ultimately, the One X+ is the best Android phone HTC has to offer and, as one of the few quad-core phones in Canada, it’s one of the most powerful phones you can buy today. So if you’re looking to get a new smartphone, the One X+ is a good candidate for your money. It is available exclusively through Telus. You can get it for free with a three-year plan or buy it outright $650. See Telus’ site for more information.
