HTC One S: the best of HTC One X and Samsung Galaxy S2 in one device

It has only been over two months since I did a review of the HTC One X. As a long time HTC user I have always been a fan of the design and build quality of their smartphones. If you will read my review, one of the things that I really liked about the HTC One X is the durability. It doesn’t just look and feel tough. It really is tough. In fact, during the launch we actually threw the phone to the ground and the only thing it suffered were hairline scratches – proof that it did kiss the floor. Now it may be one thing to do that during a launch, but another thing to actually do it when there aren’t any press people watching. So I went to the HTC Store in MOA and dared one of the sales reps to throw the phone. Well, she did – and confidently at that.So now we come to the launch of the HTC One S, a dual-core Android smartphone that, in my opinion, takes the best features of the HTC One X and the Samsung Galaxy S2 into one phone. It touts the durability of the ceramic unibody of the HTC One X and the beautiful f/2.0 aperture camera. It has the one thing that the Samsung Galaxy S2 has that the HTC One X doesn’t: a 4.3 inch Super AMOLED screen. But it only comes with a dual-core Snapdragon processor. Is this enough to merit a price that comes so close to the HTC One X and the Samsung Galaxy S3? Full press release below.

MANILA, Philippines —HTC, a global designer of smartphones, today unveiled the new HTC One S – elegantly styled with an ultra-slim 7.9mm metal unibody, for people who want a powerful smartphone that pushes the boundaries of mobile phone design.

Engineered with advanced design

HTC One S features two innovative new finishes, used for the first time ever in mobile phone design. The first, an ultra-matte black ceramic surface, is the result of a microarc oxidation process originally developed for use in satellites. It transforms the surface of the metal unibody into a super-dense crystalline structure that is four times harder than anodised aluminum, resisting the bumps and scrapes of everyday use to leave the HTC One S looking pristine. The second takes traditional anodisation to a new level, with a patented HTC process that creates a subtle and sophisticated light-to-dark gradient fade through the aluminium.

Powerful, durable performance

A Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 processor with up to 1.5GHz dual-core CPUs powers an ultra-responsive interface with rich graphics that come to life on the 4.3 inch bright Super AMOLED screen. Crafted from contoured Corning™ Gorilla Glass, which flows over the edges of the phone, the durable screen has optical lamination offering wide viewing angles to make reviewing pictures and videos easy.

Versatile user experience

HTC One S blends Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) with HTC Sense™ 4, the new version of HTC’s acclaimed user experience. HTC Sense 4 features new camera capabilities, enabling users to shoot outstanding pictures in the blink of an eye. Beats Audio™ technology is also integrated more deeply throughout all multimedia features of the phone, to deliver a more premium mobile experience.

Incredible camera

With an f/2.0 lens and auto HDR mode, HTC ImageSense technology delivers fast image capture with stunning results, even under adverse lighting conditions. In just 0.7 seconds you’re able to take a shot and, with its new superfast 0.2 second autofocus, you’ll never miss a moment again. You can even take pictures as you shoot HD video, or extract high resolution stills from HD video in playback.

Advanced audio

Beats By Dr. Dre Audio™ integration gives you a richer, more authentic sound whether you’re listening to your favourite music, watching a YouTube™ video or playing a game. HTC One S lets you customise the new Music Hub with your favourite services and music applications so there is only one place to go for all of your music.

Access your content anywhere

HTC has also partnered with Dropbox to provide consumers with 25 gigabytes of free online space for two years – that’s enough to keep more than 10,000 high-quality photos – so it’s easy to edit, save and share your documents on the go.

Accessories

HTC One S gives you a new way to share your photos and videos. When you plug HTC’s wireless Media Link HD* accessory into your TV’s HDMI port, you can easily share your photos, videos, or anything else on your phone with your friends, family or colleagues regardless of the television’s brand.

With HTC One S, it’s now even easier to take your mobile music on the road. Simply connect the new HTC Car Stereo Clip* to your car’s sound system to stream more than 50 thousand online radio stations worldwide or to play music from any service or app on your phone through your car speakers.

Availability

HTC One S is now available at authorized retailers and mobile operators with a suggested retail price of Php 26, 990.