Review: Htc One - 4g With Telstra (australia)

[Guest]

So guys, I finally got my HTC One and was pretty much killed the other day when I saw that there would be a dual sim + SD card version – oh well, I doubt I’ll need the storage. Here’s a bit of an in-depth look at the phone. Keep in mind that I’m coming from iOS and still maintain an iPad as well.

 

Build quality and physical design.

Flawless is probably the only word I have to describe this. My previous phone was an iPhone 4 and the build quality itself is probably equal. However on the topic of design, the HTC wins by miles. There are a couple of things that I love about it when compared to any of the  iPhones. The volume buttons on the side of the phone are easier to use for me. You know if you’re either turning the volume up or down by the sort of tactile feedback with the rock of the buttons. In comparison the iPhone uses two separate buttons which if you’re not looking at the device – so in a pocket – you can’t really tell one from another unless you feel around for which is closer to the top of the device. The second thing that I love about the design is the ports on it. All the iPhones I’ve used have the same issue with dust build up in the speakers and the 30 pin connector. You’ll get a similar build up in the One as you would any phone however you won’t be able to pull small clumps of dust out like I could the 4.

 

Finally someone has listened to the market and realized people don’t watch content on their device from the side or the back. They watch where the screen is and finally with the One, the speakers match the screen.

My only complaint about the device from a physical design stand point would be that sometimes it feels like it may fall from my hand due to both the size of it and the fact that it’s an aluminium body. This just may be because I’m used to the smaller form factor of the 4.

 

Software

It runs Android 4.1.2 and HTC Sense 5.0 so whatever that means to you guys. Coming from the ecosystem of iOS I’ve found it a little strange but I’m getting there. The only complaint I have would be about completely exiting apps. On iOS it was a simple matter of double clicking the home button and holding the app’s icon down and bam. On this device at least even double tapping the home button and closing the apps open in multi-tasking doesn’t completely close an app like iOS does. Things like Skype and the music player remain open.

 

Actually while we’re on the topic of the music player that’d probably be another complaint of mine. Aside from the Beats function accessible via the settings menu, there is no option for some form of EQ setting even if it’s minor. Overall I’m not too impressed with the audio situation on it however I am trying out PowerAmp for its trial period but I’m not too fond of its interface either.

The HTC Blink Feed thing which is like a glorified RSS feed is to me quite useful – sites like Tom’s Hardware as well as various news streams all appear as well as my Twitter feed. The one thing I would like to see would be the addition of custom RSS feeds – right now there’s only a set list you can use.

 

Battery Life

I won’t lie – so far in the time I’ve had it – just under a week – I've been charging it every day after getting down to about 20%. However with that being said, Skype has been running on it 24/7 which to any smartphone is brutal. I’m going to try this week to hopefully keep Skype off on my phone. I tried it like that for about half of today and only went through about 10% of the battery with power save enabled. That feature in itself is great – auto brightness depending on your setting, throttling CPU usage, disconnecting from mobile data services and turning off vibration feedback. I must say the auto brightness on this device is so much better than anything on iOS – the screen noticeably dims but you can still clearly see what you need to.

 

Migration – iOS to Android

 

Mine probably wasn't the most peaceful migration but then again I’m sort of between computers with no centralized media collection. What didn't help is Apple’s grandiose idea to store purchased content in the cloud – I had to download about 500-600 songs because iTunes on my Mac just decided it wasn't going to download them. Once I’d gotten past that issue, the HTC sync manager is relatively easy to use – highlight what you want and click transfer. Once I have a more permanent solution for data storage – i.e my new desktop – I’ll be using iTunes as the storage hub and then the Sync Manager to copy things across. I’m going this route because I also have an iPad.

 

Pictures and movies were easy – drag and drop like an external storage device. Contacts was interesting – I ended up exporting my entire contact library on my Mac to a vCard and then uploading that to my Google account. 

 

Extras

Charging cable; sorry guys, I can't give the length in terms of Linus wing spans but It’s about the same as a standard Apple 30 pin cable. I haven't used the standard earbuds that came with the device so I won’t go into those however mine did come with a free pair of Dr Dre Beats Solo’s because I pre-ordered from Telstra. I’ve done a separate basic review of those here but the overall gist is out of the box they sound pretty average but once you get a decent EQ going on them – for me EQu on an iPad or my audio setup – they begin to sound decent.

 

Conclusion

I’m happy with the device as a physical product. I’m happy with most of the software solution but the audio player will continue to plague me. The default app isn't all that good and I am yet to find something I like to replace it. 

[nishank93]

Just to soften the blow, many manufacturers make dual-SIM (and because that involves removing the back, they throw in a microSD card slot as well) versions of international phones because of China's CDMA network. It has been happening for quite sometime.

Anyhow, glad to know you like the One. I can't wait for my contract with Vodafone to expire in three months. I'm hoping to get it too!

[smackinghar5]

Any hairline gap on top and bottom of the speaker grill ?

[killerx525]

Awesome review of the One Wind! I presume you were using the Play Music app?

[Guest]

Any hairline gap on top and bottom of the speaker grill ?

  

I could feel something between the glass and the body but you certainly can't see it.

Awesome review of the One Wind! I presume you were using the Play Music app?

Nah - just the stock music app. Thanks by the way.

[amintha1992]

  

I could feel something between the glass and the body but you certainly can't see it.

Nah - just the stock music app. Thanks by the way.

 

try powerAmp as your music app, i know you are a music guy and you will like all the controls it comes with. a proper 10 band EQ with a preamp base and trebel bost (with variable levels) 

 

very robust Library and Folders system

 

downloadable skins and widgets 

 

also lock screen controls.

 

and notification Tray controls.

[Guest]

try powerAmp as your music app, i know you are a music guy and you will like all the controls it comes with. a proper 10 band EQ with a preamp base and trebel bost (with variable levels) 

 

very robust Library and Folders system

 

downloadable skins and widgets 

 

also lock screen controls.

 

and notification Tray controls.

I've been using the trial :P

[h264]

Nice review!  I'm keeping my Galaxy Nexus for now though.

 

 

  Nah - just the stock music app. Thanks by the way.

 

Yeah, the google play music app is the stock music app.  If it wasn't already confusing enough.  I use poweramp for the cue support, but I think VLC's app supports all that stuff too now.

[Guest]

Nice review!  I'm keeping my Galaxy Nexus for now though.

 

 

 

Yeah, the google play music app is the stock music app.  If it wasn't already confusing enough.  I use poweramp for the cue support, but I think VLC's app supports all that stuff too now.

Strange; for me they're two different apps.

[LinusTech]

I just installed power amp too. It looks awesome

[David89]

I use poweramp too and i absolutely love it. The only "problem" i have encountered is, that sports tracker doesnt recognize it, and that there are some wierd audio issues while streaming over bluetooth to my car audio...

 

nice review! i just watched linus 30 day video and was about to write a comment about power amp :D

[killerx525]

How's the 4G speed in your area wind? Only half of my suburb has 4G but my Note II is the non-4G model. 

[Guest]

How's the 4G speed in your area wind? Only half of my suburb has 4G but my Note II is the non-4G model. 

Comes and goes - I'm in the inner south east and I have noticed I do have it sometimes but not that regularly. I haven't been into the city with it yet though.

[killerx525]

I can guarantee you that, it's all 4G in the city as Optus's 4G is present. I'm using TPG which uses Optus's network but i am not sure if they will provide 4G even though the network is there. 

[dgtL]

My only real dislike with the phone is the micro usb port. it is such a horrible connector. after having the iphone 5 and its new lightning connector

 i dont want anything else. I love the phone but i dont think its that small of a gripe considering i have to deal with the connector every day.

[Top Stig]

Poweramp is obviously the best 3rd party music player, however PlayerPro is also an exceptional player. It too offers customizable skins and 5 band EQ (10 with the DSP pack). I like the fact that you can download album art and song lyrics which can be saved and viewed offline.

 

In terms of other Android apps that should be considered:

• GO SMS Pro to replace the stock messaging app
  • it offers a great replacement and integrates well with contacts and can be backed-up to the services such as dropbox or a micro-sd
  • I also appreciate the option of scheduling messages and being able to change the theme to have a new look
  • pop-up messages can be enables so you can respond quickly without having to leave whatever you're doing
• ES File Explorer
• Swiftkey to replace the stock keyboard (I think Linus has mentioned this)
• Wordweb (more for those who don't have a data plan but still works great if you do)
• Pocket (again, more for if you don't have a data plan...but an excellent reading tool regardless)
• Next Launcher is a great way to get some cool looking themes and animations when simply using your device
• Dolphin Browser has some awesome features such as cloud storage and add-ons to enhance the browsing experience
• Opera Mini (it compresses site data to give you a faster browsing experience on slow networks)

Those are just a few off the top of my head. 

[Denned]

Good read. Hoping I'll get my HTC One soon, so I can put my iPhone 4 to rest. :)

[GuppyTech]

@windspeed36  -  Great review...  I recently upgraded to Samsung Galaxy Note 2, which at the time was a no brainer, but if this was available at the time it would of surely been a contender.

 

How's the 4G speed in your area wind? Only half of my suburb has 4G but my Note II is the non-4G model. 

 

My 4G comes and goes also, but in and around the Sydney CBD it roars.

 

I use Optus and I would have to say the 4G is a massive improvement.  It is on par with Telstra's 4G.

[rax313]

Hi can anyone comment here about the camera?

 

Did you notice any difference in the picture quality whether good or bad?

[joelthezombie15]

is this phone coming to verizon in the US?

[Nit3Rid3R]

If it isn't any trouble, could you do a battery stress test? Turning on either 3G or LTE and browse it and see how long the battery last. 

 

And how are you finding the typing experience? When I was testing the Galaxy S4 yesterday, I noticed some really inconvenient things while typing compared to iOS. 

- When you change into symbols on Android, it stays in the symbol menu and you have to change back to the letters yourself. Where's on iOS, just after you've used a symbol and hit space, it will automatically change back.

 

-The S4 doesn't seem to automatically split words up as well. For example, if on iOS you were to type, "Todayis" it will split it up to "Today is" by itself, I didn't see this when I was testing the Galaxy S4. 

 

I don't know if the HTC one and the S4 use the same keyboard, but do these things happen on the HTC one? 

[killerx525]

@windspeed36  -  Great review...  I recently upgraded to Samsung Galaxy Note 2, which at the time was a no brainer, but if this was available at the time it would of surely been a contender.

 

 

My 4G comes and goes also, but in and around the Sydney CBD it roars.

 

I use Optus and I would have to say the 4G is a massive improvement.  It is on par with Telstra's 4G.

Hmm, i'm with TPG and i don't think 4G would be available even if i got a 4G compatible phone. 

[Guest]

If it isn't any trouble, could you do a battery stress test? Turning on either 3G or LTE and browse it and see how long the battery last. 

 

And how are you finding the typing experience? When I was testing the Galaxy S4 yesterday, I noticed some really inconvenient things while typing compared to iOS. 

- When you change into symbols on Android, it stays in the symbol menu and you have to change back to the letters yourself. Where's on iOS, just after you've used a symbol and hit space, it will automatically change back.

 

-The S4 doesn't seem to automatically split words up as well. For example, if on iOS you were to type, "Todayis" it will split it up to "Today is" by itself, I didn't see this when I was testing the Galaxy S4. 

 

I don't know if the HTC one and the S4 use the same keyboard, but do these things happen on the HTC one? 

Sorry it's taken so long to get back to you. Battery: I'm now charging about once every 2 to 3 days. Typing: I do prefer the iOS keyboard layout and features with the symbol change etc. I still haven't worked out copying and pasting text either. 

[Akula]

Nice review, I'm with Vodaphone AU - Haven't got access to 4G yet :(

[ixi_your_face]

nice review man! Just ordered one myself. I'm a sucker for aluminium ¬_¬

 

But instead of coming from IOS, i'm coming from not having a phone for 5 years... Hopefully i can wrap my head around it!