The new HTC One Android smartphone is announced, stepping up against Windows Phone 8

By Rich Edmonds
published

HTC has announced the HTC One, a new Android-powered smartphone. The device is made from an aluminium uni-body and is the company's attempt to stop the current down spiral by releasing new, unique hardware. So what's included in the new Android smartphone and how do the specifications compare to the latest Windows Phones?

Sporting a 4.7-inch Super LCD 3 display and designed using a single block of aluminium, it's an attractive look. A quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 600 CPU and Adreno 320 GPU provide enough horsepower for apps and games. The chip manufacturer boasts a 40 percent improvements over the previous Snapdragon S4 Pro. It's still more processing power than any Windows Phone requires for a smooth experience.

32GB and 64GB options are available, and the HTC One features 2GB of RAM. LTE is supported, but what's interesting to note is the camera. HTC is boasting a BSI sensor, 4MP, with OIS (Optical Image Stabilisation - hello Lumia 920), an F2.0 aperture and a 28mm lens.

HTC One

There's a 2,300 mAh embedded battery inside to provide enough juice to last the day. It's quite subtle and we're probably looking too much into the new button layout on the bottom section of the display, but it resembles Windows Phone slightly, with the main logo in the middle (albeit HTC and not Windows) with a single button on either side. We've got to look at it with our platform in mind, right?

As well as the new hardware, HTC has also implemented some improvements with its software too. The HTC One is running Android 4.1.2 and HTC Sense 5 (HTC's custom UI), which includes a Flipboard-esque "BlinkFeed" view. A more traditional Android home screen experience and a revamped app drawer is also bundled. 

Moving onto audio, we're looking at dual front stereo speakers and Beats Audio. HTC is branding all this sound technology as "BoomSound." It's quite the package overall, which could end up saving the company in the Android market. We'll have to look at how HTC will improve on the 8X and 8S to compete against Nokia, Samsung and Huawei in the future.

Source: Android Central

Rich Edmonds
Rich Edmonds
Senior Editor, PC Build

Rich Edmonds was formerly a Senior Editor of PC hardware at Windows Central, covering everything related to PC components and NAS. He's been involved in technology for more than a decade and knows a thing or two about the magic inside a PC chassis. You can follow him on Twitter at @RichEdmonds.

133 Comments
  • It's pretty clear where the focus of HTC is. And it's understandable, none of the cool software features they've announced are possible on Windows Phone, not to mention the hardware limitations of Windows Phone (no quad core, only 1GB RAM etc etc).
  • MS really needs to reduce the hardware limitations. Things like notification lights should also become accessible
  • Or they could just put 3 seperate leds for the touch buttons and the windows button would blink, thats what Palm did for their phones
  • I like what Palm did, that would be a great idea too. My point was MS needs to make more of these options available to OEMs or WP will always be behind.
  • They're already behind -- let's just say fall further behind.
    I love WP, and currently use it.  But MS has some draconian constraints on the API and hardware specs.  They need to expand the API and loosen up on the spec to give hardware companies more variability.
  • Agree!, but for the record the new WP kernel is capable of everything, and more, that a Android device can do.
  • That would be badass.. I would love to see my windows logo slowly blink when there's a message waiting.
  • that would be awesome. i can think of something else MS could take from palm and put to use *cough-cardswitcher-cough*
  • I thought WP supports up to 64 cores. Its the screen resolution thats limited. But supposedly software update could fix. Not sure if I'm wrong or right.
  • I remember 64 cores. The OS can support 1080, but is locked to 720/736. MS just needs to unlock that resolution with a software tweak. There was a big discussion when the DNA came out.
    The Radar was aluminum unibody. Looks like they just scaled up the tooling to a larger size. Maybe, maybe this will be a new WP design with some tweaked features in the future.
    Yum
  • You're right. WP8 supports up to 64 cores. AFAIK, there is no upper limit on RAM either.
  • 32bit = 4Gb
  • Presumably a 64-bit WP8 is "no problem" though, since there's a 64-bit W8 out there.  But how many bits is the Snapdragon chip?
  • You're stuck with 4GB. ARM and thus Snapdragon is limited to 32 bits. ARM Cortex A53 and A57 won't be around until 2014 to provide 64 bits
  • Why not zoidberg (Intel)?  This might be a perfect excuse for Intel's ATOM cpus to make an appearance on WP.  I doubt they're ready to primetime, but many of the ATOM cpus are x64 compatible.
  • technically, you can have more than 4GB with 32bit systems, its just not implemented (looking at previous 32bit servers as example)
  • This is reliant on PAE (Physical Address Extension), which is basically a combination of hardware address remapping and address virtualization.  It relies on drivers knowing that any reserved memory pages for caching - for OS and hardware memory - are allocation into space above 4GB.
    Assuming all of the drivers for WP support it, as well as ARM's BIOS.  It could be possible since it operates in the register space of a 32bit OS.
  • Yes, you could but it is not continuous memory.
  • You're exactly right!
  • If HTC made a WP8 device with the same specs and the form factor of the 8X, I would consider it over the Lumia 920. Only issue is the exclusive apps.
  • You mean the same specs as the One?
  • Everything you mentioned is totally possibly with the new Kernel WP is based on.. That's the point of the new kernel!!! Either you are a android fan who speculates about WP and needs to shut the front door, or you are the worst WP fan on WPC!! Lol!!
  • completely agree on the hardware comments but why couldnt HTC implement the BLINK FEED inside the HTC Hub on Windows Phone? I think in many ways its more needed on Windows Phone as there is no Flipboard APP etc... On Android I am not sure Blink is such a big deal...
  • Looks like if it was to come it could pass as a Titan 3. The design looks somewhat similar to the Titan 1 just with a new color.
  • Hopefully something like this will be the new HTC Windows Phone that arrives on Sprint this summer! I love the look of it!!
  • This would've KILLED if it was released with the WP8 OS.
  • They couldn't if they wanted to. This uses the new Snapdragon 600 chipset. WP8 is limited by the year old S4.
  • I was referring more to the design itself but yeah, if the goodies require a more powerful processor, then that's that.
  • And WP8 doesn't support 1080p.
  • Its not limited there. Your wrong!!!! Read up on it and you'll see that's not true.
  • I think it would have at least done better than the 8X. Lets be honest, the 8X's colorful polycarb body too much resembles the Lumias. And if someone likes that look, they are probably buying a Lumia 920 anyways. That may not be a problem for HTC on Verizon or TMobile, since those carriers don't carry the 920, but on AT&T I doubt the 8X sold at all. If it had this design, it would at least have attracted people that prefer aluminum look over colorful polycarb.
  • It would've been cool if the 8S had the 8X's specs and was released in the US.
  • Yor right, I fthis was a WP8 device I would pick it up I just like the more polishness of it. More refined.
  • i prefer the look of the 8X to the Lumia 920. Much thinner and nicer in the hand too. The 920 is a freaking brick.
  • This is why we have selection...
  • What will save them is making sure their phone definitely hits the market before GS4. And a lot of good advertising everywhere. Otherwise GS4 steamrolls it in sales just like last year.
  • I agree...  The GS4 will overshadow it in the Android realm and Nokia in the WP realm.  The problem with HTC is they announced first.  Nokia and Samsung will be on everyone elses mind next week.  This is the same issue with Blackberry.  By the end of next week BB10 will not be in the news anymore.
  • Lol@"BoomSound". That's just stupid.
  • lol i said the same thing.
  • Boom! Shaka-laka Boom! I guess they're not using Beats anymore?
  • i think they are referring to their mic tech lol not the audio tech.
  • Ah, like boom microphone. Thanks.
  • no problem :D
  • My Titan has a Notification LED so Microsoft isn't stopping any manufacture from adding one. The only hardware limitation I see on windows phone 8 at the moment is a full HD screen, which on a smart phone isn't really adding anything to the experience. Its a 5 inch screen and no eye could tell the difference between 768/720 and 1080. But your battery can tell the difference. And just being honest, adding support for 1080P is a configuration setting update, because the UI is a byproduct of the graphics chip, so it could scale infinitely.
  • Chipset is also a hardware limitation on WP8. The One uses the new 600 series chip from Qualcomm. It's probably twice as fast as the S4 Pro. WP meanwhile is stuck on S4.
  • You are forgetting that current lines of phones are first wave of wp8. The second save devices will get better updated specs like it did with wp7
  • Microsoft hasn't announced which chipset they'll be supporting for the next wave of phones. We're assuming its the S4 Pro, but you may see them opt for the 600 or 800. Remember, we all expected to see a Nokia Jugernaught and Titan III sporting the S4 Pro in November, but those plans didn't happen. Microsoft had the chip roadmap a year ago, so who knows which chips they're gonna support at MWC.
  • I doubt I would tell the difference in chips on WP8. 
  • let's be honest, noone here can tell what's under the hood on current gen phones, least of all on a windows phone since it's a lot more efficient.
    on android it matters a lot. to the point where if the ui is very fast (independent of smoothness) you know the hardware is powerful. and frankly, android needs that kind of power just to operate its ui and normal functions much less anything else. it's a dog of an os and only until late 2012 could the hardware power it properly.
    it's spec war overkill. just a lot of wasted procs. how many more extra hours of battery life could these phones have if they weren't so intent on pumping in more useless, bloated tech. apart from a few games, there's nothing that taxes the current s4 hardware.
    i'd vote a focus on battery over how cool t is o have 8gb of ram and dual quad core proccessors that sit there eating up battery life.
  • There's a lot that will tax the S4 hardware. Clearly you've not been exposed to high end mobile gaming. It needs all the power it can.
  • What high end games tax the processor on Android? Or WP?
  • Completely agree here too.
     
    If there was a 1080P smartphone with a Octo core processor, and a dual core 720P phone side by side I would choose the 720P one, as none of those features actually give me any benefits, instead its the opposite since they promise less battery life.
    Now Optical image stabilisation I would pay for since it is a real feature I can actually benefit from.
  • +1.  1080p on a smartphone screen is completely useless.  Sadly, consumers are still susceptible to the spec wars.
  • No... It makes sense if you can download movies on Android or WP8 and then display the screen on your Full-HD TV.
  • no...bc the screen resolution doesn't affect output resolution...so you can still download 1080 movies and display them on your tv at 1080
  • Ya, like windows phone supports HDMI out. Wouldn't make a difference anyway. And no, play to for Lumia's isn't the same thing.
  • Sure, but if I'm correct the light is only accessible by firmware and HTC hasn't made it available to be customized much. The operating system support seems to be so limited that it prevents manufacturers from adding notification lights that are actually very useful. (Correct me if I'm wrong anywhere)
  • My Mozart had it. How exactly has the software been restrictive?
  • Didn't HTC almost lose their shirt with the HTC One X?
  • yes even though it is a really nice phone as is the one s and the 8x. Samsung just has the marketing blitz htc cannot afford, and so even if the phone is insanely nice you still have samsungs juggernaut to deal with in the GS, samsung also makes its parts so manufacturing is cheaper for them if im not mistaken (for gods sake someone correct me if im wrong about this).
  • You are absolutely right WinFan1. The margins for Samsung are only next to Apple's and that's a great position to be in when you are pushing so many units in sales.
  • i mean as a consumer i wish them the best and hope they bring new customers in with their new phones because its good for competition and good for me as a tech lover :), but reality is something entirely different, and sales are usually pushed by brand recognition. Samsung is a force to be reckoned with outside of smartphones, what with smart tvs, bluray players, dvd players, lcd/plasma/led screens, chips, and etc they are just really well recognized and as a samsung tv owner i stick by their products in the context of televisions at least. So with that being said having their brand so out there HTC doesnt seem to stand much of a chance against the artist formerly known as Samsung. Although you never know in this industry and it just might do the trick.
  • I have a feeling that Windows Phone processors are not actually limited to the s4 anymore.
  • Hehehe
  • Did you watch the windows phone 8 keynote? It said it supports dual-core and more. Hint hint. :)
  • They never were.. The Chinese Nokia 920 uses an S4 Pro. I'm surprised no one has mentioned that yet... :S
  • Unfortunately for HTC, Samsung will start really promoting their next galaxy event this week.  Anyone who isn't an HTC fan will hold off waiting to see what Samsung has.
  • love the hardware HTC makes. but only if they could support their phones well with apps :@
  • HTC Blink is a full copy of WP's live tile UI.. Incredible now android is copying us *SIGH*..
  • i was thinking the same thing....even the cards in google now are copied from the concept of live tiles
  • Widgets came out first...so yea...js 
  • Yah, on Windows Mobile well before Android existed. And lets not forget where Sense came from. Everybody's phone looks just like Gramps on steroids! :D
  • Except that they can update before 30 minutes :p
  • And are of course, much uglier. :P
  • Maybe this could benefit WP? If someone goes to buy a phone and see Live tiles on both Android and WP's maybe they'll choose the WP over the Android becuz of looks, integration and MS Office. Not knowing they are on completely different ecosystems?
  • +1
  • Oh, yeah...they aren't biting the Windows Phone UI in the slightest are they?! =/
  • HTC is in a tough spot, Samsung will almost surely destroy them with the the GS4 - but they have to make something like this to compete. Would they be better off being a WP-only manufacturer? Hmm.
  • If this phone flops I wouldn't be surprised if HTC starts to really focus on Windows Phones.
  • I have a feeling that this M7 was panned as a WP8 and ended up being an Android as MS was not ready for the specs...
  • this kind of makes the current wp8 look dated...let's hope MWC announce some new exciting WP8 handsets...(looking at Nokia)
  • I very much like the phone. saw a video in german with the device and it's absolutely stunning. and that new ui/feed whatever is pretty cool. But it does resemble windows phone a little bit too much imo and makes me mad that besides resizable tiles Microsoft didn't bring anything new to the table in the ui department. A ui that is 2 years old already. Microsoft really,really needs to move faster, especially since they don't let the oems change or improve the ui. Say what you want about android, but that customization aspect at least allows the oems to bring value to their offering. And HTC aparently did that with this phone.
    Props for HTC for trying something new with the camera, shame on them for copying the Nokia mic technology,and overall bring the feel of wp to android..
     
    Now, the question is what will Nokia bring to the table with the new devices? The full pureview tech still isn't toped by anyone, the supersensitive screen tech made an apearance in a chines phone, and there's no alternative for clearblack either. Plus it seems, wireless charging still isn't used by manufacturers.
    So, will the verzion variant of the 920 be slimmer with ois left intact? will the full pureview phone use these new snapdragon socs? I hated before than wp was stuck with old processors, and now that microsoft ported the nt architecture i want to see the next flagships use current cos like the 600 and 800.
     
    And even if most of you won't agree with me, i beg Microsoft to bring some changes to the ui, enhance the tiles somehow, bring more background choices,colors like in windows 8, streamline the menus a bit, bring the notification center and some freah new way to interact with the phone. 2 years later, for me at least the wp interface is becoming a bit stale
  • +100
  • agrees with you...thte current WP8 os looks good but still lacks something....their blinkfeed looks really good for some reason...maybe it's because its similarity to flipboard but WP8 really needs something quick or it'll sink even faster...
  • I totally agree with everything you said.. I love WP but if they don't make changes to the UI then I'm going Android because it's so much you can do with the system.. I love that! They need to add background images to the home screen, more customized tiles; making see through, 3D tiles that can show all 4-sides of information on them by flipping etc... WP8 is getting stale and behind in times like the IPhone.. Add some pizzazz too it!
  • if your a tinkerer then you should have been with android lol, thats androids niche, windows phones are more for personalization, and prioritization than they are for customization.
  • Let's be honest. WP8 was really about getting the NT kernel on WP. I imagine there are a lot of changes in the pipeline for W8 and WP8. But the critical part was getting WP8 out the door. Changing the UI is easy compared to porting the kernel, writing device drivers, etc... The HTC screen is nice, but it's skin deep. Download your first app from the Play Store and it will not integrate into this desktop.
  • I want to see a Lumia with Android!!!!
  • I only follow windows phone because of nokia to be honest. That doesn't mean i hate wp, i love it in fact. And i think that with the new aproach Microsoft has of unifying the ecosytems it has potential, a lot of it. But in the same time i think Nokia is held a little bit back by the bureaucracy in Microsoft. Anyways, i guess if things don't get better  for Nokia in the next 2 years with windows phone, they will probably jump ship to another platform.
     
    As for Nokia with android, i don't think ti will happen, but it makes me wonder how Nokia would enhance it, considering what they did with meego and all the tech and expertise they have
  • +1
  • u said they'll jump ship after 2 years, and also android is not a posiblity. What's the other alternative then? unbuntu?
  • No. Won't happen. Keep on dreaming.
  • imho microsoft will buy nokia before they allow them to abandon the platform and with the money that microsoft can burn they have a while to get wp just right for people. Think long term people (XBOX) once people start witnessing the new xbox having metro windows 8 being refined office being metro outlook being metro minimalistic desktop design seeing the metropolitan typography literally anywhere you take a train or bus people will warm up and see that microsoft is the most people/information centric platform out currently then we can see a shift in mindset.
  • I would probably care more about this phone if HTC actually cared about their customers who bought older phones.  I still have a HTC One X that never got the office 4.2 update.  Instead they release the One X+ and said screw people who bought that phone.  They do not support their phones.  Don't get me wrong I bought the phone with the current ICS and love the phone and accept that I get what I paid for at the time, but to see them blantantly leave behind older products, products that aren't even a year old leaves a crap taste in my mouth. And it's not even about the root aspect of it as that is no problem and I eventually always have to do that anyways, but Samsung has been more committed to their products as of late and that leave a better impression of being customer centric than what HTC is doing.
  • So HTC copied the design from iPhone, OS Skin from Windows phone, and the camera innovations it tried to copy from Nokia (OIS and pixels). WTF HTC, when will you start to try something of your own, something with novelty that you have created? I'm embarrased when you come out with a copy-everything-from-others-device and give statements like this: "We think it's time to shake things up in the smartphone space," Mike Woodward, President of HTC America, told ABC News in an interview. "We have decided to come out and reinvent the smartphone."
     
    You haven't invented anything. You have copied everything. That is the reason why HTC won't be able to leave their problems behind.
  • +1
  • Agreed. "Reinvent the smartphone" my ass.
  • Nokia invented OIS and digital imaging?  I don't think so.
  • Nice to see the new Sense look a LOT better, having taken so many cues from WP! :) And will be interesting to see how the camera does - good to see them have the balls to lower the pixel count. :)
  • Another iphone5 clone, after blacbarry's clone.
  • Of course 2 months later they will have the HTC One+ that will have 4.2.2 or Key Lime and this will be left in the pile of non supported products as well.
  • HTC does provide updates, but if your phone is locked, carriers don't release these updates.
  • just like windows phone 7.5 user right lol at least with android you can unlock n put any custom OS you want
  • I assure you all this will be titan 3..100% ..
  • So like I predicted the android is starting to look like tiles, and I am sure that apple will do the same. Clearly people like the tile look on there phones but andriod fans and apple fans won't admit it until it they have a similar look on there phone..
  • ^This.
  • Is it me or is it thinner than Lumia 920? Because if it is it shows that the 920 could've been made more thin. I don't know if I can use that excuse anymore- that its packed full of good specs thus is why its heavy and a little thick.
  • It is packed with a wireless charging plate - that's the reason behind it being so thick. Whoever said it is the specs when a similarly specced Ativ S is much thinner? Where do people come up with these reasons? That makes no sense at all. "ya all the specs make it thick"
  • it seems the htc one doesn use  a sping system to stabilize the camera in conjuction with the gyroscope like nokia,and only uses the gyroscope. that's why they managed to make the phone thin
  • Man, as mad as I am at HTC for the lack of WP7 updates, I would be all over an aluminum-bodied phone like this.
  • Nokia, please kill them.
  • HTC is busy at suicide... No need for Nokia to do anything.
  • :D
  • Right now update cycle of windows phone is worse than android
  • Well in some cases.
  • I already thought Android 4 copied some design principles from Windows Phone but Sense5 looks way too much like WP. A bit more and its time for Microsoft to join Apple and Samsung in the court-battle game.
  • If Microsoft and nokia doesn't come out with something amazing, Im jumping ship! My last 1.5 years with windows phone was life full of compromise!
  • I have the Lumia 920. It does everything for me: MS word, one note, SkyDrive, facebook integration, improved web browser, Nokia maps, etc.. It has everything I need for both work and play. Oh, awesome camera and video. I know, you want istagram, temple run, etc. That's why your upset. Go ahead, jump ship just to get instagram. I'm sure you'll regret later on.
  • i guess im the only person who thinks this phone is hideous.. looks like 2nd gen android phones! A crappy copy of the z10 design.
    Even if WP8 ran on the One id still take my 8x over that!
  • I wouldn't mind a retread of this phone in WP flavor.  Titan III  anyone? 
    I am not feeling the rumored 4.3" screen of the Nokia OIS.
  • I'll form my opinion once sample pictures can be seen. Very curious about the camera. Apart from that: I'm not the biggest Android fan in the world, so ... no.
  • Oh, good grief, you people were whining about not having dual cores, now you're whining about four?  WP8 operates like butter on dual cores.  And, good grief, blinky lights?  What, are you kids in fourth grade?  I see nothing on this new Android device that's compelling other than perhaps the camera.  But I'm already seeing early comparisons that it's excellent but still trails behind the Lumia 920 camera.
    One of the reasons the Lumia 920 is so thick is the choice to stick with the unibody.  The word is that the aluminum version that's likely to be revealed at MWC will be significantly thinner.
  • My Quad core Nexus 7 doesn't run as smooth as my Nokia 920 Dual Core.  That's for sure.  People see into perception too much and that more is always better.  It's the quality of builds that make or break things. 
  • +1 My HTC Radar with one core is better and smoother than Nexus 7 with Jelly Beans.
  • Android is a fragmented piece of diarrhea and will never become as useful nor feature-rich as Windows phone because the devs are working with stolen OS features from others and are simply not professional. Period.
  • At this point all OS has some form of fragmentation.
  • Just wait until Nokia cat walk is released it will give the android dudes a run for there money even more!!
  • HTC and Nokia designs really put Samsung's to shame.
  • I still rather choose wp8 over this htc one. This will will be having battery issue, malware virus, laggyness with 1 month
  • This is why I hate buying new phones, they just get outdated within a couple months. The HTC One looks awesome, it is a beast of a phone. I'm not sure I would pick the Lumia 920 again if the One was out at the time. I love WP8 but this HTC really does look great.
  • Its still going to get its arse kicked by NOKIA CAT WALK XD!
  • Huh, Microsoft really needs to step up in the smartphone business. If important features found on other platforms don't make it in WP soon, Windows Phone is really going to start losing more followers than ever. I love WP, don't get me wrong, but I hate how MS limits a whole lot of things on the OS. Plus, that HTC One looks pretty good right now, even though it'll be running lagdroid x.xx (insert dessert name here).
  •   Here is full review of HTC One according to my point to view   http://engineeringprogrammingsoftwaregames.blogspot.com/2013/04/htc-one-...