HTC One (M7) Pros and Cons

HTC One (M7)

This is going to be a very basic review of the HTC One (M7) smartphone, as I only managed to test it for a very brief amount of time. I will try to be as unbiased as possible but I must admit, that this phone has truly amazed me to the point that I am ready to move on from a BlackBerry platform of over 15 years and dive right into the beauty of the Android World. This sort of behavior never really happens among the BlackBerry enthusiast and if it does, it is really for a darn good reason. No Android phone has ever left me this impressed as compared to HTC One. So you have to take my word for it when I say, it is truly, a beauty of a beast - phone.

I was sold by the following pointers on the HTC One -

• Solid built quality. The phone feels extremely light for an all full metal (Aluminium) frame weighing only at 143g but feels extremely, sturdy and strong. Nothing like those squeaky plastic made phones.

• 4.7" inch, full HD 1080p display running at 468ppi. Graphics are just breathtaking. Text is super sharp and crisp.

• The new HTC Sense 5 interface, extremely nice with BlinkFeed that works like the FlipBoard application.

• Qualcomm Snapdragon 600, Quad-Core CPU running at 1.7GHz - Second fastest CPU in the market now, next to Samsung S4.

• HTC BoomSound with dual frontal stereo speakers with built-in amplifiers.

• Beats Audio for that studio quality sound right out of your phone speakers and headphone jack.

• HTC Ultra-Pixel rear camera for 300% more light and crisp images. 2 megapixel front camera apparently, wide-angle.

• FM Radio. Non-streaming kind that does not chalk-up data charges. I love listening to live music and news. This option is definitely a bonus if you have it on both 3G/LTE version.

• The one reason that really got me hooked onto this phone is the way it looks. It resembles so much like the BlackBerry Z10. I simply have the knack for candy-bar design (see pic below)

I think if HTC had designed the Z10 it would have had a greater chance of success with the consumers. Of course, coupled with a flexible OS like Android would have also made a World of a difference. I would have queued for the Z10 if it had specs anywhere close to the HTC One, no questions asked. But unfortunately, it doesn't and this review is for the HTC One so let me continue at that. (Sorry if I drifted from the topic; after all, I am an ex-BlackBerry addict - under rehab.)

So the things that did not really impress me with the HTC One are -

• No SD-Card support. It is a common understanding, that the fastest way to upgrade your phone memory or to do a backup is to use your spare SD-Card. They are dirt cheap, fast and easy to carry around. But really, it is not a deal breaker for me if you have the 64GB and USB OTG support on the device.

• No removable battery. If my battery goes berserk, I can just buy it off-shelve and  replace it myself, without the need to visit a service center. Also, extra battery = extra power at hand especially, when travelling. But to be honest, I have never replaced a battery or used a backup battery on my existing phone so once again, not a deal breaker.

• Not a deal breaker but the option for wireless charging would have definitely been icing on the cake. Hopefully, a slick looking phone case will be introduced with wireless charging built-in, just like what iPhone has.

• Running on Jelly Bean 4.1 though, not a deal breaker and pretty stable but would had been great if it had the latest OS in the machine - Jelly Bean 4.2.

• I understand the HTC One notification LED only has Bi-Color support (Green & Orange) and NO support for the RGB. That is a little let down because some habits are pretty hard to break. I come from the BlackBerry family of phones where RGB LED notifications, is the norm. The multitude of LED colors on a phone can be very useful. For instance, you can program RGB LEDs in such a way that for every missed notification you can have a different color of LED flashing. One for WhatsApp, email, text, missed called and the list goes on-and-on. Furthermore, the LED on the HTC One seems kind of secretly tucked away inside the speaker grill on the top. My worry is that the LED may not be so noticeable from certain viewing angles. But again, this is something that needs to be seen and tested fully. 50/50 deal breaker.

However HTC One may be, I am not discounting the fact that I may suddenly make a detour or a beeline for the Samsung Galaxy S4 once it is officially launched for sale. That final decision of mine, remains to be seen. As for now, I can say this for a fact, that HTC One has truly won the ultimate challenge for being - "quietly brilliant"!

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