Big warning, HTC decided to use the old, easily scratchable Gorilla Glass 2. While GG2 does a pretty good job, micro scratches still appear on the screen from simply pulling and putting your phone in your pockets constantly which is very annoying.
The SGS4 uses the newer Gorilla Glass 3 which is 3x as scratch resistant according to this article.
http://blog.gsmarena.com/samsung-galaxy-s4-uses-the-latest-gorilla-glass-3-for-screen-protection/
Does scratch resistance = crack resistance as well?
Definitely two separate factors. I'm not sure which gorilla glass is best for which factor.
- build quality was nice, but didn't get the wow factor I expected. Personally I thought the iPhone 5 felt more premium - the rubbery lines on the back vs. the smooth iPhone aluminum back was markedly different. However, still the class of the field for Android, but not the visceral feeling of wow I expected. My wife (who is stuck on Apple and has the 5), laughed saying this company was copying Apple so hard.
Played with one as well at an AT&T store for about 15 minutes:
- the 1080p screen is great, viewing tiny text on a non-mobile optimized site was amazingly sharp. The same text on my Note 2 was slightly pixelated, though I could see much more of the site on screen.
- the screen wasn't as bright as I expected it to be. Set at max brightness, it didn't seem very bright in store, and not as bright as the Note 2 screen at less than max brightness. Still more than sufficient however.
- build quality was nice, but didn't get the wow factor I expected. Personally I thought the iPhone 5 felt more premium - the rubbery lines on the back vs. the smooth iPhone aluminum back was markedly different. However, still the class of the field for Android, but not the visceral feeling of wow I expected. My wife (who is stuck on Apple and has the 5), laughed saying this company was copying Apple so hard.
- still not a fan of the viewable screen size to phone size. The actual amount of screen real estate where content appears in a browser was meh - too much wasted space between the bezel, black borders around the screen, and button row. Felt worse than the S3, which is worse than the Note 2, which looks to be worse than the S4 (and I assume the Note 3).
- UI was snappy - though I didn't notice any difference between the Cleanrom I run on my Note 2. Sense wasn't that bad, though ideally I'd still want to run a debloated, clean ROM with the launcher of my choice. Mostly this tells me modern hardware makes Android snappy regardless of device.
So nice phone, will be interesting to compare to the S4 as an overall package, but nothing to make me dump the Note 2. I'll still be waiting for the Note 3.
Just wanted to note, HTC had One in development before iPhone 5 came out - Though if anything it copied Sony Xperia P -- Heck iPhone also copied a lot of design elements from Sony too.
Just wanted to note, HTC had One in development before iPhone 5 came out - Though if anything it copied Sony Xperia P -- Heck iPhone also copied a lot of design elements from Sony too.
I can't imagine any phone having a lower brightness than an AMOLED screen...
My guess is that there's some serious panel lottery action going on here. Either that or HTC clamped down max brightness on the AT&T version for battery purposes.I checked the brightness level on the One, but I wonder if there was some display power saving option enabled.
I can't imagine any phone having a lower brightness than an AMOLED screen...
Super LCDs have historically had far worse brightness than even SAMOLEDs where have you been? Ever look at a Thunderbolt or Rezound screen before?
Yup, and you can go back even before that. Zune HD and iRiver e200 (both year 2009):
Aluminum is literally an element in industrial design. Apple isn't unique in using a shiny surface, and HTC's design (or Sony's, for that matter) phone forms are limited by function, at least to some extent; there are some innovative phone designs out there, but Apple isn't really the innovator it was back when it was making bright, colorful iMacs and iPod minis. And even those shared design cues with earlier products.
I'm sure there's some metal/aluminum radio or some other gadget from the early 2000s, 90s, 80s or even earlier predating the above mp3 players and the original iPhone. There are very few truly original designs.
I'm seriously considering the One as my next phone. I'm going to wait for the S4 to come out and compare. I already have to wait anyway since I want to get it in black, if I do get it.
Someone mentioned that Gorilla Glass 2 is more susceptible to scratches compared to GG3. Is GG2 worse than the first GG? I have an iPhone 4 now that's 2.5 years old with no scratches, so if GG2 is better than that, I'm not worried.
While I was looking at the One, the sales person told me 4 ultrapixels is equivalent to 13 megapixels.
Bottom Line
The HTC One's "UltraPixel" camera sounds like marketing palaver, but actually makes for an impressive shooter. In each situation we tested, the HTC One's camera performed on par with—or better than—the competition. Whether it beats out the excellent Lumia 920 might come down to personal preference, but there's no denying the HTC One's camera exhibits such great low-light performance (both with and without flash) that it's clearly one of the best cameras on a smartphone you could actually buy.
the only real difference between GG2 and GG3 is the thickness. scratch and impact resistance should be pretty much the same. both are better vs the orig GG
I'm curious as to how the One compares to the Evo 4G. My local Sprint dealer says the Evo 4G is more popular and better quality but I'm wondering. My contract is up in May and I'm thinking of upgrading from the Evo 3D. I'm on my third phone after 2 years of breakdown while wife is still on her original. I'm thinking HTC One, Evo 4G, or the new Samsung when it rolls out.