Android Thoughts: Press Release: HTC Announces the New HTC One Series

"Today at Mobile World Congress, HTC announced the new HTC One series, which represent the most premium mobile experience with a new level of iconic design and a new amazing camera and authentic sound experience."

HTC has announced three new phones that are part of their new, high-end, One series of devices. The HTC One X (Picture above) has a 4.7", HD (720p, 720x1280), SuperLCD, 1GB of RAM, 16GB of storage and either a dual-core 1.5GHz Snapdragon S4 or a quad-core Tegra 3. The HTC One S is the thin model at 7.9mm. It has a dual-core 1.5GHz Snapdragon S4 and a 4.3", qHD (540x960), AMOLED display. The HTC One V is the low-end of these high end devices apparently. HTC calls it "pocket friendly" and says it's designed to "provide a high-end smartphone experience for a broad appeal" so I guess that means really good low end. We don't really have technical details but I'm going to guess the screen is WVGA (480x800) with maybe a 4" diagonal. The HTC One X and S both have new and improved camera technology as well as Beats audio. I didn't care about Beats a few weeks ago but a friend got a pair of Beats headphones and I was truly amazed! I'd love to see other companies start paying more attention to the camera and the audio on the devices they release. I'm glad to see HTC upping the bar in those areas!

These are some nice devices but I still think HTC needs to work on their battery life. Motorola has started going huge with the RAZR Maxx at 3300mAH and the Atrix 3 announced with a 3300mAH battery as well. I think this should be standard for anything that's dual-core (or more) these days and supports LTE. That may not be needed once we hit third quarter and they start shrinking the die sizes of the processors but for now, I think the 1800mAH battery on the HTC One X is inadequate. I don't know the battery capacity of the S or the V but I'll bet they're smaller.

I'd love to hear your thoughts on these new devices or battery life on high-end devices. How about Rezound (1720p, dual-core, LTE, 1620mAH) owners, how's the battery life in actual daily use for you? Maybe HTC has some new tricks to make their batteries last longer on their more recent phones. Press Releases after the break!

Update: I just noticed this morning that the Snapdragon S4 processors use the 28nm die size! That's very noteworthy because it means they should get better battery life than the any other CPU out there right now. I'm still not sure these devices could compete with a phone that has a 3300mAH battery but that 1800mAH may be plenty to keep you away from a power outlet all day. I think the S4's also have enhanced Adreno GPU's. The 220 was awesome and so anything newer could be pretty amazing and may even be faster than the Tegra 3 GPU - not sure but research it if you're interested.

"Today at Mobile World Congress, HTC announced the new HTC One series, which represent the most premium mobile experience with a new level of iconic design and a new amazing camera and authentic sound experience. The HTC One devices will be powerhouses – not only with impressive specs and sleek designs, but will allow for faster web browsing, easy task management, and simplified home screens brought to you by HTC Sense 4 on Google’s Ice Cream Sandwich platform. The phones announced today in the HTC One series include:

The HTC One X, which is a multimedia livewire. It features a best-in-class 8-megapixel camera with the new HTC ImageChip to ensure that you capture quality photos in less than ideal conditions on its dazzling 4.7 inch HD super LCD display. The camera is packed with advanced effects and scenes such as Smart Flash and Burst Mode. Pictures can also be pulled from the HTC One X’s HD 1080p video recorder, both during and after shooting.

With HTC Sense 4, Beats™ Audio is a universal setting, so you can enjoy enhanced sound in music. Access to AT&T’s speedy 4G LTE network paired with a 1.5 GHz LTE Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 processor permits the HTC One X to deliver unparalleled Web surfing, streaming and downloading speeds. The HTC One X will be available on AT&T in the coming months.

Joining the HTC One X in the HTC One series, the HTC One S is HTC’s thinnest phone yet. Sophisticated and compact, it is still the ultimate hub for entertainment with its stunning 4.3-inch qHD AMOLED touchscreen display. Enjoy studio-crisp sound with Beats™ Audio as a universal setting – hear the difference with movies, games, and other applications. With access to T-Mobile’s HSPA+ 42 Mbps network paired with Qualcomm’s 1.5 GHz Snapdragon™ S4 dual-core processor, The HTC One S delivers an incomparably zippy experience.

Ultra-sleek and lightweight, the HTC One S camera packs the same punch as the HTC One X, containing an impressive f/2.0 lens and a backside-illuminated sensor to capture every moment with astounding quality. The addition of the HTC ImageChip delivers photos on your mobile like never before. The HTC One S will be available this spring from T-Mobile USA.

Rounding up the HTC One series announced today is the pocket-friendly HTC One V, which utilizes a classic HTC design to provide a high-end smartphone experience for a broad appeal. The simple unibody design exudes the craftsmanship and quality that HTC is known for.

HTC One Series Unveiled

HTC One™ Highlighted by an Amazing Camera and Authentic Sound Experience

Unprecedented momentum for HTC One series – available beginning in April with broad global availability through more than 140 mobile operators and distributors

BARCELONA, SPAIN – Mobile World Congress – February 26, 2012 – HTC, a global designer of smartphones, today unveiled its new HTC One series of smartphones that represent its most premium mobile experience with a new level of iconic design and amazing camera and authentic sound experience.

“The best moments in life are captured with a photo or remembered by a song, so it was key for the HTC One series to improve these emotional experiences with an amazing camera and authentic sound experience,” said Peter Chou, CEO of HTC Corporation. “We are very focused on creating a camera and audio experience customers will love and use often and we believe the HTC One series delivers this in a way never seen on a phone before.”

With HTC’s most premium experience, the HTC One series integrates Android 4.0 (ICS) with HTC Sense™ 4, the new version of HTC’s branded user experience that is introducing HTC ImageSense™, a new suite of camera and imaging features that set HTC One apart from other phones. HTC Sense 4 also includes broad enhancements to audio quality and simplifies how people listen to music on their phone.

Amazing Camera

With ImageSense HTC One rivals traditional digital cameras with improvements to every part of the camera, including the lens, the sensor, the software, and even integrating a new custom HTC ImageChip. These enhancements combine to deliver our fastest image capture, best image quality under adverse conditions and easiest interface that enables quick access to capturing stills and videos with side-by-side photo and video capture buttons.

• Superfast Capture - HTC One dramatically reduces the time it takes to capture those key moments. In just 0.7 seconds you’re able to take a shot, and with a new superfast 0.2-seconds autofocus, continue to take nearly unlimited continuous shots simply by holding the shutter button.
• Good photos in adverse conditions - HTC One delivers dramatic enhancements in image capture quality even in adverse conditions such as low light, no light or with bright backlighting. The f/2.0 lens on the HTC One X and HTC One S offers best-in-class performance, capturing 40 percent more light than the f/2.4 lenses available on other high-end phones. HTC One also includes HDR, a market-leading technology, for taking great photos even when there are varying levels of brightness.
• Video Pic (Concurrent Video/Still Capture) – With Video Pic you capture a photo and shoot video at the same time. Now, while you’re shooting HD video, all you have to do is tap the shutter button and it snaps a high-resolution still photo while the video continues to shoot. You are also able to capture a photo frame from a previously recorded video.
• Dropbox integrated with HTC Sense - HTC One gives you an easy way to save and share your photos and videos. HTC has integrated Dropbox into HTC Sense 4 enabling HTC One customers to get 25 gigabytes of free Dropbox space for two years. That’s enough to keep more than 10,000 high-quality photos. Dropbox is also integrated throughout HTC Sense 4, so it’s easy to edit, save and share your documents and other kinds of files.
• Sharing your photos and more - HTC One gives you a new way to share your photos and videos. When you plug in 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 as long as it has HDMI.

Authentic Sound

With HTC One, Beats By Dr. Dre Audio™ integration is enabled for the first time across the entire experience for richer, more authentic sound whether you’re listening to your favorite music, watching a YouTube™ video or playing a game. HTC One also makes it easy to get and listen to your music on your phone with the built-in HTC Sync Manager software that automatically installs to your computer when connected. Once connected, it is easy to transfer songs, artists and playlists from your music library.

Of course, people today no longer just listen to the songs stored on their phones; they use streaming services and tune into Internet radio. So HTC One lets you customize the new Music Hub with your favorite services and music applications, like the latest Soundhound technology, giving you one place to go for all of your music.

HTC One lets you take all of your music anywhere, including the car. With HTC One, you get an easy way to bring your mobile music to your car’s sound system with the HTC Car Stereo Clip*. It also lets you connect to your music through more than 50 thousand online radio stations worldwide or play music from any service or app on your phone through your car speakers. All this makes HTC One the one place to enjoy all your music, wherever you are, with the power of Beats By Dr. Dre Audio and HTC Car.

HTC One X

The HTC One X features a beautifully crafted polycarbonate unibody that has the ruggedness of metal but is super lightweight. With seamless construction, the unibody combines a unique high gloss 'piano' finish and a matte back. HTC One is blazing fast with the new NVIDIA® Tegra 3 Mobile Processor for clear graphics, faster applications and longer battery life. It includes a 1.5GHz Super 4-PLUS-1™ quad-core with an integrated fifth Battery Saver Core and a high-performance 12-Core NVIDIA® GPU. The HTC One also has an amazing 4.7-inch, 720p HD screen crafted from contoured Corning™ Gorilla Glass. HTC One X will also be available in select 4G LTE markets with a LTE-enabled Qualcomm Snapdragon S4™ processor with up to 1.5GHz dual-core CPU’s.

HTC One S

The HTC One S is for people who want a high-end smartphone in a more compact size. It is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 processor with up to 1.5GHz dual-core CPU’s. It also includes a 4.3-inch screen crafted from contoured Corning™ Gorilla Glass. HTC One S brings HTC’s innovative metal unibody styling to a new thin 7.9-mm design, making it HTC’s thinnest phone yet. The HTC One S sports two new finishes that break new ground in mobile phone innovation. The first is an ultra-matte black Ceramic Metal surface that is the result of a microarc oxidation (MAO) process originally developed for use in satellites. It transforms the surface of the aluminum unibody into a ceramic, super-dense crystalline structure that is four times harder than anodized aluminum, enabling the HTC One S to look great over time. The second finish for the One S takes anodizing to a new level with a new patented process that creates a light-to-dark gradient fade that looks gorgeous and sophisticated.

HTC One V

Utilizing the classic, award-winning design of the HTC Legend, the HTC One V brings top-end design to a smartphone with broad appeal and a premium experience that delivers an amazing camera and authentic sound. It features a simple, iconic aluminum unibody design that exudes craftsmanship and quality.

Global Availability

With unprecedented excitement, the HTC One series will begin shipping in April with broad global availability available beginning in April through more than 140 mobile operators and distributors globally. For more information and to pre-register for HTC One visit www.htc.com.

HTC One Series

Europe, Middle East and Africa - A1 Austria, BH Telecom Bosnia & Herzegovina, Bite Lithuania, Bouygues Telecom France, Cellcom Israel, Cosmote Greece, Cosmote Romania & Global Bulgaria, Cyta Cyprus, E-Plus Germany, Elisa Estonia, Elisa Finland, EMT Estonia, Euroset Russia, Everything Everywhere UK, H3G Austria, H3G Denmark, H3G Ireland, H3G Sweden, H3G UK, KPN Netherlands, Turkcell Turkey, LMT Latvia, M-Tel Bulgaria, Meteor Ireland, Mirs Israel, Mobilezone Switzerland, Avea Turkey, MTN Cyprus, Netcom Norway, O2 Germany, O2 Ireland, O2 UK, Omnitel Lithuania, Orange Austria, Orange France, Orange Israel, Orange Poland, Orange Romania, Orange Slovakia, Orange Switzerland, Pelephone Israel, Play Poland, MTS Russia, SFR France, SiMobil Slovenia, Sunrise Switzerland, Svyaznoy Russia, Swisscom Switzerland, T-Mobile Austria, T-Mobile Croatia, T-Mobile Czech Republic, T-Mobile Germany, T-Mobile Hungary, T-Mobile Macedonia, T-Mobile Netherlands, T-Mobile Slovakia, TDC Denmark, Tele2 Estonia, Tele2 Latvia, Tele2 Lithuania, Telefonica Czech Republic, Telekom Slovenia, Telenor Denmark, Telenor Hungary, Telenor Montenegro, Telenor Norway, Telenor Serbia, Telenor Sweden, Telia Denmark, Telia Sweden, TIM Italy, Tusmobil Slovenia, Vipnet Croatia, VIP Mobile Serbia, VIP Operator Macedonia, Virgin UK, Vodafone Czech Republic, Vodafone Germany, Vodafone Greece, Vodafone Hungary, Vodafone Ireland, Vodafone Italy, Vodafone Netherlands, Vodafone Romania, Vodafone Turkey, Vodafone UK, Wind Greece North America: AT&T, Bell Mobility, Best Buy, C-Spire, Cellcom, Fido, Metro PCS, Bluegrass, OpenMobile, RadioShack, Rogers Communications, T-Mobile USA, Target, TELUS, U.S. Cellular, Virgin Mobile, Virgin Mobile Canada Latin America: Cellcom, Claro Argentina (América Móvil), Claro Perú (América Móvil), Claro Puerto Rico (América Móvil), Entel Chile, Iusacell México, Movistar Chile (Telefónica), nTelos, Telcel México (América Móvil), Telecom Personal Argentina, Telefónica Brazil, Asia-Pacific: AIS, Bharti Airtel, China Mobile (TD-SCDMA), ChungHwa Telecom, 3HK, CSL, DiGi, DTAC, Fareastone, Globe Telecom, Indosat, M1, Mobifone, Maxis, Optus, SingTel, Smart, Smartone, StarHub, Taiwan Mobile, Telkomsel, Telstra, Viettel, Vinaphone, Vivo, Vodafone Australia, Vodafone New Zealand, XL Axiata, TRUE

About HTC

Founded in 1997, HTC Corporation (HTC) is the creator of many award-winning mobile devices and industry firsts. By putting people at the center of everything it does, HTC pushes the boundaries of design and technology to create innovative and personal experiences for consumers around the globe. HTC’s portfolio includes smartphones and tablets powered by HTC Sense™, a multilayered graphical user interface that vastly improves user experience. HTC is listed on the Taiwan Stock Exchange (TWSE: 2498). For more information, please visit www.htc.com.

*HTC Media Link HD and HTC Car Stereo Clip are sold separately."