If you are reading this, chances are that you have heard about the galaxy s4 and that it is a very real possibility for your next phone. I will go in depth into the features of this phone and I will compare it to the S4.
Design: this is the reason why I chose this phone. The industrial design is second to none. It is beautiful, smooth and cool to the touch. The "chamfered" edges and curved back allow you to have a good grip on the phone while also allowing it to nestle into your palm. The phone has an aluminum unibody, but requires plastic so that the radios can get reception. To mold this plastic into the unibody, HTC uses a gapless manufacturing process that molds it perfectly into the aluminum. Let me say this: the time that was spent designing this phone and the manufacturing detail that went into crafting it is absolutely marvelous and shows when you hold and use the phone. The lines are clean and the phone has a premium feel in your hand. The only little issue I have with the design is that the home button placement and power button are kind of awkward to hit in normal use. You have to move your hand up and down the phone in order to reach them, but you do get used to this quickly. A small thing about the design: Sprint did not place any carrier branding on this phone making it look much more clean. Bravo Sprint! The Galaxy S4 uses a polycarbonate body. I personally don't have anything against plastic. However, the S4 has a smooth finish that makes the phone feel greasy when you hold it from the oils that accumulate on the surface. My last phone was a Galaxy S2 (with textured plastic so the oils didn't accumulate) and I loved it because I never worried about damaging it. I can't say the same for the One. I always fear that if I drop it, the phone will dent or scratch which will be very noticeable. However, my love for the gorgeous aluminum body and precise manufacturing far outweighs the fears that linger in the back of my mind of damage.
10/10
Display: the HTC one features an LCD 3 1080p display. What does that mean? It has as many pixels as your HDTV crammed into a 4.7-inch screen. The colors on this phone are accurate and pleasant to look at. Coming from an AMOLED screen (what is on the s4) to an LCD was a very big change. An AMOLED screen has much more vibrant and saturated colors, whereas the LCD has more true-to-life colors. Honestly to me, I really like the accuracy in colors and sharpness that the One provides. The S4 will provide the same sharpness, just with more vibrant colors. Truth is, more people like the AMOLED than the LCD, but it is all person preference. Here is what I can say: like the design, I believe that this screen is incredible and second to none. The color reproduction and sharpness just cannot be matched by other display technologies.
10/10
Camera: Here is where I begin to get mixed feelings about the phone. People argue "it's not 4 megapixels, it's 4 ULTRApixels.." Here is the truth: yes it is ultra pixels, but ultra is just a marketing term used to make people not look down on the fact that it is 4 megapixels and a megapixel is a megapixel. The fact is that the megapixel is the only metric that a consumer has ever been taught to gauge a camera by and more megapixels does not mean better images. In fact, a 4 megapixel camera takes a 2240 x 1680 picture. That is a good deal larger than a 1080p display. So what is the advantage of an ultrapixel over a megapixel? The answer is light. I won't bore you with the science of it all, but basically each pixel allows 300% more photons to be absorbed by the sensor, which leads to crisper images. Every pixel on the HTC one gets a more accurate snapshot of what it is photographing. Another advantage of the ultrapixel is since it lets in more light, it takes incredible lowlight shots. Where other cameras see darkness, the One can get a clear image. If you want to just use your phone to capture images for Facebook, instagram, snapchat, or even to show on a 1080p screen, the HTC will perform better than almost any phone on the market. However, if you want to edit your photos in something like photoshop or zoom in really far on them, this isn't the best camera. So the advantages of the One's camera: excellent image quality for the pixels that it has, phenomenal low light performance, rapid snapshots and fast storage. The disadvantages: it is only 4 megapixels. I have really mixed feelings about it. It is certainly a great camera, but I really wish that it could capture higher resolution. I cannot ignore, however, the amazing technological feat that is the ultrapixel and I applaud HTC for taking the phone in this unique direction. This camera at 8 megapixels would be the best smartphone camera to ever exist, but as it stands now, it is only good.
7/10
Reception, radios, and call quality: I have to be fair, my last phone, the S2, held onto a signal like no other phone. Maybe it is just the stark contrast of going from a phone that did such an excellent job to an average phone, but I have to say I am really underwhelmed by reception. I still can get reception almost anywhere, and this truly is not a large problem. This phone has a plethora of radios within: NFC, Bluetooth 4.0, wifi a/c (newest standard that I am impressed was included; makes this phone future proof for wifi), an IR blaster to control your TV, GSM (yes, GSM!) radios for global roaming, standard sprint CDMA radios, and 1900mhz LTE radios. I am really let down that sprint and HTC only have 1900mhz radios inside of this phone for LTE, and let me explain why. As Sprint builds out their 4G LTE network, they will be deploying in two frequencies: 1900 and 800. 1900 has its own set of advantages, but one disadvantage is that it doesn't have the best building penetration, 800 on the other hand does. By not including a networking technology that they will be deploying next year, HTC one buyers will have to "enjoy" a poorer network experience inside of buildings in comparison to those with 800mhz radios in their phones. This isn't a deal breaker, and 95% of the people with this phone wont even know the difference. Call quality is superb. What makes it so great is the noise cancelation that this phone has. I was in a crowded concrete stairwell and was practically shouting into my phone to overcome the perceived noise around me. The person on the other end asked why I was doing that. The noise cancellation was so good that they could hear me, even when I was talking in a normal voice. Props for that HTC. So for this lengthy section here is the rundown: lots of good radios, many future proof, but no 800mhz LTE, reception is acceptable but not exceptional, and call quality is superb.
8/10
Performance: This phone is seriously overpowered. It has a 1.7ghz quad core processor, that is more processing power than most computers have. Couple that with 2 gb of ram and you have a powerhouse. Combined with the very well optimized software, there is no hint of lag anywhere.
10/10
Software: HTC sense. Well it is sense. Some like it, some don't. I will probably root my phone and put on a stock rom. For those who don't though, this software is very clean and modern looking and also very optimized for the hardware so the system shows no lag. One thing is for sure: it is much better than touch wiz (samsung's software). My one minor quibble: the one is not running the most recent version of android, but that truly isn't a big deal as it has almost all of the same software features as 4.2.
9/10
Battery life: This phone has been regularly lasting me all day and I will plug it in when I get home at night or go to bed. I haven't really had any trouble with it, although others complain that they do.
9/10
Marketed specs: what's a gimmick and what is useful?
Ultrapixels: Useful. They capture incredibly crisp photos even though the megapixel count is low.
Zoe: Gimmick. I have yet to find a good use for this. If I want a bunch of high-resolution photos, I would just do the rapid capture and choose my best shot.
Blinkfeed: A useful gimmick. There are times when I go to blink feed to quickly get a look at news, but should it be your default home screen? No.
Boom Sound: USEFUL. This is one of my favorite features of the phone. Let me start by saying, I HATE beats. Beats in and of itself is the larges gimmick of all, it is just a customized audio filter. However, on the One HTC optimized the speakers and beats to work very well together. The result: The BEST phone speakers that you have ever heard. Is this a viable substitute for a good pair of headphones? Of course not. Will this sound FAR better, louder, and more dynamic that any other phone on the market? Hell yes.
IR Blaster: Useful. You can use this as a remote with your TV. I have mine set up and it is really useful when I cannot find the remote or when I am using my phone while watching TV.
Sense voice: Useful. The noise cancelation is really useful when on the phone.
Summary: The HTC one has quite a few competitors: the Nexus 4, iPhone 5, and Galaxy S4. For people looking into an android phone today it will probably come down to the S4 vs the One. Here are MY PERSONAL thoughts on it. The HTC One delivers many useful features with only a few gimmicks. Samsung on the other hand also has many useful features, but they also have many others that are gimmicks. Many of them make for a good sales pitch in a store but are impractical in day-to-day usage. The one area where the Galaxy S4 does win however, is on specs. It has a marginally better processor, slightly more modern ram, some additional sensors, and a larger battery. However, and this is my personal opinion, where the phone does not excel is in design. And this is why I chose the HTC one. Both have more than adequate power to get you through a two-year contract, but the One has the look and premium feel that you will enjoy for that contract. Will you like a Galaxy S4 if you get it? You probably will, but when compared to the superb design of this phone, I just think that it falls short. My honest advice? If you know what the difference between DDR3 Ram and DDR2 Ram, go ahead and get the Galaxy S4. If you have no idea what that it and enjoy a beautiful, clean device that is packed with features but not gimmicky, spring for the HTC One. I'm sure glad that I did.
Averaged score: 9/10 (rounds up to 5 stars)
Update 7/27/13: After 3 months of ownership, I have found my major quibbles with this phone. The one thing that I REALLY dislike about this phone is how loud the vibration is. Vibration is supposed to be a subtle thing, not something that is as loud as your ringtone (slightly exaggerated, but not by much). My other quibble is that the chamfered edge of this phone is incredibly prone to scratching. I have my phone in hand a lot, so often I will accidentally hit it on something. Those hits have translated into scratches. They aren't major scratches, but I am obsessive about the appearance of my device, so it really bothers me. Just figured I would let you guys know. I still feel the same about everything else about this phone and would highly recommend it!
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