We wrote about Taiwanese smartphone maker HTC (TPE:2498) and its new One Series a couple of weeks back during Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. And today in Singapore, the HTC One X (the flagship Android model) and V were both unveiled in at a media launch.
The One Series is said to rival traditional digital cameras with improvements to every part of the camera, including the lens, sensor, software, and even integrating a new custom HTC ImageChip. You can activate the camera almost instantaneously in 0.7 seconds and auto-focus in 0.2 seconds.
The One X has an 8.0 megapixel rear-facing camera, a 1.3 megapixel front camera, and can do 1080p HD video recording. The One V has 5.0 megapixel camera and does 720p HD video recording, but does not have a front-facing camera.
HTC shows off the camera. Click to enlarge.
With HTC Smart Flash in place, it claims to take better photos than Apple’s iPhone 4S in low light environments. You can also hold onto the shutter button and take up to 99 continuous shots at 4 frames per second. Personally, I really love the ability to record HD video and snap photos at the same time, just by hitting the shutter button.
The One Series also features Dropbox space for two years, which is more than enough space for 10,000 high-quality photos. I didn’t think this was particularly groundbreaking as compared to the other functions they introduced though.
For a richer and more authentic sound experience, they have also integrated Beats by Dr. Dre Audio into the HTC One Series. It is easy to access and listen to your playlists with the built-in HTC Sync Manager software, which automatically installs to your computer when connected. You can also customize the new Music Hub with your favorite music applications, such as Doubletwist, Zimly, and Soundhound.
Also, with its HTC Car Stereo Clip, you can bring your mobile music to your car’s sound system and connect to more than 50,000 online radio stations worldwide or play music from any service or app through your car speakers.
HTC has also made it easy to transfer what is playing on your phone to the TV screen wirelessly. All you need to do is to plug in the HTC Media Link HD accessory into the HDMI port of any HDTV, and then HTC One smartphones automatically senses the Media Link HD, configures, and using three fingers to swipe, you can share what is on your phone with your family. Even when you’re sharing on the TV screen, you can still continue to surf the internet or even check your emails on the phone.
I personally prefer the 4.7-inch display HTC One X in Polar White, it looks and feels absolutely stunning. One X has the new NVIDIA Tegra 3 Mobile Processor for clear graphics, faster applications, and longer battery life. It’s powered by a 1.5GHz Super 4-PLUS-1 quad-core processor and a high-performance 12-Core NVIDIA GPU. It will be available in select 4G LTE markets with the LTE-enabled Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 processor.
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The HTC One X handset will be available in Polar White and Glamour Grey at S$898 (US$715). As for the HTC One V, it will be available in a color called ‘Jupiter Rock’ at S$398 (US$317). They will be available at all Singapore mobile operators and authorized retailers starting next Monday.
A big thanks to the representative who gave me a hands-on demo of the camera, which I put into the video below (apologies for the poor resolution):