HTC announced three Ice Cream Sandwich-powered smartphones at Mobile World Congress Sunday, sending a bold message to the world that Android 2.3 will no longer be tolerated in high-end handsets. Besides including Google's most advanced mobile OS, HTC's new "Series One" phones will feature Beats audio technology, and rear-facing cameras with RAW image support.
The HTC smartphones include the line-up-leading One X featuring a 4.7-inch display; the One S with a 4.3-inch display, and the One V with a 3.7-inch display. All three phones will begin shipping in April, and the One S will launch exclusively on T-Mobile.
All three smartphones include HTC's Sense 4.0 interface on top of Ice Cream Sandwich (Android 4.0). Each phone's camera shoots at f/2.0 and uses HTC's ImageChip, which saves RAW images in addition to JPEG. HTC wants you to be able to take photos quickly, and says you'll be able to jump from your lock-screen to camera app in 0.7 seconds -- impressive, and perfect for capturing off-the-cuff moments. The camera will also auto-focus in 0.2 seconds, and a burst-photo feature will shoot five images per second.
Beats By Dr. Dre audio technology has been integrated with all internal audio, not just music playback. The phones also feature display mirroring to HDMI-enabled TVs via HTC's wireless Media Link HD. A three-finger swipe up will push your phone's screen to your TV. Another impressive addition is 25GB of easily accessible DropBox storage, free for two years. If you already have a DropBox account, you can add the additional 25GB of storage to your account.
So which phone is right for you and your bank account? Here are the details:
The HTC Series One X is the king of the bunch with a 9.27mm-thick, white polycarbonate exterior and a 4.7-inch, 1280x720 display. This smartphone will be powered by a 1.5GHz Super 4-PLUS-1 Nvidia quad-core Tegra 3 processor with 1GB of RAM and 32GB of storage. Quad-band 42Mbps HSPA+ and quad band GSM keep it connected. A 1.3MP front-facing camera and 1800mAh battery round out the specs.
The Verge has reported that the One X will be an AT&T exclusive when it arrives in the U.S. The AT&T version will reportedly support LTE, but its processor will be downgraded from the 1.5GHz quad-core Tegra 3 to a 1.5Ghz dual-core chip by Qualcomm.
The mid-level, 7.9mm-thick Series One S sports a 4.3-inch Super AMOLED screen with a 1.5GHz Qualcomm dual-core processor. The smartphone includes 1GB of RAM and 16GB of storage. The VGA front-facing camera won't wow anyone, but remember the rear-facing camera is still an 8MP f/2.0 sensor that shoots RAW images. The exterior is an aluminum case that has undergone a microarc oxidation process that, according to the HTC, adds strength and durability. More importantly, it provides for a nice gradient from light to dark gray with a hint of blue.
And, finally, for the budget conscious, the HTC Series One V revives the HTC legend formfactor with the bottom of the phone poking out like a tiny ramp. This smartphone has a 3.7-inch screen and is powered by a 1GHz Qualcomm single-core processor. It has 512MB of RAM and 4GB of storage. It includes a 5MP camera with the same HTC ImageChip as the other two smartphone in the series.
It's good to see Ice Cream Sandwich hitting more phones and the cameras look impressive. Adding 25GB of DropBox storage is a great way to add cloud features to the smartphones without creating their own service.
