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Rogers offers HTC One X for pre-order in Canada, $170 on contract through April 30th
You never thought that Canada would let the UK steal all of that gorgeous HTC One X limelight, did you? While Rogers can't compete with the phone's April 5th arrival at T-Mobile and Orange in the land of tea and crumpets, the Canadian carrier is currently offering HTC's flagship device for pre-order. Now through April 30th, customers may pick up the dual-core Snapdragon S4, LTE version of the handset for $170 on a three-year plan. Naturally, we're just as excited as you to put this variant through its paces, but if it performs anything like the HTC One S, we're certainly in for a wild ride.
HTC One X and One S come to Orange, T-Mobile on Thursday
If you've already decided whether you're Team One X or Team One S, and live in the UK, then get ready to flex the plastic on Thursday. Both T-Mobile and Orange have announced that's the day you can pick one up in store and online (and even over the phone if that's how you roll.) Both networks are offering the One X for free if you don't mind paying £41 a month, or you can scoop up the One S for a slightly more reasonable £36 -- if you're okay with the smaller screen estate and number-of-core bragging rights. In the mean time, you'd best start brushing up on that new UI...
Engadget's smartphone buyer's guide: spring 2012 edition
Springtime is here. It's a season of renewal, and similarly, an ideal time to replace your aging phone with one that you'll adore. With this in mind, we give you Engadget's smartphone buyer's guide -- your one-stop resource for selecting the best handset that fits your desires and budget. This time around, we're doing things a bit differently. In addition to naming the top phones for each provider, you'll now find more comparisons across carriers. This should help you find the best possible handset -- regardless of network -- if you're willing to make the switch. Also, you'll no longer see limited-time offers as our budget picks -- they'll still get a mention, but now, only phones that commonly retail below $80 will qualify for this coveted spot. Naturally, new smartphones are always coming onto the market, so before you make your final selection, be sure to consult our reviews hub for the very latest recommendations. With that in mind, read on as we round up the best smartphones of the season.
HTC Sense 4 review
Over the last year, HTC has established a reputation for fragmenting its proprietary Sense UI even within the same version of Android. Why, Gingerbread alone is the foundation for at least three different iterations (2.1, 3.0 and 3.5) of the firmware. The bump to Ice Cream Sandwich is no different, with legacy devices getting an update to Sense 3.6 and the One series (and presumably any future devices) benefiting from version 4.0. More Info HTC One X review HTC One S review Sense 3.6 preview When we previewed Sense 3.6, we were disappointed at its similarity to previous versions and the sloppiness of its integration with key features in ICS. Even though it marked an improvement in functionality and performance, it seemed as if the OS and customized UI were at war with each other. Sense 4 is a different story. It's lighter, cleaner and much more visually appealing than older versions of the user interface, and it has the full suite of ICS goodies to go along with it. HTC also throws in its own imaging technology, dubbed ImageSense, to offer some cool new enhancements to the camera. Ultimately, HTC has successfully tweaked Sense's design in a way that keeps the spirit of stock Android 4.0 alive, while still offering something familiar to loyal HTC fans. The tour is about to begin, so park yourself in your favorite chair and join us.
HTC One X review
More Info HTC One X hands-on at MWC 2012 (video) HTC Sense 4 review HTC One S review It's been a difficult year for HTC. After several successful quarters, things have started looking less rosy in recent months with the company facing stiff competition and suffering from apparent brand dilution -- the results of launching too many handsets with forgettable names, making too many compromises for the carriers, continuing to rely on Sense, and lacking an iconic flagship to take on Samsung's mighty Galaxy S II. We knew something important was coming for Mobile World Congress after HTC timidly revealed the Titan II at CES -- after all, the company has a long history of innovation. A few days before flying to Barcelona and after being sworn to secrecy, we were quietly whisked into a San Francisco conference room with clear instructions: no pictures or video. There, in the middle of the table, was a white phone that instantly caught our eye -- the HTC One X. To write that we came away impressed after briefly using it is a massive understatement. This was obviously a halo device made for geeks like us, something designed to take on the Galaxy Nexuses of the world, something with the mother of all spec sheets, something running Ice Cream Sandwich with a significantly thinner and lighter version of Sense. Better yet, there were two other handsets with the same impeccable attention to detail -- the One S and the One V. HTC was finally showing some vision again with strong branding, gorgeous design and a polished user experience. While first impressions go a long way, there's a lot to be learned about a product by living with it for a few days. So is the One X truly HTC's comeback device? Are we still delighted? Is this the Engadget phone? Hit the break for our full review.
HTC reveals Central Europe release date, pricing for One X, One S and One V
HTC's One series inches closer to expectant customers, with Central Europe apparently set to get the device next Monday. According to The Unwired, shoppers in Germany, Austria and Switzerland will all be able to pick up any device from HTC's 2012 catalogue, including the quad-cored One X (€599, around $800), the micro-arc oxidized One S (€499, around $670) and the somehow retro One V (€299, around $400). German carrier O2 has also backed up these claims, announcing that it expects to stock both the One X and One S next week. You'd best grab that passport and a wad of euros.
PSA: HTC One X priced up to £330 in the UK, also available for free (update: $800 in Canada)
Chances are you're still melting over the impressive HTC One X benchmarks, and that's just the dual-core Snapdragon S4 taking care of business. As you may know, those of you in the Old Continent will see a quad-core flavor hit the shelves, and it's looking like that version is getting priced a wee bit earlier. So, just how much will you have to shell out to snag one of HTC's latest? Phones4U and Carphone Warehouse both have the One X listed as high as £329.99 (about $527) on contract, though you can also grab a free one if you take on a longer, more expensive plan on Orange, O2 and Vodafone. Carphone's site shows you can expect the device to land at your doorstep in the week of April 2nd. In the meantime, take a look at our hands-on to remind you how badly you need it. Update: It looks like Canadians can now also pre-order the HSPA+ version of the phone courtesy of NCIX, although they'll have to part with a hefty $800 (off-contract, of course).
HTC One X for AT&T benchmarked: impressive, most impressive
The One X is not officially here... yet. That hasn't stopped someone from putting the new superphone through the benchmarking wringer, however. Turns out, that dual-core Snapdragon S4 SoC may be all it's cracked up to be, as screencaps have popped up online showing scores that blow away damn near every mobile device under the sun. Apparently, an AT&T employee put the One X through its paces, and if the scores are to be believed, it smoked the Galaxy Nexus in Quadrant and handily outperformed even the quad-core Transformer Prime in Vellamo. So, it seems that Peter Chou's new favorite phone has the guts to match its handsome exterior, but don't take our word for it, see for yourself at the source below.
HTC and Sprint ready to show off a new 'collaboration' April 4th, might be the One X
We just got invited to a special party put on by Sprint and HTC on April 4th to witness the latest collaboration between the two companies. Could this be the LTE-capable One X we heard about yesterday? No matter what it is, Dan Hesse and Jason Mackenzie will be there, so you know it's going to be kind of a big deal. We'll join the two head honchos there as well -- and we're definitely looking forward to it. Update: TechoBuffalo has it on good authority that it'll be the One X (dubbed "Jet") unveiled in New York City, and will almost certainly boast LTE. Then again, so will Sprint's eventual edition of the Galaxy Nexus, which is growing more and more dated with each passing hour.
HTC One X could be coming to Sprint on June 10th, bearing LTE and 'Jet' codename
If unnamed "internal sources" at Sprint are to be believed, then HTC's new flagship phone is set to become one of the Now Network's first LTE handsets as soon as June 10th. The only sticking point, beyond us having no notion of whether these sources are credible, is that they didn't use the right name for the phone -- calling it the "HTC Jet" instead of the One X. Despite this switched moniker, S4GRU reports that all the leaked specs match up perfectly with the LTE variant of the One X, including a dual-core 1.5GHz Qualcomm S4 processor (Tegra 3 being reserved for non-LTE version in other markets), 4.7-inch 1280 x 720 SLCD display, 1GB RAM, NFC, Gorilla Glass 2 and a polycarbonate unibody. As for the branding, 'Jet' would surely be a disposable codename, replacing the earlier Endeavor disguise, otherwise HTC's fresh start has already taken a hit.
Mobile Miscellany: week of March 12th, 2012
Not all mobile news is destined for the front page, but if you're like us and really want to know what's going on, then you've come to the right place. This past week, we've seen T-Mobile expand its network coverage and take an argument to the FCC regarding interoperability requirements of the 700MHz band. These stories and more await after the break. So buy the ticket and take the ride as we explore the "best of the rest" for this week of March 12th, 2012.
HTC Media Link HD display mirroring box gets FCC rubber stamp
Amid the rush of news during HTC's presentation at MWC was a brief mention of a Media Link HD accessory for wireless big-screen mirroring from the One S or One X. Fresh FCC paperwork suggests the device is on track for an April release and also highlights that it's been revised since HTC's first foible-prone attempt at a DLNA dongle: the Media Link HD does 1080p over 802.11n to any HDMI-equipped TV, instead of just 720p, and promises to mirror games as well as videos, photos and music. Pricing hasn't been made official, but retailers have it on pre-order for around $120 -- potentially still too expensive, even if this one works better than the last.
HTC may not have PureView, but it does have ImageSense
Not to be outdone by the Nokia 808's appearance at MWC, HTC has released sample shots taken using the ImageSense camera module that comes in its One X and One S phones. In many ways they're normal-looking stills, with nothing like PureView's 41-megapixel oversampling (which is claimed to result in a superior still), and certainly no massive 1/1.2-inch sensor. However, if you look closely, you can see the benefits of some of HTC's improvements. Top among those is the faster f/2.0 lens, which will allow for shorter exposures and clearer moving subjects -- like the skateboarders above. Such images will also likely benefit from the 0.7-second time window for capturing an image and the 0.2-second auto-focus when shooting continuously. Whatever you make of the sample shots in the gallery below, HTC can also claim one key advantage over PureView -- at least for the time being: camera technology that still fits into a regular-sized smartphone.%Gallery-149381%
Mobile World Congress 2012: smartphone roundup
Mobile World Congress is a dignified affair held yearly in Barcelona that companies take very seriously. For example, unlike CES, there are lots and lots of suits -- after all, this is a congress. Here, some of the most unique and desirable handsets meet the eyes of press, analysts and buyers for the very first time. Accordingly, anxieties were high among company leaders as they put their best foot forward and held their breath for the first round of impressions. This year's show has been a wild ride, and we've seen many devices stretch the boundaries of our imagination. There were more than a few stunners, and as the dust settles, companies such as HTC, Nokia, LG, Huawei and Asus can all hold their heads high. Join us after the break as we reminisce the most notable smartphones from Mobile World Congress.
HTC One X hits the FCC bound for AT&T
What's thin, pale and sexy as hell? If you answered Twiggy you're close, but wrong. The answer we were looking for is the AT&T version of the HTC One X, which appears to have just swung through the FCC. There's not much to reveal here that we didn't already know. The phone is capable of connecting to AT&T's HSPA+ and GSM networks thanks to the 850MHz and 1900MHz radios, but it'll also be riding along on LTE bands 4 and 17 for some 4G action. The documents also offers radiation levels for the dual-channel 802.11n and Bluetooth radios, as well as provide us with a model number: PJ83100. The final clue to its identity was buried in one of the forms that revealed the phone is running version 4.0.3 of an unidentified firmware -- we'd say it's safe to assume that's in reference to the particular edition of Ice Cream Sandwich on board. If you're a fan of charts, graphs and numbers, hit up the source link.
AT&T HTC One X hands-on
Are you salivating after seeing HTC's One X? We don't blame you, it's a stunning piece of hardware with a set of rather lust-worthy specs. But, how does the AT&T version stack up to its international cousin? We're happy to say, quite well. Yes, the quad-core Tegra 3 was given the boot in favor of a 1.5GHz dual-core Snapdragon S4 and an LTE radio was crammed inside, but otherwise this is pretty much the same device we saw on the floor in Barcelona. The only piece of carrier branding is an AT&T logo above the gorgeous 4.7-inch 720p display. Thankfully, the design was left largely unmolested. At least at this early stage it's also blissfully free of bloatware and carrier apps, but we'd expect that to change before launch. Sadly, none of the demo units on hand at the New York showroom had SIMs in them, so we couldn't test LTE reception, and the devices weren't logged into the Market so we couldn't pull down benchmarks or a taxing 3D game. That being said, Sense 4.0 and ICS were plenty responsive and pages rendered very quickly -- even without those two extra cores. Check out the gallery below and the video after the break for more impressions.
Xperia U, HTC One X and One S coming to Orange UK
Orange, the only cellular network that's also one of your five-a-day has announced that it'll be releasing Sony's Xperia U, HTC One X and One S to smartphone demanding Britons in the second quarter of the year. Depending on your point of view, it's either fantastic or terrible that the network bagged the white edition of Sony's handset as an exclusive, but it's going to tempt some of you to the citrus-side of the force. There's no word on pricing, but we'd expect them to cost something we've heard called "money." While you wait for them to arrive, why not decide on which handset you'd rather purchase by reading our splendid hands-ons with each of the handsets? Xperia U / One X / One S.
HTC One X hands-on at MWC 2012 (video)
Mobile World Congress has already brought a lot of great phones, and the show floor hasn't even opened yet. But there's just something about Peter Chou's latest creation that has us more eager to play with it than anything else we've seen so far (and perhaps for the rest of the show). We're talking, of course, about the One X, the absolute top of the line model of HTC's trio of One series devices announced tonight. The "superphone" (Peter's words, not ours) is packing the entire deck of cards: a 1.5GHz quad-core Tegra 3 CPU (for the global version; the LTE version uses Qualcomm's S4 Krait processor), 1GB of DDR2 RAM, 4.7 inches of 720p Super LCD 2 non-PenTile gorgeousness, Ice Cream Sandwich with HTC Sense 4.0 on top, 8MP rear camera with f/2.0 lens and 1080p HD video, to name a few.First impressions? In a nutshell, we're blown away. It feels wonderful to hold in our hand, it's got the full suite of specs we like to see, the camera's as quick as HTC claims, and the device flies -- in fact, we'd be amiss not to mention the fact that the vendor's ICS-backed Sense UI is much lighter than any of its predecessors and doesn't bog down the performance at all. And keep in mind that this is in all likelihood still running on pre-production firmware. Impressive, to say the least. Our only beef with the device is the lack of a physical shutter button, especially given the firm's commitment to providing stellar camera performance. We're not ready to crown the One X as the best of the show yet -- we have four days' worth of MWC left, after all -- but it's one device we'll be returning to spend more quality time with on the show floor. If you want to share in the enjoyment, head to the gallery below, or the video after the break.
HTC reveals Media Link HD wireless HDMI adapter for One X and One S phones
Looking to accessorize your fresh HTC look? Then how about the Media Link HD wireless dongle for starters? It'll mirror the display from your One X or One S on any HDMI-equipped TV. We're told it'll be as simple as plugging the adapter into a free HDMI input and then performing a three-finger swipe on your phone. We're not yet sure of the price, but expect to see the add-on in stores from mid-April when the new One family becomes available.
HTC updates Beats Audio, makes it work with any third-party app
Let's just say we were underwhelmed by the first iteration of HTC Beats on the Sensation XE. But now it looks like the technology has been revamped for the latest One handsets, so -- once we've tasted the pudding -- we might just have to revise that opinion. The new Beats is claimed to make music sound more "authentic," and whereas the previous version could only be activated inside HTC's stock music player, this time it'll work with YouTube, Pandora, Spotify and any other third-party Android app. What exactly will it do with those apps? And will it move beyond its current gimmicky bass-boost status? We'll just have to wait and listen.