FollowPros
Long battery life
Feature-rich camera
Latest Android capabilities at affordable cost
Cons
Battery is not removable
Lack of quad core processor
HTC introduced HTC One VX as an entry-level smartphone for AT&T.Unlike majority of the budget smartphones,HTC One VX sports a distinctive look akin to the veteran smartphone manufacturer’s line of branded devices.The device picks some of the best features from other smartphones in the HTC One line, making a good entry-level phone.
Design
With a dimension of 133.5 x 67.6 x 9.19mm, HTC One VX is noticeably thin,considering its low-cost status, and its top and bottom edges are tapered to provide a firm grip.It is also a lightweight device crafted from plastic,weighing 124.7g.Though the look may seem less expensive,faux silver accents featured around the screen bezel,coupled with the clean white back cover lend sophistication.
Visual interruptions are minimal though the phone doesn’t sport a uni-body design like other devices from HTC.The removable back cover gives access to the micro-SIM and microSD card slots.The back features the rear-facing camera,LED flash,HTC logo and a speaker grill.The top features the power button and a 3.5mm headphone jack,while the micro-USB charging port is located at the bottom.The volume-control button is on the right.
The front features the 4.5-inch display,front-camera,LED notification indicator,plus the earpiece above the trio of soft keys.
Features
Display
HTC One VX features a 4.5-inch qHD display with a resolution of 960 x 540 and a pixel density of 245 ppi.The SLCD display provides incredibly good viewing angles and outdoor visibility.
It features HTC’s custom interface, the Sense 4.1.The screen supports long presses, and the three Android capacitive keys are placed below the display.
Software
HTC One VX runs on Google’s Ice Cream Sandwich OS, i.e. Android 4.0.4.It is powered by the 1.2 GHz dual-core Snapdragon S4 Plus MSM8930 processor and Adreno 305 GPU plus a 1 GB RAM.The 28nm chipset is a low-cost option for LTE devices.
It is compatible with the HTC’s Media Link HD,and features the dual-band 802.11a/b/g/n,Bluetooth 4.0, Wi-Fi Direct and NFC.The Skyfire-powerd browser bar characteristic of AT&T devices runs along the bottom, featuring social sharing tools and bookmark-shortcuts.The bar, which comes by default,can be minimized or disabled.
AT&T’s apps preloaded in the phone include FamilyMap, Locker, AT&T Code Scanner, AT&T Live TV, myAT&T, Navigator, YPMobile, Ready2Go and Messages. Most of them may be disabled,but cannot be uninstalled.
The device touts the Beats audio that activates a special equalizer profile to comply with Beats-branded headphones.
Camera
The 5 MP auto-focus camera has an aperture of f/2.2 and is backside-illuminated.It can record up to 1080p video.It uses HTC’s distinctive ImageSense technology,a dedicated image processor for enhanced performance.It snaps pictures almost instantly,well under a second.There is a 0.3 MP VGA front-facing camera.
Memory
The phone comes with 8 GB internal storage and allows an expansion to 32 GB via its microSD.
Battery
The 1810 mAh battery is embedded,meaning it is not removable.Battery life is good and standby time is excellent.The phone comes with a wall charger.
Performance
The phone offers better-than-anticipated performance for a mid-range smartphone.It offers excellent call quality,and all the features of a modern Android device, including nimble processing and swift connection to LTE data.The incorporation of HTC’s latest image processing software offers a feature-rich camera.
Conclusion
HTC VX One offers almost all the latest Android capabilities characteristic of Google devices,including Google+, Play Store and Navigation.It is down the evolutionary ladder in terms of screen resolution, operating system, processor and a few other features, as it does not target the high-end market.Lack of quad-core processing may be a disadvantage.It is a reasonably-priced, simple smartphone that is reliable enough.The mid-range product offers an excellent balance between comfortable usability and fine quality.
