HTC One: Six Months Later

Back in March when the HTC One hit the streets it did a number of things. For starters it was a spec power house, easily pumping out top of the class numbers. But, unlike a vast majority of the Android hardware (I’d say ~85%), it also looked and felt top notch in build quality, too. Just like the iPhone 5, the HTC One was a work of art. HTC seemed to have finally produced a device worth fawning over, staying up late and mashing the F5 button for, and most of all, recommending to others.

Six months later, the field is already starting to mature as we draw closer to the end of 2013 and look towards 2014. In that context, is the HTC One still a viable option to the discerning mobile enthusiast and/or common smartphone user? I say yes. But there’s more to it.

What’s Great…

On a performance level, the HTC One is still plenty capable and will continue to be so for at least another 12 months. Updates might not be as fast with the stock Sense version (vs. the Google Play edition), but HTC knows that software updates are important, albeit even if its a small group of people that really care. You see, support is something HTC hasn’t always been great at. And in a bid to turn around their crumbling empire, every bit of positive action can only help.

Speaking of software updates, the latest Android 4.3 Jelly Bean update is currently starting to rollout to users bringing the One in line with the latest and greatest software. And in a few weeks to a month, Google should be showing us what’s next with Android 4.4 KitKat. Much the same, we expect to see the One receive this update as well.

As for looks, that’s something that doesn’t evolve and innovate as fast as the raw specs. The HTC One is just as gorgeous now as it was when it was first released. If a good looking phone is something that matters to you just as much as a good performing phone, you still won’t be disappointed should you choose the HTC One over the Galaxy S4, Moto X iPhone 5s/c or any other phone currently on the market. But what about the immediate future (read: 1-6 months)?

Well, there’s the LG G2 and Note 3 that were just released, and the Nexus 5 is due out within the next month. The former two are both feature (and spec) power houses. Though, neither is particular “good looking”, certainly not to the same level that the iPhone 5s and HTC One sit at.

The final thing I’d like to congratulate the HTC One and HTC for is finally accomplishing usable battery life. Far too long they’ve pumped out great devices that suffer from downright atrocious battery life that was ultimately one of the main reasons why I couldn’t recommend them to power users. They would simply die too quickly and require too much babysitting of battery percentage. Not so with the HTC One. Somehow, someone at HTC managed to finally reign things in as the HTC One now has pretty great battery life actually.

What I Would Change…

After using the HTC One for a couple weeks, and looking back on what has been released to the mobile market in the last six months, there are a few things that HTC could have done to make the HTC One a better phone. For starters, there’s the camera. The Ultrapixel moniker it was given is nice for marketing and all. But at the end of the day when real, honest megapixels count, the One simply falls short of competitors’ higher spec’d sensors. Granted, a large amount of buyers will probably find the built-in camera features (software features that is) more than ample for the intended destination of their images – Facebook and Instagram. Still, I’m left wanting more.

The display is another area that could have been handled differently, more specifically, the area around the display. I’m talking about bezel. The HTC One simply has too much. HTC could have killed two birds with one stone by making the bezels smaller thereby making the screen look even bigger, and giving the One an overall smaller footprint too (so three birds). Still, the 4.7-inch 1080p display is gorgeous – one of the best. The blacks might not be as dark as an AMOLED on your friendly Motorola or Samsung, but the more accurate colors overall and greater brightness for outdoor usability are notable (and worthy) trade-offs.

Finally, the lack of expandable storage is unfortunate. I understand why they did it and that Google themselves don’t even support this once herald feature of Android anymore. Still, that doesn’t change the fact that it is still very much appreciated, especially when Android devices are still shipping with rather low 8 GB and 16 GB configurations. In this day and age, neither storage amount is particularly “roomy”. HTC even released a slightly modified HTC One abroad that included an SD card slot. Granted, this same modified version also lacked a hardware chip that every other One variant had, freeing up space. But that is neither here nor there. In the end we’re talking about a few millimeters that HTC could have easily factored in.

Still A Handset Worth Choosing…

Six months later, the HTC One is still a device worthy of my praise and your hard earned money. Despite not being the newest (or fastest) kid on the block any longer, HTC really pushed for the very best device. It may have cost more to design and manufacture and it may have put more stress on their employees than ever before. But the payoff, a device that is lasting and worth owning many months after it’s release, is a worthy trade-off in my book.

If you’re looking for a new device to call your own this fall/winter season, the HTC One should definitely be on your list. It was a great device six months ago and it’s just as great of a device now.