HTC One S Hands-On Review

All this week, we have had the chance to get our greasy mitts on the new HTC One S, the middle model in the Taiwanese manufacturer’s new One range.

We put it through its paces — or at least made phone calls, listened to music, browsed the internet and took plenty of photographs — and it coped impressively well. Could HTC be getting close to producing an iPhone beater?

Slim Design, Plenty of Hardware

The first thing you notice about the HTC One S is its size. It’ i’s HTC’s thinnest phone yet, but the company has still managed to pack in a 1.5GHz dual-core processor, an eight-megapixel camera and 16GB of internal storage. There is, however, no microSD card slot.

Expandable storage has appeared on many previous HTC smartphones, and while its absence is not necessarily a major problem, it is useful for transferring files between phones and adding extra capacity.

The One S starts quickly and feels responsive. It runs Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich with HTC’s own Sense interface layered over the top.

HTC Sense allows users to customise their home screens extensively, and this remains one area where Android has a clear advantage over Apple’s comparatively rigid iOS layout.

Quick And Responsive

The One S has more than enough processing power for the everyday tasks most smartphone owners will demand from it.

Apps open quickly, web browsing is smooth and posting to social networks presents no difficulty. Throughout our time with the phone, it remained responsive and rarely felt as though it was struggling to keep up.

It may not be the flagship model in the One range, but it certainly does not feel like a budget alternative.

A Strong Eight-Megapixel Camera

HTC has placed considerable emphasis on the camera technology fitted across its new One range. The company believes camera quality is becoming one of the main factors people consider when choosing a smartphone, and the One S has clearly been designed with that in mind.

Its eight-megapixel camera can be opened and ready to shoot within seconds of unlocking the phone. It can also take several photographs in quick succession, allowing users to choose the best image afterwards rather than relying on a single attempt.

The editing software is slightly clunky, although the arrival of Instagram on Android means there are already plenty of alternatives available.

Video can be recorded in 1080p high definition, and the phone can capture still photographs while recording.

Beats Audio: Substance or Branding?

There has been plenty of hype surrounding HTC’s partnership with Beats Audio. We like the association. Both HTC and Beats are brands worth watching, and the logo undoubtedly adds some extra appeal.

However, the average user may struggle to notice a dramatic improvement in sound quality over other mobile devices.

Some critics argue that Beats Audio is little more than a branded equaliser. That may be overly harsh, but there is a concern that the name carries more weight than the actual technology. It’s not a major weakness, but neither does it transform the listening experience.

Verdict

At the moment, HTC’s One range has a strong claim to include some of the best Android phones available. The One S combines a slim design, responsive software and a particularly capable camera in a handset that should suit most everyday users.

HTC may also be drawing closer to Apple in terms of hardware quality and functionality. Its position may not last forever, though. A new iPhone is expected in the not-too-distant future, while Samsung’s next Galaxy handset is also approaching.

It won’t be long before the rest of the smartphone market begins scrambling to catch up once again.

For now, however, the HTC One S is one of the strongest handsets we have used this year.