HTC One: Let's All Hope It's The One

The HTC One. 

Aluminum uni-body design engineered to perfection

Dual stereo speakers, with Beats Audio Integration-- for the superb sound experience

Full HD display, with the highest pixel density ever seen on a mobile device-- for the pure unadulterated viewing experience

Wonderful camera experience through HTC's ultrapixel technology. Never miss a moment.

Redesigned HTC Sense--for a better, more intuitive user experience.

The HTC One.           

The One you've been waiting for. 

Yesterday, HTC unveiled its 2013 flagship device--the HTC One. All eyes were on them as they announced the device that could either keep the company afloat or completely sack them altogether. On the surface, the HTC One looks absolutely gorgeous. Unlike other Android OEMs, HTC chose to forego the use of plastic or polycarbonate in their device and completely constructed the One with solid blocks of aluminum, giving it a fuller, sturdier build without compromising functionality and portability. It looks absolutely stunning in its unibody build, and full HD display. It certainly looks like what a high-end premium device should be--engineered to perfection.While the chamfered corners do resemble the iPhone, the HTC One delivers what Apple couldn't. Which, I believe is pretty much everything else that the HTC One embodies. On paper, the HTC One is superior in most aspects to phones currently available in the market. (HTC actually makes the most ground-breaking debuts in the mobile world. They made the first Android device, first dual core phones, first phone to break the 4" screen size border, first phone with 1080p screen res, etc.)

HTC aims to deliver a new sound and camera experience. And it clearly shows with its innovations on the HTC One sporting dual front-facing stereo speakers, with Beats Audio integration & HTC BoomSound techology, and of course, the Ultrapixel camera & proprietary Zoe feature.

With the new phone comes a new version of sense. The 5th iteration of the Android skin (which they chose to call New Sense, ala New iPad), brings an enhanced user experience. The New Sense featured  a complete design overhaul, changing the textured icons from previous versions into a flatter, cartoonish designs. The primary new feature, which is called BlinkFeed, aims to become a stream of  information and media--think Flipboard but with deeper integration on the OS, and then placed smack right into your homescreen. It's a bold and promising feature that could probably be annoying in the long-haul. Thankfully, users can always opt to be greeted by the traditional HTC flipclock instead.

With the HTC One, HTC aims to deliver a completely redefined premium experience. The device specs look absolutely stunning, surely the best in its class right now. Hopefully, HTC learned from its past marketing mishaps and learn to spend some dough to push their products into more people. I believe this is not the end for HTC. With the right strategies, they are surely going to gain back the rightful piece of the market share that the true Android King deserves.

Specs Rundown:

PLATFORM

• Android 4.1.2 with HTC Sense 5
• Processor: Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ 600, quad-core, 1.7GHz
• Total storage: 32GB/64GBi, available capacity varies 
• RAM: 2GB DDR2
• Battery: 2300 mAh embedded rechargeable Li-polymer battery

CAMERA

• BSI sensor, Pixel size 2.0 μm, Sensor size 1/3'
• Dedicated HTC ImageChip™ 2
• F2.0 aperture and 28 mm lens
• Optical Image Stabilization (OIS)
• Smart Flash: Five levels of flash automatically set by distance to subject
• Front Camera: 88 wide angle lens with HDR capability
• 1080p Full HD video recording for both front and back cameras
• HDR Video
• Continuous shooting and VideoPic
• Slow motion video recording with variable speed playback
• HTC Zoe™ with highlights and HTC Zoe™ Share
• Retouch with Object Removal, Always Smile, and Sequence Shot

CONNECTIVITY

• 3.5 mm stereo audio jack
• NFC capable
• Compliant with Bluetooth 4.0
• Bluetooth 4.0 with aptX™ enabled
• Wi-Fi®: IEEE 802.11 a/ac/b/g/n
• DLNA® for wirelessly streaming media from the phone to a compatible TV or computer
• Support consumer infrared remote control
• micro-USB 2.0 (5-pin) port with mobile high-definition video link (MHL) for USB or HDMI connection (Special cable required for HDMI connection.)

HTC BOOMSOUND™

• Dual frontal stereo speakers with built-in amplifiers
• Studio-quality sound with Beats Audio™
• HDR Microphone
• Sense Voice

NETWORK

• GSM/GPRS/EDGE (850/900/1800/1900 MHz)
• WCDMA (1900/2100 (B2/B1) MHz)
• CDMA (800/1900 BC0/BC1/BC10, Sprint)
• LTE (1900 (B25, SPCS)
• Frequencies will vary by region/operator

SENSORS

• Gyro sensor
• Accelerometer
• Proximity sensor
• Ambient light sensor

LOCATION

• Internal GPS antenna + GLONASS
• Digital compass

AC ADAPTER

• Voltage range/frequency: 100 ~ 240 V AC, 50/60 Hz
• DC output: 5 V and 1 A
• SIZE: 137.4 x 68.2 x 9.3mm/4mm (max/min) 
• WEIGHT: 143 grams with battery 
• DISPLAY: 4.7 inch, Full HD 1080p, 468 PPI 

For  gallery images of the HTC One:

HTC One Accessories (Engadget)

HTC One Hand-on (The Verge)

All photos in this article belong to The Verge, unless otherwise stated.