A week ago we got our hands on the HTC One Google Play release and shared our early introductions. Today we delve somewhat more profound into how this superphone varies from its Sense 5-prepared kin, with an attention on benchmarks, battery life and camera execution. As you'll review, Samsung presented a Galaxy S 4 running stock Android at Google I/O and HTC immediately stuck to this same pattern by reporting its very own unskinned rendition leader, the One. The handset, which went at a bargain in the Play store on June 26th for $599 unsubsidized, depends on AT&T's 32GB model and elements indistinguishable specs. In that capacity, it additionally accompanies similar confinements. Things being what they are, what's the HTC One like with stock Android? Is it superior to anything the gadgets running Sense 5? What do you surrender and, in particular, is it worth spending the premium for this Google Play release? Discover after the break.
The HTC One Google Play version is the same remarkable telephone we've come to love improved even with stock Android, however kept down somewhat by the absence of AWS for HSPA+ and Google Wallet
As we said in our grasp on, the HTC One Google Play version is cosmetically indistinguishable to its cleaned partners - you'll appreciate the same perfect outline, materials and assemble quality. Contrasted with AT&T's rendition, there's no transporter marking on the back, and that is the main noticeable distinction. Spec-wise it gloats a Qualcomm 1.7GHz quad-center Snapdragon 600 processor (APQ8064T) with 2GB RAM, 32GB of inherent stockpiling, a dazzling 4.7-inch 1,920 x 1,080 (468ppi) Super LCD 3 show, a noteworthy UltraPixel camera (4MP) with OIS and LED streak, BoomSound stereo speakers and a fixed 2,300mAh Li-polymer battery.
The HTC One Google Play version is the same remarkable telephone we've come to love improved even with stock Android, however kept down somewhat by the absence of AWS for HSPA+ and Google Wallet
As we said in our grasp on, the HTC One Google Play version is cosmetically indistinguishable to its cleaned partners - you'll appreciate the same perfect outline, materials and assemble quality. Contrasted with AT&T's rendition, there's no transporter marking on the back, and that is the main noticeable distinction. Spec-wise it gloats a Qualcomm 1.7GHz quad-center Snapdragon 600 processor (APQ8064T) with 2GB RAM, 32GB of inherent stockpiling, a dazzling 4.7-inch 1,920 x 1,080 (468ppi) Super LCD 3 show, a noteworthy UltraPixel camera (4MP) with OIS and LED streak, BoomSound stereo speakers and a fixed 2,300mAh Li-polymer battery.
The radios (opened, obviously) match AT&T's model, with quad-band GSM/EDGE, tri-band UMTS/HSPA+ up to 21 Mbps (850/1900/2100) and quad-band LTE (700/850/1700/1900). Lamentably, this implies in case you're a T-Mobile client in a non-LTE territory of the US, you'll be stuck on re-cultivated 1900MHz range for 3G - or conceivably even 2G/EDGE - since the telephone needs AWS bolster for HSPA+. Other network choices incorporate double band 802.11a/air conditioning/b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.0 with aptX, NFC, IR and GPS/A-GPS. Since this Google Play release depends on AT&T's rendition, it does not have the chip required for Google Wallet, which is disillusioning. To be reasonable, Sprint's HTC One is as of now the main model to bolster Google Wallet.
As far as execution, this Google Play version surely feels somewhat speedier than its Sense 5-prepared cousins, however this is subjective, obviously. As should be obvious in the table underneath, the benchmark scores are near what we quantified on the cleaned variants, aside from GFXBench, which turns out marginally ahead. It's a similar story with battery life - in our standard summary test (circling a HD video with shine and volume set to half; email and informal organizations surveying over LTE; WiFi and GPS empowered, however not associated; and Bluetooth killed) the handset remained alive for seven hours and 26 minutes, which matches what we saw with AT&T's HTC One. Calls sounded boisterous and clear in our tests and we delighted in strong system execution on both AT&T and T-Mobile (both LTE and 1900MHz HSPA+) in and around San Francisco with information accelerates to 24.5 Mbps down and 18 Mbps up.
One region where stock Android regularly misses the mark regarding its cleaned rivalry is with the default camera application, which experiences an excessively straightforward UI and fair picture handling. We're glad to report that both Google Play version telephones include an upgraded application (1.1.40012 versus 1.1.40001 on Nexus gadgets), which gives quite enhanced imaging execution. Truth be told, the photographs we caught with this HTC One are comparative in quality to what we snapped with models running Sense 5. Video recording is sufficiently tolerable (1080p/30fps/12Mbps), yet the soundtrack is mono and regularly too tranquil. Shading equalization is precise, however we saw an incidental bug when metering stills where the introduction is at first fine, yet continues getting continuously brighter until the application is shut. What the UltraPixel camera needs in determination and element go it compensates for with wonderful low-light execution, thanks in incredible part to those settled f/2.0 optics and expansive 2µm pixels.
There's still opportunity to get better with the camera UI, which demonstrates an edited viewfinder paying little respect to the viewpoint proportion chose in the settings, making it hard to form shots. It's not a colossal issue here since the sensor's local viewpoint proportion is 16:9, however it's an issue with different handsets. One intriguing distinction with stock Android is that OIS is just dynamic while shooting, yet not when taking a gander at the viewfinder. The camera application additionally profits by another settings menu, which is laid out in a circular segment rather than a circle. Tragically, abandoning Sense 5 additionally implies losing the HTC One's magnificent Zoe usefulness alongside the capacity to take full-determination pictures while recording video. What you pick up rather is Google's wonderful Photo Sphere - that is unquestionably something to remember.
Obviously, the fundamental interest of the HTC One Google Play release is stock Android 4.2.2 (Jelly Bean) rather than the cleaned rendition of Android 4.1.2 accessible on its Sense 5 relatives. The absence of bearer and producer customizations makes for a less complex, cleaner and speedier client encounter - it's very reviving, really - additionally implies BlinkFeed is gone and the infrared transmitter is incapacitated. Talking about which, Google Play version telephones will get overhauls from the maker, dissimilar to Nexus gadgets, which get them specifically from Google. In that capacity, it's conceivable this HTC One will recover IR bolster later on - all things considered, Beats is now present with a flip in the sound settings. With two capacitive keys supplanting the three on-screen catches typically found on stock Android, there's no devoted late applications key. This was tackled by giving the home catch an indistinguishable extra usefulness from in Sense 5: twofold tap to get to the applications list and long-press for Google Now.
While the HTC One boats with one of the minimum prominent and most cleaned skins accessible today, stock Android just grasps this handset in a totally new course. Without a doubt, you lose Zoe and the infrared transmitter (at any rate for now), yet you pick up Android 4.2.2, a superior client encounter and that pompous feeling that you're getting a charge out of something exceptional. Why burn through $599 for this Google Play version when the Nexus 4 gives a similar fulfillment to $299? The choice comes down to this: If you need LTE, a superior camera and a lovely plan, pick this HTC One; if your financial plan is restricted and Google Wallet is central, pick the Nexus 4. In the event that you should have it all and can deal with its shabby looks, spend somewhat more on Samsung's Galaxy S 4 with stock Android ($649). At last, the HTC One Google Play version is an exceptional telephone. There's just a single admonition - the absence of AWS band for HSPA+ is a noteworthy downside in case you're on T-Mobile in the US.
