Among HTC's release of its innovative and powerful line of smartphones in April 2012 comes the latest addition to the pack, the HTC One S. It is specially built for higher quality entertainment, integrating Audio Beats by Dre that deliver rich and authentic sound for playing music or games, and watching movies or videos.
Since its anticipated launch, the HTC One S put mobile photography on a higher level, away from just snapping photos. It has a dedicated imaging chip and an advanced image sensor that allow users to capture stunningly vivid and clear images even in low-light situations.
While featuring Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) as its operating system, the phone can take advantage of high-data transfer rates from 4G networks offered by Telus and Bell Canada. At first glance, HTC One S is as sleek as 7.8mm thick with a responsive 4.3-inch AMOLED display. It is equipped with an intuitive 8 megapixel camera and a 28mm wide-angle lens that allow users to capture every single scene with its continuous shooting mode and super-fast capture capability, without missing any important shot. The built-in video stabilization feature reduces camera shake that causes blurry videos, resulting in high-quality, full 1080p HD recordings. Internet speed can reach up to 21Mbps for 4G connection, while the phone boasts a triple b/g/nWi-Fi connectivity and can be used as a modem to tether signals to a laptop or any Wi-Fi enabled devices.
As part of the company's aim to build stronger and more durable phones, HTC built the One S in a casing that is five times stronger than stainless steel through a special process called micro arc oxidation, transforming the aluminum casing into an ultra-durable space-grade metal used inspacecrafts. Hidden inside this tough shell runs an ultra-fast 1.5 Ghz Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 dual-core processor and a powerful GPU that enable the phone to launch multiple applications seamlessly and play the most graphic-intensive mobile 3D games without lags.
Despite all the good things about the HTC One S, it does not come to be perfect at all. One drawback of the phone is the lack of a memory expansion slot which only limits the phone to 16GB of internal storage space. Additionally, the phone's battery is not user-replaceable whichmeans that it needs to be hooked to an outlet or to a USB port more often when the battery runsdry after a whole day of usage. Overall, HTC One S is an intelligently designed phone featuring sophisticated mobility, high-class entertainment, and ultra-fast connectivity. Disregarding its imperfections, the phone is aperformer that could rival Apple's iPhone 4S or any Samsung Galaxy S series in many aspects.
Need to Know: HTC One S
1. Thin, sturdy, and elegant construction is truly top-notch with a sophisticated ceramic black and silver finish. (The Good)
2. Powerful 1.5 GHz dual core-processor with 1GB of RAM, sufficient enough to run any Android apps, including the most graphic-intensive games. (The Good)
3. Beats Audio feature delivers rich sound. (The Good)
4. Non-removable battery. (The Bad)
5. No expansion slot for additional memory. (The Bad)
What the Critics Are Saying...
- TT Gadget Editor, TelecomTigerThe HTC One S is a attractive phone with blazing speed 1.7 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon Quad core processor and 1 GB RAM. The 8 megapixel camera, Beats Audio sound technology, High Dynamic Range camera mode, Android 4.0 Ice cream sandwich and HTC Sense 4 makes device simply superb in the segment. Though...
- Ankit Banerjee, Android AuthorityHTC has done a lot of things right with the ultra-thin and lightweight HTC One S, with its optimal screen size, elegant design, amazing display, great camera, and software enhancements to complement the powerful hardware. The One S is available exclusively from T-Mobile, but I’m surprised that...
- Gaurav Shukla, NDTVSporting a thin and attractive profile, a fairly decent processor and Android 4.0, HTC One S looks like an instant winner, but pricing is the main issue here. HTC One S is certainly over-priced. There is no HD display or quad-core processor here to justify such a high price.The absence of the S4 pro...
- What Hi-Fi team, What Hi-FiThis is one of HTC’s flagship phones, and the specification proves far better in reality than it might look on paper. HTC’s take on the Android 4.0 OS is delivered at lightning speed, video playback is very good and music more than adequate. If you’re not smitten with the literal big boys in the And...
- Dragan Petric, BrighthandThis smartphone is much more pleasant and practical to hold than the much larger One X. It offers the same software as the more expensive One X, with exceptional speed that even surpasses the One X. The price that those who choose the One S will pay includes a smaller screen and a lower screen reso...
Prices (Where to Buy)
Common Questions
We've got you covered! Download a free PDF copy of the HTC One S user manual here.
HTC backs up the One S with a 1 Year parts & labour warranty.
If your One S has problems and is still within its warranty period, you could contact HTC support or the retailer you purchased the phone from. You'll find HTC's contact information here. If your phone is off warranty and needs repair for a physical problem such as a broken screen or bad battery, you should visit an authorized service centre or a local phone repair shop. You can also connect with others in The Informr Community Forum to find and share answers to questions.
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Resources
Manuals / User Guides
- HTC One S Manual (PDF)
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