HTC 8X Windows Phone: Review & Specs

Just on Friday the company HTC has announced the time of appearance and the price of its new WP-smartphones as today everyone have the opportunity to purchase HTC 8X for the amount in 500 EUR. A lot, if we draw a parallel with the Android-smartphone HTC One X, but less than the asking Nokia and Samsung for their Lumia 920 and ATIV S respectively. Moreover, we have get the chance to bring review of this HTC 8X running Windows Phone 8.

 

Design and Ergonomics

HTC 8X

It seems that HTC has completely abandoned the use of the metal in its top devices, preferring to polycarbonate. So it was with HTC One X (updated model – One X + has the same body), as happens with HTC 8X – a solid piece of plastic that is cut all too much to put there insides smartphone.
HTC 8X has minimum clearances between parts. The claim is only for the area between the main camera and the name of the manufacturer. There’s body sags, uttering with barely audible sound. In most situations, users will not notice a defect, but those who do pay attention, cannot resolve this shortcoming.

Arrangement of elements on the housing WP-smartphones regulated Microsoft, so there are no surprises when compared with other devices as this manufacturer and others.

On the front panel of HTC 8X has a 2-megapixel camera, earpiece, proximity sensor and light, 4.3″ S LCD display 2 (the same technology in HTC One X), and three touch buttons below it -“Back” (hold responsible for call “Manager running applications”, “Start” – returns to the home screen from any application, and “Search.”
Located on the back an 8 megapixel camera with flash and a grid of slots for multimedia speakers.
HTC 8X Smartphone is built in Taiwan. All hardware buttons are just above the surface of the body, which does not help them in the touch. Does not add ergonomics and low key travel with poorly for palpable click. The idea is that the rounded side should give the body the very ergonomic, but not everything is so smooth. The reason for this was the sharp edges and corners of the case.

Nevertheless despite all these shortcomings of ergonomics in smartphone but you feel pleasure to hold in your hands. It does not slip, does not create the impression of cheap and has an acceptable weight. Everything else you can quickly get used to.

HTC 8X
Interface and Software

 

At first glance, the Windows Phone 8 system is no different from Windows Phone 7 in HTC 8X. The same “live” tiles, the same principle of the icons. Little things start to notice even when closer acquaintance. The tiles are now available in three sizes, the lock screen can display information from applications – Facebook, a weather widget, email. As far as all this is enough for WP8 as the new operating system will be known after we have more time to become familiar with it.
The hardware platform
After two years, Microsoft has provided developers with more freedom in the choice of hardware platforms, including not only the SoC, but the screen resolution, support for fourth-generation networks. All of these manufacturers were quick to take advantage of smartphones, replacing obsolete both morally and technologically processor Qualcomm Snapdragon family of two, with modern Snapdragon S4. This allowed the top-end smartphones WP8-compared with devices on Android. Dual-core processor architecture Krait, Adreno 225 graphics chip, 1 GB of RAM – all gathered in a single chip, manufactured on 28 nm process technology.
Given the lack of slowdown on the previous generation, there is nothing surprising in the fact that with the release of a new version of the operating system speed does not improved much but rather, switching between tasks, start the camera, saving photos, and so it became even faster.
With active operation, the HTC 8X smartphone runs longer HTC One X. In the morning, when the HTC 8X was charged to 80%, up to the current time of day (about six hours), the smartphone is discharged to 23%. Not bad, considering that it almost did not let go, checking the camera, installing the application, with active mode on Wi-Fi and work in 3G-networks. Do not forget that this is first start, the battery is still not gained its full capacity, which means that optimal performance will be achieved only after two or three cycles of charge and discharge.
Display
For all except the diagonal, display parameters to be determined in the most advanced in HTC 8X. Screen size is 4.3″, a resolution of 1280×720 pixels (342 ppi), LCD 2 production technology with analog IPS. Picture quality can be compared to the latest generation iPhone – no air gap, high brightness and sharpness, saturation. Of course, black is inferior to that of a Super AMOLED-matrix TFT but has its advantages, which have not yet been able to achieve in the technology based on organic crystals.

 

Minus, which did not get rid of the new operating system does not allow fine-tune the display brightness. Three grades minimum, medium and maximum. There is the automatic adjustment, but it is carried out by the same parameters, highlighting the need for establishing a minimum or maximum value. Given the level of brightness of HTC 8X between 37 cd / m ² to 290 cd / m ², in dim lighting was not comfortable because of inflated minimum brightness. This is perhaps the only complaint that we have found.

HTC 8X
Camera

Module 8 megapixel matrix is present in HTC 8X which is similar with HTC One X parameters – f/2.0, BSI-sensor (sensor with reverse flare – allows more light shots with less noise in low light). Responsible for processing the data ImageChip, and it works not only with the basic, but the front camera. In the settings of the camera there is no change, the only thing the developers added – integration with photo processing services. Real-time user can see how the photo will look with the use of a filter.

Conclusion:

HTC 8X Windows phone is featuring a Good display, speed and operating time, the camera – this is what catches the eye immediately. How all this will behave in a more long-term operation, will be seen later, but as for myself have just one drawback – the cost, but then I remember that the HTC 8X most affordable of the coolest smartphones WP8 and I understand that is not so or all bad. In addition, you can buy right now, and the timing of appearances in the face of Nokia Lumia 920 and Samsung ATIV S is still murky. In any case, when they appear HTC will lower down the price tag on HTC 8X.

This was all regarding one of the best available Windows Phone 8 operating system HTC 8X smartphone.

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