As expected, the first round of HTC One S reviews is finally here. The HTC One S is officially available from retailers across Europe. The HTC One S has taken a back seat, since most have focused their attention on the HTC One X.

But that doesn’t mean the phone is any less capable. When it comes to performance, the HTC One S is just as good (if not better) than the quad-core powered HTC One X; however, that doesn’t necessarily make it a better phone. The main drawback of the One S is its qHD Pentile Super AMOLED display, but we doubt the general public will be able to notice any real shortcomings.

 

We’ve read through a few reviews already and captured some of the highlights from each. Read on to see how the HTC One S performed. You may be pleasantly surprised.

What people are saying about the HTC One S

Design:

• “In some alternate universe, the One S would be HTC’s flagship phone”
• “…among those rare few phones whose design moves the whole mobile industry forward”
• “My only gripe is that the removable end cap at the top of the phone doesn’t provide the same sense of quality as the rest of the phone.”

Display:

• “After seeing it side-by-side against the high-definition beauty on the One X, we’re going to rule in favor of the latter”
• “Pentile has become a dirty word in our industry”
• “It looks great at normal distances, and that’s all that matters”

Performance:

• “The dual-core One S manages to trump its quad-core contemporary”
• “HTC hasn’t been able to prevent the combination of Ice Cream Sandwich and Snapdragon S4 from working like a dream”

Camera:

• “Possibly the best Android cameraphone we’ve seen yet”
• “HTC’s ImageSense software is my choice for best camera app on any platform”
• “I like that you can shoot still photos in full resolution while shooting video”

Battery:

• “We hit just over eight and a half hours of constant video playback during our typical rundown test — 2.5 hours more than its sibling, the HTC One X”
• “Even with a 40-minute photography session included, the One S managed to go a full 24 hours between charges for me”
• “I’ve found the phone to be a pretty solid performer in terms of real world battery use.”

Sense UI 4.0:

• “While it isn’t stock, it certainly holds on to more Android riffs”
• “It’s brought no substantial improvements to the experience of using an Android phone”
• “HTC has gotten back into the business of making the user interface work for the user instead of getting in the way”

HTC One S review roundup:

• Matt Smith of Engadget: No score
• Vlad Savov  of The Verge: 8.1/10
• Michael Oryl of MobileBurn: No score

Video reviews of HTC One S:

Wrap up

The HTC One S will always be overshadowed by the HTC One X. There are a few drawbacks to the phone (Pentile display, no expandable memory and non-replaceable battery), but the HTC One S is still positioned perfectly to be a massive success. Since it doesn’t feature all the cutting edge specs of the HTC One X or the upcoming  Samsung Galaxy S III, the One S is able to undercut its better-spec’d sibling by $125.

While most of us are looking for the next super phone, it’s clear that the One S is a few steps ahead of the best phones from last year. Is that enough to make it your next Android phone? You tell us.

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