HTC One: 4.7-inch, 1080p, UltraPixel camera, LTE launching in March

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Smartphones, Google, Handhelds

HTC has announced it's newest flagship smartphone--the HTC One. What makes the HTC One stand out among the rest? It's got a great design aesthetic and the specs to match. The One packs a 4.7-inch LCD display (bonded to the Gorilla Glass 2 enclosure) with 1080p resolution. That's an impressive 468ppi.

The HTC One also boasts an impressive camera that ditches the megapixel game in order to focus on vastly-improved low-light capabilities instead. The result is a 4-megapixel rear camera that HTC's marketing department has renamed UltraPixels, which each capturing 300% more light than a typical 8-megapixel shooter. It's a bold move, and it's in line with what Nokia's Lumia 920 PureView camera is all about. The One also has optical image stabilization (OIS) for both the rear and front cameras. Speaking of the front camera, it's also an ultra-wide angle camera, similar to what HTC packed into the Windows Phone 8X.

As far as camera software features go, the HTC One packs in a bunch, including HDR photos (and even HDR video,) Smart Flash, which automatically selects the right flash setting out of the five supported depending on how far you are from the subject of the image, and HTC Zoe. Zoe captures five frames prior to you pressing the shutter, and then 15 after you press it. The result is 20 photos to choose from in other to get the perfect shot--or you can use them to create a stop-motion video. You also get a 3-second video alongside the multiple images. Pretty neat, if you ask us.

As with pretty much every HTC smartphone these days, expect to find the Beats Audio profile on the One. In fact, HTC says this is the "best audio experience of any mobile phone" and they're calling it BoomSound. The device has two front-facing stereo speakers, with larger sound chambers than any other smartphone, pointed directly at the user. There are two microphones on board, allowing for HDR audio recording that captures a broad spectrum of sound while differentiating between the two inputs.

If all that isn't enough, the One also boasts an IR blaster embedded into its power button, making it a bonafide remote control. Browse local television listings, point the phone at your setup, and control your viewing experience.

All of this is powered by a quad-core 1.7 GHz Snapdragon 600 processor paired with 2 GB RAM and 32 GB of onboard storage (if you're on AT&T or the Asia Pacific region, you'll also have the option of a 64 GB model.) You also get Bluetooth 4.0, NFC, GPS and GLONASS, and another smartphone first, 802.11ac Wi-Fi support. A 2300mAh battery is sure to keep this one humming along throughout the day.

HTC Sense 5 lays atop Android 4.1.2, with a newly-designed home screen that is less an app launcher and more a Windows Phone-esque live tile-looking affair. Dubbed BlinkFeed, it aggregates content from your social networks, news sources, and friends with weather and a clock at the top.

You'll be able to pick up an HTC One in the second half of March in either black or silver in 185 different countries. In the US, you can get the device on AT&T, Sprint, and T-Mobile, with 4G LTE support for all. Verizon Wireless seems to be the only holdout at this point, as they may be waiting for a Droid-branded variant of the device.