Thursday, February 6, 2014

HTC One, one year on

It might not seem so long, but it’s been almost a full year since we first met the HTC One at announcement events in London and New York in February 2013. It went on to be one of the most significant Android phones of the year, and for most of 2013 it was our top Android smartphone pick. HTC had raised its game and delivered a device that excelled in many areas, from the 4.7-inch 1080p screen to the gorgeous aluminum unibody, to the speed and responsiveness of its software.

The HTC One also introduced some polarizing software and hardware features. It abandoned the quest for more megapixels in favor of an “Ultrapixel” camera with only 4 megapixels, but a much larger sensor. HTC BlinkFeed — always-on at launch — was a new approach to Android home screens unlike anything we’d seen before, and its inclusion proved controversial. Regardless, HTC had a phone about which critics were raving, and its name was on the tip of every Android enthusiast’s lips for most of early 2013.

So a year later, where do things stand? The One might not have reversed HTC’s fortunes in the short-term, but nevertheless it deserves one last once-over before the arrival of its successor, expected in the coming months. Android Central editors Phil Nickinson, Alex Dobie, Jerry Hildenbrand and Andrew Martonik have all used the phone over past year, and we’ve reflected on our time with the it to bring you our thoughts on the HTC One, one year on ...