HTC were at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona a day early to hold a press conference to show off a new line of smartphones: the One series.
The first handset they showed of was the HTC One S - a 4.3-inch dual-core mid-range handset. Unlike Sony's Xperia's the new HTC handsets are coming with the much sought after Ice Cream Sandwich.
The 4.3-inch screen is packing Super AMOLED screen technology, 1.5-Ghz dual-core processor and a host new features and tweaks to the standard HTC recipe.
The HTC One S comes with an impressive camera with 8-megapixels, F-stop 2.0 sensor for low light performance, and will capture video at 1080p at an impressive 60 frames per second.
Like most any HTC it won't win any awards for looks, but it's an improvement on the rather drab HTC's of 2011. It's more functional than a looker.
HTC are making the phone in two styles: you can have the body of phone made with micro arc oxidation (a metal frame in a plasma field that is then electrocuted for a smooth ceramic finish) or a gradient anodisation which you can, apparently, file your nails on if you want.
There's no word on networks or pricing, but the phone is expected to hit retail in April so it won't be long until we have more details.
HTC had two other One series smartphones on the show the floor at MWC. First of all, Tthe HTC One X is their new the top-of-the-range handset and comes with specs that will surely make Samsung and Apple sit up and take notice.
It comes with a whopping 4.7-inch screen, boasting "Super LCD" technology and comes with an impressive HD resolution of 1280×720 pixels - similar to what you'd find on the Galaxy Note and Xperia S.
It must be said that HTC should be applauded for getting Ice Cream Sandwich on board the One series, something Sony unfortunately hasn’t achieved with its own new family of Xperia handsets.
HTC always likes to tinker with the OS and have added customisations to the phones, and to this end, they have opted to include a new version of its Sense user interface.
HTC’s partnership with Beat Audio Technology is in toe with the entire One series, and is signalled by the red logo on the back of the devices. HTC has expanded upon the Beats Audio software so that it improves sound quality across the board, even for third party apps such as Spotify, which is most welcomed.
Seeing as the One X is the top-of-the-range handset for HTC you’d think they put an incredible camera in it, but it would seem they’re are happy to continue with the 8-megapixel snapper with the low-light F-2.0 session and wide angle 28mm lens.
The real meat behind the One X is the quad-cor processor which will be the beating heart of the One X. They've also opted to make some changes in the way of card support - swapping SIM for Micro SIM, and doing away with Micro SD support.
But it’s not all bad for extra storage as the One X comes with a healthy 32GB of internal storage and HTC have signed a deal with Dropbox for a more memory capacity through the cloud.
UK network Three has already confirmed that it will be stocking the One X, though prices haven't yet been confirmed. You can expect most, if not all, UK networks to be stocking this beast in the coming months.
The final handset to come out of the HTC skunk-works is the HTC One V, while it might not be as shiny or as technologically advance as its cousins, the V is a cheap and cheerful smartphone aimed at the lower end of the market.
Despite its light weight specs and price tag you’ll still get a handset that comes with Ice Cream Sandwich, a 3.7-inch WVGA display, boasting a 480×800 resolution. The processor is a single core 1Ghz processor which will be more than adequate for your average Android user.
Camera-wise you find a 5-megapixel camera with a BSI sensor, LED light and auto-focus. HTC are stating that it will be able to capture video at 720p. The One V is also touting Beats audio technology, but the phone only comes with a puny 4GB onboard storage – although you can upgrade it to 32GB through the microSD slot.
If cloud storage is your thing, you'll also be able to take advantage of signing up to a Dropbox account which will give you 25GB of storage as well.
The HTC One V is expected to be available here in the UK in April, with an expected retail price of £254 SIM free.
