Hoorah! It’s Monday morning and Mobile World Congress 2012 is well and truly underway in Barcelona!
We are so excited, after weeks of leaks, rumours, anticipation and official pre-event announcements that this year’s MWC has finally arrived.
And HTC has already unleashed a trio of new premium smartphones that form part of its One Series of handsets: the HTC One X, HTC One S and HTC One V.
All three come loaded with Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich software, HTC Sense 4, Beats by Dr DreAudio technology, and feature an “amazing camera” plus “authentic sound experience”.
The latest version of Sense delivers a number of enhancements including ImageSense, “a new suite of camera and imaging features that set HTC One apart from other phones”. These One Series smartphones feature rapid capture (0.7 seconds to take a snap plus 0.2 seconds autofocus) and image quality in all conditions thanks to the f/2.0 lens which captures 40% more light compared to f/2.4 lenses “available on other high-end phones”.
There is also advanced technology like VideoPic which lets you take a photo and shoot a video at the same time, as well as capturing a photo from a video you’ve previously recorded.
On the audio side, the Beats Audio software is now “across the entire experience” ensuring you benefit from this richer experience when listening to music, watching videos and playing games.
HTC’s new flagship model, the One X, was captured on camera last week and has undergone a number of name changes before taking a bow today. But the HTC One X is definitely worth waiting for – this phone features a 4.7-inch 720p display with Corning Gorilla Glass screen and a polycarbonate unibody design with the “ruggedness of metal” but “super lightweight” feel. Inside is the “blazing fast” Tegra 3 quad-core chip with integrated battery saving technology, twinned with a 12-core Nvidia GPU.
The HTC One S is a more compact version of the X handset, with a 4.3-inch display that’s protected by Gorilla Glass. Previously named the HTC Ville, the One S is the company’s thinnest phone yet with a metal unibody frame that measures just 7.9mm in thickness.
As well as a 1.5GHz dual-core processor, the One S has an ultra-matter Ceramic Metal design that makes the surface four-times harder than anodized aluiminium to ensure the phone continues to “look great over time”.
The most affordable phone in the new range is the HTC One V. However, this handset still comes with Ice Cream Sandwich, Sense 4, 1GHz chip and a 3.7-inch display. Plus, it features a HTC Legend-style design for a distinctive look.
The One X, S and V smartphones are set to launch in April – and in the meantime, you can read more about this premium new HTC range in the press release below.
HTC One Series Unveiled
HTC One Highlighted by an Amazing Camera and Authentic Sound Experience
Mobile World Congress – HTC, a global designer of smartphones, today unveiled its new HTC One series of smartphones that represent its most premium mobile experience with a new level of iconic design and amazing camera and authentic sound experience.
“The best moments in life are captured with a photo or remembered by a song, so it was key for the HTC One series to improve these emotional experiences with an amazing camera and authentic sound experience,” said Peter Chou, CEO of HTC Corporation. “We are very focused on creating a camera and audio experience customers will love and use often and we believe the HTC One series delivers this in a way never seen on a phone before.”
With HTC’s most premium experience, the HTC One series integrates Android 4.0 (ICS) with HTC Sense™ 4, the new version of HTC’s branded user experience that is introducing HTC ImageSense™, a new suite of camera and imaging features that set HTC One apart from other phones. HTC Sense 4 also includes broad enhancements to audio quality and simplifies how people listen to music on their phone.
Amazing Camera
With ImageSense HTC One rivals traditional digital cameras with improvements to every part of the camera, including the lens, the sensor, the software, and even integrating a new custom HTC ImageChip. These enhancements combine to deliver our fastest image capture, best image quality under adverse conditions and easiest interface that enables quick access to capturing stills and videos with side-by-side photo and video capture buttons.
Superfast Capture – HTC One dramatically reduces the time it takes to capture those key moments. In just 0.7 seconds you’re able to take a shot, and with a new superfast 0.2-seconds autofocus, continue to take nearly unlimited continuous shots simply by holding the shutter button.
Good photos in adverse conditions – HTC One delivers dramatic enhancements in image capture quality even in adverse conditions such as low light, no light or with bright backlighting. The f/2.0 lens on the HTC One X and HTC One S offers best-in-class performance, capturing 40 percent more light than the f/2.4 lenses available on other high-end phones. HTC One also includes HDR, a market-leading technology, for taking great photos even when there are varying levels of brightness.
Video Pic (Concurrent Video/Still Capture) – With Video Pic you capture a photo and shoot video at the same time. Now, while you’re shooting HD video, all you have to do is tap the shutter button and it snaps a high-resolution still photo while the video continues to shoot. You are also able to capture a photo frame from a previously recorded video.
Dropbox integrated with HTC Sense – HTC One gives you an easy way to save and share your photos and videos. HTC has integrated Dropbox into HTC Sense 4 enabling HTC One customers to get 25 gigabytes of free Dropbox space for two years. That’s enough to keep more than 10,000 high-quality photos. Dropbox is also integrated throughout HTC Sense 4, so it’s easy to edit, save and share your documents and other kinds of files.
Sharing your photos and more – HTC One gives you a new way to share your photos and videos. When you plug in HTC’s wireless Media Link HD* accessory into your TV’s HDMI port, you can easily share your photos, videos, or anything else on your phone with your friends, family or colleagues regardless of the television’s brand as long as it has HDMI.
Authentic Sound
With HTC One, Beats By Dr. DreAudio™ integration is enabled for the first time across the entire experience for richer, more authentic sound whether you’re listening to your favorite music, watching a YouTube™ video or playing a game. HTC One also makes it easy to get and listen to your music on your phone with the built-in HTC Sync Manager software that automatically installs to your computer when connected. Once connected, it is easy to transfer songs, artists and playlists from your music library.
Of course, people today no longer just listen to the songs stored on their phones; they use streaming services and tune into Internet radio. So HTC One lets you customize the new Music Hub with your favorite services and music applications, like the latest Soundhound technology, giving you one place to go for all of your music.
HTC One lets you take all of your music anywhere, including the car. With HTC One, you get an easy way to bring your mobile music to your car’s sound system with the HTC Car Stereo Clip*. It also lets you connect to your music through more than 50 thousand online radio stations worldwide or play music from any service or app on your phone through your car speakers. All this makes HTC One the one place to enjoy all your music, wherever you are, with the power of Beats By Dr. DreAudio and HTC Car.
HTC One X
The HTC One X features a beautifully crafted polycarbonate unibody that has the ruggedness of metal but is super lightweight. With seamless construction, the unibody combines a unique high gloss ‘piano’ finish and a matte back. HTC One is blazing fast with the new NVIDIA® Tegra 3 Mobile Processor for clear graphics, faster applications and longer battery life. It includes a 1.5GHz Super 4-PLUS-1™ quad-core with an integrated fifth Battery Saver Core and a high-performance 12-Core NVIDIA® GPU. The HTC One also has an amazing 4.7-inch, 720p HD screen crafted from contoured Corning™ Gorilla Glass. HTC One X will also be available in select 4G LTE markets with a LTE-enabled Qualcomm Snapdragon S4™ processor with up to 1.5GHz dual-core CPU’s.
HTC One S
The HTC One S is for people who want a high-end smartphone in a more compact size. It is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 processor with up to 1.5GHz dual-core CPU’s. It also includes a 4.3-inch screen crafted from contoured Corning™ Gorilla Glass. HTC One S brings HTC’s innovative metal unibody styling to a new thin 7.9-mm design, making it HTC’s thinnest phone yet. The HTC One S sports two new finishes that break new ground in mobile phone innovation. The first is an ultra-matte black Ceramic Metal surface that is the result of a microarc oxidation (MAO) process originally developed for use in satellites. It transforms the surface of the aluminum unibody into a ceramic, super-dense crystalline structure that is four times harder than anodized aluminum, enabling the HTC One S to look great over time. The second finish for the One S takes anodizing to a new level with a new patented process that creates a light-to-dark gradient fade that looks gorgeous and sophisticated.
HTC One V
Utilizing the classic, award-winning design of the HTC Legend, the HTC One V brings top-end design to a smartphone with broad appeal and a premium experience that delivers an amazing camera and authentic sound. It features a simple, iconic aluminum unibody design that exudes craftsmanship and quality.
Global Availability
With unprecedented excitement, the HTC One series will begin shipping in April with broad global availability available beginning in April through more than 140 mobile operators and distributors globally. For more information and to pre-register for HTC One visitwww.htc.com.