HTC One M7 - Specifications. HTC One M7 - Specifications The operating system is the system software that manages and coordinates the operation of the hardware components in the device

Over the past years, one of the major mobile phone manufacturers, HTC, has partially lost its leading position. Its latest models were inferior to analogues from competitors Apple and Samsung, and the level of popularity in the market became lower and lower every year. In order to regain credibility among consumers, the company begins to develop new model, which will complete the One line and will embody all the advantages of previous communicators. Thus was created HTC One M7, whose characteristics are truly impressive. All the shortcomings of previous models were taken into account by the manufacturer so that they would not be repeated in the new smartphone.

HTC One M7 review, characteristics and some features

Upon initial inspection of the new product from the famous brand, the solid metal body immediately catches your eye. Unlike previous models, the manufacturer has eliminated almost all plastic parts, leaving only a molded frame and glass on the outside. In general, it should be noted that before the development of HTC One, devices with a 100% metal body had not yet been released in principle, since this kind of base has certain features. The surface shields radio waves, so previously it was necessary to build in parts from other materials. However, the developers from HTC managed to take a different approach to solving this problem - moving all the necessary transmitters to the outside using small holes in the smartphone body. All microelements are located inside these holes and secured with a composite. It is impossible to say how practical the smartphone will be, but today the HTC One M7 801e, the characteristics of which we will continue to consider further, has no competitors with a similar body design.

Negative sides

Experts consider certain features of the metal to be one of the main shortcomings of the developers. For example, with a strong impact, the outer case can easily change shape (since metal does not absorb shock well) and damage the internal parts of the smartphone, and also, unlike other materials, it is not particularly practical to use. The weight of this model is quite large due to the aluminum back cover. In addition, many consumers complain about the inconvenient placement of the lock key given the large dimensions of the device. In general, the HTC One M7, the characteristics of which we reviewed, also has a number of other shortcomings that users pay attention to, namely: the location of the volume control and a change in the standard set of touch keys.

HTC One screen

It should be noted separately the quality of the display of this device - the image performance is truly impressive. The HTC One M7 smartphone, whose screen characteristics can be considered one of the best compared to its competitors, also has an amazing multi-touch function, the ability to respond to 10 simultaneous touches. The internal matrix of the model provides an excellent viewing angle and excellent color reproduction. The screen shows perfectly even in bright sunlight, unlike the competing iPhone 5 and Galaxy S4 models. This pleasant bonus will be appreciated by all consumers, especially those who like to use their phone while driving. The touchscreen of the screen quickly responds to all commands executed by touching a finger or stylus.

HTC One M7 specifications: the finishing touch

To stay afloat in competition with such giants as Samsung, Apple, LG or Lenovo, smaller (but no less famous) manufacturers have to constantly introduce some new features into their devices. The Taiwanese company HTC also decided to go this route, releasing its new flagship HTC One M7 in February 2013.

For the first time, a FullHD display was used in a device of such a compact size (4.7" screen diagonal), which allowed the smartphone to hold the title of the device with the highest DPI for some time. The proprietary design of the HTC One M7, although it cannot be called absolutely unique (still, the device format itself imposes limitations ), but the smartphone managed to stand out from others: strict straight lines, a metal panel, elegant speaker grilles at the top and bottom of the display: all this made the HTC One M7 (like its successors) easily recognizable.

HTC One M7 specifications

The smartphone received a fairly modern (as of 2013) filling, which allows the device to remain relevant today.

CPU

HTC One M7 is built on the Quallcomm Snapdragon 600 chipset. The central processor of the device is quad-core, its clock frequency is 1.7 GHz. The CPU performance is on par with many devices even today, so the speed of the HTC One M7 is quite decent.

The smartphone's graphics processor, Adreno 320, has not been the most powerful video chip for a long time, but it can handle modern games quite well. About 28 thousand points AnTuTu rating(depending on the firmware version, the early ones were about 24) and today indicate acceptable performance. For comparison, new quad-core smartphones based on MT6582 score approximately 16 - 18 thousand, devices on Snapdragon 410 - from 18 to 23.

The HTC One M7 has 2 gigabytes of RAM, which is quite typical for a two-year-old flagship. This amount of RAM is quite enough for comfortable work with several applications and launching modern 3D toys. The shortage can only be felt by those who want to keep a dozen or two programs open at the same time.

The built-in memory in the smartphone is 32 or 64 GB, of which about 25 or 55 are available to the user, respectively. Considering that there is no slot for a memory card (alas, a bad example in the form of Apple “infected” the Taiwanese company was one of the first), a capacity of 32 GB will seem not enough for those who are used to actively using the device. If you can load a lot of music into your smartphone’s memory, about 2 thousand tracks, then with games and movies the situation is more complicated.

Well, at least the smartphone has the USB OTG function, and the lack of free space can be compensated by connecting an external flash drive.

Battery

The battery capacity of the HTC One M7 is an unimpressive (for 2015) 2300 mAh. But at the time the smartphone appeared, this figure looked decent. many flagships had a less capacious battery. In video viewing mode, the HTC One M7 will last about 8 hours, and with light use the charge will last for a day or two.

The main feature of the HTC One M7 camera is the use of a matrix consisting of "ultrapixels" - sensors of increased size. With a resolution of 4 MP, the light sensitivity of the module (as well as its dimensions) is noticeably greater than that of cameras with 8 - 13 MP. Due to this, the manufacturer calculated avoid lack of lighting and the appearance of artifacts in pictures.

But alas, you can’t jump over your head, and it wasn’t possible to give users anything radically new. The camera turned out to be decent, but nothing more. It’s possible to take a good shot; in the twilight there is actually less noise, but it’s still far from ideal. It is worth special mentioning the work of autofocus with optical stabilization: these functions work perfectly. And the flash is quite good.

The front lens with a 2 MP sensor allows you to communicate comfortably via video calling, and a self-portrait from it will turn out quite well.

Perhaps the screen is the main advantage of a smartphone. In the HTC One M7 it has a resolution of 1920x1080 pixels, with a diagonal of 4.7". At one time, the pixel density of 469 PPi was the best on the market mobile devices. The picture on the screen looks bright, there are no obvious color distortions. There is no shortage of brightness indoors; in the sun the information is also readable normally. When viewed at an angle, there is no color distortion, the contrast is normal.

The device is equipped with one slot for a SIM card in MicroSIM format. GSM, UMTS (3G) and LTE (4G) networks are supported. Wireless communications on board include Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, NFC, GPS and infrared.

The use of BoomSound stereo speakers made it possible to achieve excellent (for a smartphone) sound. Not only the high frequencies are reproduced, but also the mids and bass. The headphones are still good, and there is a decent volume reserve.

Initially, HTC One M7 came with Android 4.1 OS on board, but the manufacturer has repeatedly released updates. The latter, which was released this spring, allowed the device to be updated to Android 5 Lolipop.

Pros and cons of HTC One M7

Advantages of HTC One M7:

good high resolution display;

great sound;

decent performance.

Disadvantages of a smartphone: ​

the camera did not live up to expectations;

no memory card slot.

The smartphone turned out to be quite good; in this case, HTC managed to keep up with the times. The implementation of functions, for the most part, did not disappoint. The only thing that was a little disappointing was the camera. which did not live up to expectations, and was not pleased with the lack of MicroSD support. Combined with a not-so-affordable price, this prevented the smartphone from becoming a breakthrough for HTC. But, at the same time, we did not identify any serious shortcomings in the HTC One M7, and even after 2 years, the smartphone still does not look morally outdated.

The last "lone hero"

It so happened that of all the top new products of the current season, it is the new HTC smartphone was the last one in our hands, when reviews of all other flagship devices had already appeared on the pages of our publication. This happened through no fault of ours - the release of the device was postponed for a long time, there were no final samples, and this situation is quite symbolic. The Taiwanese company is not doing very well now - over the past year and a half, NTS has gradually lost its former glory among users, and the company’s position in the world market has noticeably weakened. After the release of problematic models with the prefix X and X+ in the name, the company did not offer the market any significant new products for some time, and the only notable model released during this time, HTC Butterfly, suffered a strange fate. For some reason, the European version of the phone had too little flash memory, and at the same time there was no possibility of expanding it using cards. All this, coupled with a dubious glossy body and a very high price, could not arouse (at least in our area) much user interest in this model. And now the company has decided to “reboot” and start all over again. The developers once again concentrated all their efforts on just one model, no longer scattering themselves, and this immediately bore fruit. NTS's latest creation turned out to be so interesting that it instantly attracted the lost part of users' attention back to the company. Although we are not yet talking about a full return to its former positions: at the last Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, ​​the NTS stand could not boast of either its size or the amount of attention from visitors and the press. And practically only one model was presented at the stand during the exhibition - HTC One. The one on which all the company’s bets are now placed: “if it takes off, we’ll fly further.”

The unusually tense attitude in the company towards the “new hope” was manifested even in the very name of the new product. A very strange name, I must admit. The Taiwanese suddenly decided to give their creation a name that corresponds to the general name of the entire line of smartphones that have come out of their factories recently - no more, no less. “HTC One” is the same as if Sony called its next smartphone simply “Sony Xperia”, without any additional letters or numbers. Interesting solution. Very inconvenient for searching on the Internet (when you type in the name of any other device starting with “HTC One”, information about the HTC One itself will automatically appear, and vice versa) and very profitable for the company itself (for the same reason). However, given the recently shaken position of the Taiwanese company in the global market, perhaps this step was quite deliberate in order to raise the fading interest in HTC products?

For ease of visual comparison, we have added the main flagship models that we tested earlier to a single table presented below.

	HTC One	Samsung Galaxy S4	Sony Xperia Z	Oppo Find 5	Google Nexus 4	LG Optimus G
Screen	4.7″, S-LCD3 (IPS)	4.99″, SuperAMOLED	5″, IPS?	5″, IPS	4.7″, IPS Plus	4.7″, IPS Plus
Permission	1920×1080, 469 ppi	1920×1080, 441 ppi	1920×1080, 440 ppi	1920×1080, 440 ppi	1280×768, 317 ppi	1280×768, 317 ppi
SoC	Qualcomm Snapdragon 600 @1.7 GHz (4 cores, ARMv7 Krait)	Exynos 5410 @1.8 GHz (8 cores)		Qualcomm APQ8064 @1.5 GHz (4 cores, ARMv7 Krait)	Qualcomm APQ8064 @1.5 GHz (4 cores, ARMv7 Krait)	Qualcomm APQ8064 @1.5 GHz (4 cores, ARMv7 Krait)
RAM	2 GB	2 GB	2 GB	2 GB	2 GB	2 GB
Flash memory	32/64 GB	16/32/64 GB	16 GB	16/32 GB	8/16 GB	32 GB
Memory card support	No	microSD	microSD	No	No	No
operating system	Google Android 4.1	Google Android 4.2	Google Android 4.1	Google Android 4.1	Google Android 4.2	Google Android 4.1
SIM format*	Micro-SIM	Micro-SIM	Micro-SIM	Micro-SIM	Micro-SIM	Micro-SIM
Battery	non-removable, 2300 mAh	removable, 2600 mAh	non-removable, 2330 mAh	non-removable, 2500 mAh	non-removable, 2100 mAh	non-removable, 2100 mAh
Cameras	rear (4 MP; video - 1080p), front (2 MP)		rear (13 MP; video - 1080p), front (2 MP)	rear (13 MP; video - 1080p), front (1.9 MP)	rear (8 MP; video - 1080p), front (1.3 MP)	rear (13 MP; video - 1080p), front (1.3 MP)
Dimensions	137×68×9.3 mm, 143 g	137×70×7.9 mm, 130 g	139×71×7.9 mm, 146 g	142×69×8.9 mm, 165 g	134×69×9.1 mm, 139 g	132×69×8.5 mm, 145 g

* The most common SIM card formats are described in a separate material.

Key Features of HTC One

• SoC Qualcomm Snapdragon 600, 1.7 GHz, 4 cores, ARMv7 Krait
• GPU Adreno 320
• Operating system Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean
• IPS touch display, 4.7″, 1920×1080
• Random access memory (RAM) 2 GB, inner memory 32/64 GB
• No microSD card slot
• Communication GSM GPRS/EDGE 850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz
• Communication 3G UMTS HSDPA 850, 900, 1900, 2100 MHz
• Bluetooth 4.0, NFC, MHL, OTG
• Wi-Fi Display/DLNA support
• Wi-Fi 802.11a/ac/b/g/n
• GPS/Glonass
• Digital compass, gyroscope, accelerometer, position sensors, light sensors
• 4 MP camera, supports HDR video
• Camera 2.1 MP (front)
• Lithium polymer battery 2300 mAh
• Dimensions 137.4 x 68.2 x 9.3 mm
• Weight 143 g

Appearance and ease of use

The description should begin, of course, with the materials of the case. Unlike most modern plastic communicators, the NTS One is made almost entirely of metal. At every presentation, the developers tirelessly show this picture, especially focusing on the production technology of the body of the new smartphone.

The body is entirely cut out of a single piece of aluminum, leaving space only for the screen glass and camera optics. In principle, NTS has previously had experience working with metal when creating cases for its smartphones. However, by her own admission, she always had to make a compromise by integrating plastic parts into a metal body so that the metal did not shield radio waves. When creating HTC One, the developers took a different path. They took all the antennas and microphones outside, placing them in special recesses - grooves cut from the outside directly into the body material. Those elements that should not be shielded by metal are placed in these recesses. From above these grooves are filled with a special composite material, reminiscent in structure of ordinary plastic. It is curious that not only the grooves on the back side, but also all four side edges along the perimeter are also filled with this material. This does not cause any inconvenience for the user, and it looks unusual - somehow “unhackneyed”.

Everything else here is just metal and glass, so it takes a long time to talk about whether it looks expensive or cheap. new smartphone, not necessary. The materials themselves are premium, so the HTS One looks exactly like it is ready to match any environment at any moment. In other words, the HTC One will look equally good on an expensive suit and in the hands of a teenager.

The smartphone is quite heavy (143 g), which is logical, given the abundance of metal from which the body is machined. If we talk about dimensions, then due to the narrow edges and sloping back, the phone fits quite comfortably in the hand. But this does not mean at all that I am ready to praise metal as the best material for the production of smartphones. Many users, by the way, prefer “warm,” light and rough plastic, especially since it can now also be quite durable. And in terms of ease of holding in your fingers, the matte soft-touch coating is probably more practical than smooth and sometimes slippery metal. This one can slip out of your hand (especially considering its mass), and is more susceptible to heat than plastic. Yes, of course, metal removes heat from the processor filling better than plastic, we all know this, but in terms of comfort it is difficult to say that it is very pleasant to hold always cold metal in your hand, which after a few minutes of operation suddenly heats up to hot. In this sense, plastic simply behaves more calmly, that’s all. But in any case, the neat appearance and small thickness allow us to talk about HTC One as universal smartphone, which is suitable equally for both male and female hands.

And of course, such a strong case will better withstand various external influences than plastic. Although at this point it is worth noting that specialists from one popular foreign publication who disassembled the NTS One smartphone claim that the smartphone is practically not repairable because it cannot be disassembled. That is, if the speaker wheezes or the glass cracks, replacing these elements will probably be very problematic. However, this is only an unofficial opinion of some journalists.

Now let's look at the details and individual elements of the NTS One body. In the back, in addition to the mentioned grooves, there is a digital camera window and a photoflash eye nearby - everything is standard. The case form factor is monoblock. The case is non-separable, there are no removable parts, so the cover cannot be removed either.

Another fact logically follows from this structure of the body. The SIM card here is inserted into a side groove on the left side of the smartphone, sliding there on a metal slide. The mounting method is exactly the same as for the iPhone: you need to press a key clip to eject the container with the card. The SIM card here is used in Micro-SIM format, the container itself is made of metal.

Both connectors, traditionally located on the top and bottom ends of the device, are universal: Micro-USB is at the bottom, 3.5 mm audio output is at the top.

But that's where the logic ends. All other controls on the NTS One are so unusual and inconvenient that you can only be amazed. Firstly, that ill-fated power and lock key. For some reason, it was again placed not on its side, but on top - where no finger could reach. And the fact that this button is also an IR transmitter does not justify it in any way. And who, in fact, forced the IR port to be embedded in the power button? At the top end, even without it, there would be enough space to install an IR transmitter. By the way, it is needed here to control various equipment, such as a TV or set-top box - the corresponding software is already installed in the smartphone.

Secondly, both this key and the other one that controls the volume are both embedded flush with the plane of the case. They do not protrude from it at all, and therefore, it is not possible to feel them blindly. It is extremely inconvenient to manipulate such buttons; you always have to look where you are pressing, and it is impossible to get used to it. As already mentioned, these buttons feel indistinguishable from the rest of the surface.

And this list of absurdities is crowned by an unusual touch panel of control buttons under the screen. During the time that humanity was creating smartphones with touch screens, it seemed to have gone through everything possible options design of the button block under the screen. But the developers from NTS managed to change everything this time. The button that calls up the menu was simply “cut out” from the standard set. In its place is now the NTS logo - right in the middle of the panel, and on the sides of it there are only Back and Home, there is no Menu button here at all. There was no talk about saving space: unlike the entirely virtual block of buttons that migrated to the screen in some smartphones, here the strip under the screen still takes up space, albeit with two buttons rather than three. It’s a rather strange decision, and how it is justified is not entirely clear. Accordingly, the list of recently opened applications is now also not easy to find intuitively: it is called up here by double-tapping the Home button.

Finishing the topic of buttons, it is worth noting that the menu that pops up when you long press the power key, in addition to the standard functions of shutting down, rebooting and switching to flight mode, is supplemented with one more item - calling up the child mode. In this mode, you can safely let your children play with your smartphone without fear of access to important phone functions that are blocked for them.

It remains to add that two versions of the HTS One are available on the market with different color schemes: Glacial Silver (metallic gray with the romantic name “silver glacier”), as in our review, and Stealth Black (“invisible black”) - in the photo above. In the black version, all the materials are the same, only the metal here is painted, and the plastic that fills all the recesses and sides matches the color of the case: in the gray version it is white, but in the black phone it is black. Otherwise, the smartphones are identical. Both options are not too easily soiled, since there are no glossy surfaces here. True, on the surface of the black HTC One, fingerprints, dirt, dust and grease are more noticeable than on the gray one - pedantic purists should take this into account when choosing.

Screen

HTC One has a very high-quality touch display, called S-LCD 3 by its creators. In numbers, the physical parameters of the new screen are as follows: dimensions - 58x103 mm, diagonal - 119 mm (4.7 inches), resolution - Full HD 1080p ( 1920×1080 pixels), PPI pixel density is 469 ppi, which is now a record in the smartphone market. The HTC One display has both manual and automatic brightness adjustment, which is based on the operation of the light sensor. Multi-touch technology allows you to simultaneously process up to ten touches, which is confirmed by tests. It is curious that here this feature must be manually enabled in the settings, otherwise the screen will recognize only two simultaneous touches - such a strange know-how has already been seen in NTS devices before. There is also a proximity sensor that blocks the screen when you bring the smartphone to your ear.

A detailed examination of the display using measuring instruments was carried out by the editor of the “Monitors” and “Projectors and TV” sections, Alexey Kudryavtsev. Here is his expert opinion about the HTC One screen.

The smartphone screen is covered with a glass plate with a mirror-smooth surface and, judging by the reflection of bright light sources in it, has an anti-glare filter. There is a special and quite effective oleophobic (grease-repellent) coating on the outer surface of the screen, so fingerprints do not appear as quickly as with regular glass, but are removed more easily.

With manual brightness control, its maximum value was about 450 cd/m², and the minimum was 11 cd/m². The maximum value is quite high, so in bright daylight Screen readability will be preserved to some extent. In complete darkness, the brightness can be reduced to a comfortable level. There is automatic brightness adjustment using the light sensor (it is located in the upper left corner of the front panel): in complete darkness, the automatic brightness adjustment function reduces the brightness to 18 cd/m² (not very dim), in an office illuminated by artificial light it sets it to 81 cd/m² m² (acceptable), in a very bright environment it increases to a maximum of 450-460 cd/m² (as it should be). In automatic mode, as external lighting conditions change, the screen brightness both increases and decreases. There is no backlight flickering.

This smartphone has an IPS matrix. The micrograph shows a typical IPS subpixel structure:

The screen has good viewing angles without inverting shades and without significant color shifts, even with large viewing deviations from perpendicular to the screen. When deviated diagonally, the black field brightens quite a bit and, depending on the direction of the deviation, acquires a purple tint or remains almost neutral gray. When viewed perpendicularly, the uniformity of the black field is very good. The response time for the black-white-black transition is 21 ms (12 ms on + 9 ms off). The transition between halftones 25% and 75% (according to the numerical value of the color) and back takes a total of 33 ms. The contrast is good - about 950:1. The gamma curve constructed using 32 points did not reveal a blockage either in the highlights or in the shadows, and the index of the approximating power function is 2.23, which is close to the standard value of 2.2, while the real gamma curve deviates slightly from the power dependence:

Color gamut is sRGB:

Therefore, visually, the colors on this screen have natural saturation. The spectra show that the matrix filters moderately mix the components with each other:

The balance of shades on the gray scale is good: although the color temperature is above 6500 K, over the entire significant part of the gray scale this parameter does not change very much, while the deviation from the blackbody spectrum (delta E) is less than 10, which is considered for a consumer device a good indicator. (Dark areas of the gray scale can be ignored, since color balance there is not very important, and the error in measuring color characteristics at low brightness is large.)

As a result, we have a high-quality screen version on an IPS matrix that deserves high praise.

Sound

In terms of sound, the HTC One smartphone is one of the best solutions on the market. Of all the smartphones we've tested recently, only the Oppo Find 5 can compare with the HTC One in terms of sound quality. HTC One's speakers are located in the most unusual way - the creators never tire of reminding us of this in television advertising. The phone has two front-facing stereo speakers, and both of them face the front surface, and not the back, like most smartphones. The device produces not excessively loud, but very clear, even throughout the entire range, deep, rich sound. low frequencies. The openings of the speaker grilles on the front surface cannot be blocked by the surface of the table, so nothing prevents the sound from coming out (except, of course, for the option when you place the smartphone “face down”). The sound here is further processed and improved using HTC Boomsound and Beats Audio technologies.

There is an FM radio in the smartphone, but traditionally it only works when headphones are connected, which act as an antenna. There is also a standard voice recorder used for creating voice notes. Both applications should be searched in separate folders, where icons corresponding to the application topics are carefully collected: radio in the Multimedia folder, and voice recorder in the Tools folder. Built-in recording capability by default telephone conversations HTC One, unfortunately, does not.

Camera

Photo evaluation and quality conclusions were made by Anton Solovyov.

HTC One is equipped, like most modern smartphones, with two modules digital cameras. The front camera, used for video communication, has a sensor with a resolution of 2.1 megapixels, an example of a picture is in front of you. In principle, the shooting quality for the front camera is not bad, you can even make out the text if you wish. The maximum resolution of images obtained using the front camera is 1920×1088 pixels.

For a 2-megapixel front camera, the quality is quite acceptable. In the center the text is quite legible, but at the edges the sharpness drops. The fragment with the barcode is already noticeably blurry.

The whole intrigue lies in the new module of the main, rear camera of the smartphone: here the developers installed a module with a resolution of only 4 megapixels. Explaining the resolution, which is so low by modern standards, the developers tirelessly repeat in their presentations that the number of megapixels doesn’t really mean anything, and suggest looking at the other characteristics of the new sensor. Which, by the way, constitute the most voluminous section in the list of specifications on the manufacturer’s website.

HTC UltraPixel Camera:

• Pixel size 2.0 µm
• Sensor size 1/3″, matrix back-illumination
• Custom HTC ImageChip 2 processor
• F2.0 aperture and [relatively] 28mm wide-angle lens

Colorful epithets and large pixel sizes do not help much yet: the pictures do not shine with special quality and leave much to be desired. “For now” - because there is an opinion that something may improve with the release of new software firmware for HTC One. At least, most fans of the HTC brand are now inclined to believe in it and are waiting. In the meantime, you can independently evaluate the quality of the resulting images by clicking on the thumbnails presented below. By default, the camera is set to shoot at a maximum resolution of 4 megapixels, and the pictures are 2688x1520 in size with an aspect ratio of 16:9.

Good detail for 4 MP. Slight distortions in the geometry indicate that perhaps the lens has too wide an angle. Nice color rendition.

And a few more photos taken with different settings in different lighting conditions.

Noticeable geometry distortion is quite normal for a wide-angle lens. There is no significant distortion. Small chromatic aberrations are noticeable in the fragment with the telephone wire.

Fairly uniform exposure across the entire field of the image with almost backlight.

A detailed examination of the image indicates either the absence of software sharpening or its good performance.

Examples of macro photography of close objects, as well as text from paper.

Strange deterioration in sharpness on the right side of the image. If the text on the left side is sharp, then on the right it seems to be out of focus. Most likely, just a bad photo.

Good sharpness on the branch. In addition, there is a pleasant absence of chromatic aberrations in the bokeh.

The video settings have four shooting modes: with a maximum Full HD resolution of 1080p, with the effects of fast (60 frames per second) and slow motion, as well as Full HD video using HDR technology.

The ability to shoot video with a smartphone camera in fast and slow modes, as well as use HDR technology when shooting video, are now fashionable “tricks” among manufacturers. We encountered the same set of capabilities when testing the Samsung Galaxy S4 and Oppo Find 5, as well as some other top-end smartphones. By the way, it is worth noting that high-speed shooting in Oppo Find 5 is carried out at a speed of 120 frames per second, while in HTC One it is only 60 frames per second. However, in Oppo this is achieved by reducing the video resolution to 480p, and in HTC One, although the speed is lower, the accelerated mode is implemented in a resolution of 720p. So it is clear from everything that the struggle on this new front is just beginning to unfold. In any case, for now, both of these “unusual” modes - slow and fast - can only be used when shooting in a lower resolution, and not in Full HD, so the image quality of the resulting videos always leaves much to be desired. Examples of video shooting in all four described modes are posted below.

• Video No. 1 (Regular, 30.5 MB, 1920×1080, 16:9, 30 fps, video - MPEG-4 AVC ( [email protected]), sound - AAC LC, 192 Kbps, 48 ​​kHz, 2 channels)
• Video No. 2 (Slow-motion, 11.9 MB, 768×432, 16:9, 23 fps, video - MPEG-4 AVC ( [email protected]), sound - AAC LC)
• Video No. 3 (Accelerated, 13.5 MB, 1280×720, 16:9, 60 fps, video - MPEG-4 AVC ( [email protected]), sound - AAC LC, 192 Kbps, 48 ​​kHz, 2 channels)
• Video No. 4 (HDR, 26.3 MB, 1920×1080, 16:9, 29 fps, video - MPEG-4 AVC ( [email protected]), sound - AAC LC, 192 Kbps, 48 ​​kHz, 2 channels)

And of course, we can’t help but mention another “find” - the photography mode, in which the camera not only takes several pictures in a row, but then glues them together into a whole micro-clip, capable of capturing some short event in motion. This is not a standard video shooting mode, but a slightly different one; this is evidenced even by the different resolution of the resulting micro-videos (1920×1088, and not 1920×1080, as with regular video shooting in Full HD). In principle, there is nothing special about this mode - probably in such cases it would be possible to get by with regular video shooting. Moreover, this format is not unique: at presentations of the Samsung Galaxy S4 they demonstrate exactly the same mode, capable of capturing short events in motion - a dance pirouette, for example. But for some reason, the developers at HTC decided to place a strong emphasis on this, allocated a separate button to this mode in the most prominent place on the screen, and even gave the mode its own unique name: Zoe. Examples of a couple of such “Zoe” are in front of you.

• Zoe №1 (3.82 MB, 1920×1088, 16:9, 24 fps, video - MPEG-4 AVC ( [email protected]), sound - AAC LC, 108 Kbps, 48 ​​kHz, 2 channels)
• Zoe №2 (3.74 MB, 1920×1088, 16:9, 24 fps, video - MPEG-4 AVC ( [email protected]), sound - AAC LC, 107 Kbps, 48 ​​kHz, 2 channels)

It is curious that in the phone’s memory, in addition to these Full HD videos, a whole series of photographs from the same video sequence was found, numbered with the marking “zoe”, but in a resolution different from the micro-clips - 2688x1520. That is, Zoe is a real serial shooting, and you can then work with individual frames from the series using built-in tools - in particular, choose the best one. Here, for example, are the “frames” related to “Zoe No. 2”:

As for the camera control settings, they are somehow unusually collected into a single long ribbon, in which you need to open the sub-items that interest you one by one. It's a little confusing at first, but then you get used to it. It is curious that there is no option to change the resolution of the resulting photographs; shooting is carried out only in one resolution. True, it is possible to “crop” to different aspect ratios. The settings also include the ability to link geotags, add graphic effects, enable face recognition, smiles, panoramic shooting and, of course, manual settings exposure, white balance, etc. The shutter sound can be turned off. You can also display a grid on the screen, which is convenient.

The HTC One does not have a separate hardware key on the side of the device to control the camera. You cannot release the camera shutter using the volume key here either, although this is now often practiced in smartphones from other companies. Here, even in shooting mode, this key still continues to adjust the sound volume, which is frankly surprising. On the positive side, we can note the ability to take photos while recording video; there is also a standard burst shooting capability.

Conclusions on the camera's capabilities for taking photos:

The camera is well suited for everyday photography, designed to capture interesting moments or important information. The advantages include a good exposure selection program, as well as an interesting implementation of macro photography. A significant drawback is the low camera resolution. It was done really well, but still the main task of the smartphone camera is more of a documentary than an artistic one. And here HTC One is almost three times inferior to the top-end smartphones of its competitors. On the other hand, it boasts good sharpness compared to some smartphones whose manufacturers do not consider a large number of pixels on the matrix to be a big liability.

Compared to the LG Nexus 4, the HTC One smartphone loses only in resolution. Edge sharpness drops on the Nexus, but not much. LG Optimus G, in turn, loses to HTC One in terms of the exposure selection program. In some places, its sharpness leaves much to be desired, despite the resolution of 13 megapixels. The same can be said about Sony Xperia Z, whose optics are clearly rather weak for such a “large” matrix. But the camera on the Oppo Find 5 smartphone is made very well: there is practically no drop in sharpness towards the edges of the image, and overall the sharpness of the image is good. The choice of exposure is also good. However, it also has geometric distortions, characteristic of all listed smartphones, as a result of the use of a wide-angle lens. The Samsung Galaxy S4 also copes well with photography, although it is somewhat inferior to the Oppo Find 5. Apparently, all manufacturers have almost managed to overcome chromatic aberrations and “white outlines”. Essentially, in this overall comparison, the HTC One lacks just a lot of resolution to truly call its camera one of the best among top-end smartphones.

Let us remember that the company deliberately abandoned high resolution, using a standard-sized matrix with a relatively small number of pixels. That is, the linear size of the photosensitive elements here is relatively large, which at a minimum should provide images from such a matrix with a reduced noise level. And in practice, we really see that in terms of noise, HTC One pictures definitely win. However, if you reduce the image of the same Oppo Find 5 to 4 megapixels, then in terms of detail and noise it will be no worse, and perhaps even better, than the HTC One version. It's no secret that good old cameras with a 4-5 megapixel matrix took cleaner pictures than early cameras with 12 megapixels. Now, through software processing, manufacturers are trying to achieve the same purity at higher resolution. HTC took the opposite route, trying to win with a lower resolution. The experiment is very interesting, but from the series “new is well-forgotten old.” However, we also note that it is impossible to objectively assess the noise and detail of a smartphone using field photographs (or rather, it is very difficult). In a good way, it requires filming the world in a specially prepared room, and we are not at all sure that our readers will be interested in these technical details when applied to a smartphone camera. Returning to the “user” level, we can give the following assessment: HTC managed to achieve the best quality of photographs, but this quality is manifested in the “beauty” of an artistic photograph, and not in the detail of a documentary one. For all its dislike for a large number of pixels on the matrix, we believe that HTC is not going quite the right way, since 4 megapixels is too small for a flagship smartphone - at least for those areas where a smartphone camera is usually used. Removes this camera better than the 5 megapixel cameras on previous HTC smartphones, so they should have gone for at least 6 megapixels.

In conclusion, we can say that the HTC One camera is well suited for shooting artistic scenes where you don't need to look at fine details.

Software

HTC One currently runs on Google's software platform Android versions 4.1.2. On top of the standard OS interface, the company installed a proprietary shell called HTC Sense 5. The shell has undergone significant changes compared to previous versions. Literally everything has been completely redesigned here, from the color schemes and general organization of the desktop to the strange, elongated fonts.

It is curious that the program menu in HTC One completely unexpectedly scrolls not horizontally, like everyone else, but vertically. This is so unusual for users who have previously had experience with the Android system that without a hint they still cannot figure out that they need to scroll vertically. Some people may find this more convenient, but those I asked were not too happy about such changes.

The default application menu itself looks “loose” - program icons are spaced a considerable distance from each other. However, the matrix of application icons can be made denser by changing the grid configuration in the settings from 3x4 to 4x5. The settings buttons for changing, sorting and searching through the program menu are not initially visible - they need to be called up by additionally pulling down the work screen, which is not entirely customary.

But the most noticeable innovation here seems to be HTC BlinkFeed. This is an independent service, built right into the home screen - a kind of widget on the desktop that cannot be removed. It is a live feed of constantly updated events, be it news from websites, social activities of friends, event announcements, and the like. According to HTC representatives, BlinkFeed brings together relevant content from various sources, which is collected and processed on the company's servers, and then published in the feed. The figure is announced at 10 thousand articles received daily from more than 1,400 media sources from around the world. According to the developers, the user can now take in all the most necessary and significant things at one glance, without switching between various programs and websites. The content of the feed is divided into sections, and the owner of the HTS One smartphone is free to choose what topics he wants to receive information updates on in the BlinkFeed feed. The problem is different: the user cannot independently connect here other sources that are not initially included in the list of those processed by HTC servers for the BlinkFeed service. That is, the user can choose only within the limits limited by the choice of HTC itself. To switch from viewing BlinkFeed to the desktop, you need to perform a horizontal swipe on the screen - this will open the application menu.

There are not very many pre-installed programs. Some of them, such as the Polaris Office document management suite or the flashlight, may be useful. Moreover, office programs, for example, here allow you not only to open familiar Word documents, Excel and PowerPoint, but also edit and save them. There is even an interesting service called Rescue, with the help of which, supposedly, the user can receive remote technical support company specialists. We are impressed by the desire to refine the appearance of the application menu: as soon as Google added the ability to create folders for icons, manufacturers immediately began to neatly organize them by topic.

But, unfortunately, branded applications installed on HTC One do not work in our country. Wherever you click (HTC Watch, HTC TB...) - the programs report that they do not support our region, although they are correctly translated into Russian: Russia is simply not in the list of countries.

In HTC One, unexpectedly a lot of attention is paid to the “children's issue”. The smartphone has a built-in separate service that allows you to block access to important settings from children, and this mode is even included in the menu as a separate item when rebooting. Obviously, this may be useful to someone, although nowadays it may be easier to buy a child his own inexpensive electronic toy than to trust such an expensive parent device.

Telephone and communications

The radio part of the tested HTC One smartphone is stable; no random signal losses or dropouts from the telecom operator's network were noticed. The screen is large, drawing keys, numbers and letters for dialing and the virtual keyboard for typing SMS messages is quite convenient. In HTC One, a lot of attention is paid to the methods of entering information, there is a standard ability to enter with a stroke, and even a whole tutorial on the topic “how to type easier.”

No freezes, reboots or spontaneous shutdowns were observed during testing. It is convenient to reboot the phone using a menu that pops up after a long press of the power button. When you bring it to your ear, the screen is blocked by the proximity sensor. The light sensor controls the screen brightness level automatically. There is a convenient LED event indicator, which is not built in the most ordinary way: the indicator does not have its own “window”, but shines directly through the holes in the top speaker grille.

The device is equipped with modern network interfaces and wireless communication modules: Bluetooth version 4.0, Wi-Fi 802.11a/ac/b/g/n (this is the first announced device with support for 802.11ac!), there is support for Wi-Fi Direct, DLNA and the ability to organize a Wi-Fi access point . The Micro-USB connector supports MHL and OTG modes: a 32 GB flash drive connected to the device via an adapter was perfectly recognized and mounted as a separate storage. As for MHL, we tested this mode in detail in the section on video playback.

We separately tested the new Wi-Fi standard 802.11ac, which HTC One claims to support. Testing was carried out with the ASUS RT-AC66U router - one of two models supporting the 802.11ac standard present on the local market. As a reminder, this new version of the standard only operates in the 5 GHz band and provides more than double the speed of 802.11n. In the case of smartphones, most often only one antenna is used, so connection speeds in this case can be a maximum of 150 Mbps for 802.11n and 433 Mbps for 802.11ac. Actual performance is usually about half that. In addition, many mobile devices do not even support dual-channel operation, which results in a 72 Mbps limitation for 802.11n.

Despite the stated support for 802.11a/b/g/n/ac, we were only able to get a connection from the device at the typical 802.11g speed of 54 Mbit/s. At the same time, the actual performance was slightly more than 20 Mbit/s. We put a lot of effort into setting up the router, but the smartphone was unable to see the 5 GHz band, so tests were not carried out in 802.11ac mode. Most likely, the situation is due to the use of a pre-sale sample. If possible, we will definitely return to this issue later.

HTC One also has support for NFC, a short-range high-frequency wireless communication technology that makes it possible to exchange data between devices located at a distance of about 10 centimeters. This technology is aimed primarily at use in mobile phones and payment terminals, and in some countries it is already being widely used for contactless payments, paying for public transport, or even personal identification. In our country, NFC has not yet become widespread, but already now the user of a smartphone that supports this technology can try it out in action. All you need to do is download and install the Yandex.Metro application, which, when you hold a travel ticket to your phone, can show the expiration dates and the number of trips remaining. Another application is offered by the domestic cellular operator MTS, which organized NFC support for making contactless payments. The Mobile Wallet kit includes a special MTS SIM card with MasterCard PayPass technology, linked to bank card MTS Money. In addition, the kit comes with an NFC antenna, which must be placed in the SIM card slot. That is, for such contactless payments, in any case, just a smartphone is not enough - you also need to obtain and insert a new special SIM card into it, and also open a corresponding account at MTS Bank. But in the case of a phone that supports NFC technology, you won’t also have to install an antenna - but this is not so simple, and in the iPhone, where the SIM card is pushed into the body through a slot, it simply won’t be possible to install it.

The GPS module is assisted in determining the location by A-GPS technology; with its help, orientation on the terrain is carried out almost instantly. If you disable all wireless communication modules, then cold start searching for satellites and determining the location will take one and a half minutes. The phone also claims to support the Russian satellite navigation service Glonass.

Performance

The HTC One hardware platform is based on the latest Qualcomm Snapdragon 600 single-chip system. It includes a quad-core Krait 300 CPU with a frequency of 1.7 GHz and an Adreno 320 GPU. According to the creators, the new system provides 40% more performance than the previous generation system Snapdragon S4 Pro, while reducing power consumption by 30%.

The amount of RAM in HTC One is 2 GB. The system memory in the smartphone is 32 or 64 GB, depending on the selected configuration. In our case, the storage available to the user for uploading their own files was about 25 GB, with a nominal designated volume of 32 GB. When a smartphone is connected to a PC, its internal storage is mounted as an independent removable disk. Unfortunately, the HTC One did not provide the ability to expand memory using microSD cards, so the user will have to be content with only these 25 GB for all his needs.

We compared the HTC One's hardware performance in various popular tests with the performance of other top-end modern smartphones we've previously tested. Most of them, by the way, are built on the very previous Snapdragon S4 Pro platform mentioned above. Therefore, it is quite expected that a device based on the new Snapdragon 600, according to test results, was in the forefront in comparison with its competitors. HTC One demonstrated very high performance results, standing on par with the Samsung Galaxy S4 and leaving behind other top-end smartphones of our time, such as Google Nexus 4, LG Optimus G, HTC One X+ and Samsung Galaxy Note II. We present summary data with a comparison of results based on the AnTuTu test database. Our own data differs slightly from these, but the general balance of forces is clearly clear.

Below are the results of testing HTC One in new version GLBenchmark - 2.7.0, where a new T-Rex HD scene of increased complexity has been added. As we remember, even this powerful system, like the Oppo Find 5, produced only 13 fps in this test. New platform The Qualcomm Snapdragon 600 in the HTC One performed better on this difficult test, but only slightly - 15 fps.

Play video and connect to an external screen

To test the omnivorous nature of video playback (including support for various codecs, containers and special features, such as subtitles), we used the most common formats, which make up the bulk of the content available on the Internet. Note that for mobile devices it is important to have support for hardware video decoding at the chip level, since it is most often impossible to process modern options using processor cores alone. Also, you shouldn’t expect a mobile device to decode everything, since the leadership in flexibility belongs to the PC, and no one is going to challenge it.

Format	Container, video, sound	MX Video Player	Standard video player
DVDRip	AVI, XviD 720×400 2200 Kbps, MP3+AC3	plays normally	plays normally
Web-DL SD	AVI, XviD 720×400 1400 Kbps, MP3+AC3	plays normally	plays normally
Web-DL HD	MKV, H.264 1280×720 3000 Kbps, AC3
BDRip 720p	MKV, H.264 1280×720 4000 Kbps, AC3	The video plays normally, the sound is only software¹	The video plays fine, but there is no sound¹
BDRip 1080p	MKV, H.264 1920×1080 8000 Kbps, AC3	The video plays normally, the sound is only software¹	The video plays fine, but there is no sound¹

¹ sound in MX Video Player was played only after switching to software decoding; The standard player does not have this setting

Additionally, the MHL interface was tested. To test it, we used an LG IPS237L monitor that supports direct MHL connection using a passive adapter cable from Micro-USB to HDMI. In this case, output via MHL is carried out in a resolution of 1920 by 1080 pixels with a frequency of 30 frames/s. Display on the monitor screen in portrait orientation of the smartphone screen is carried out in portrait orientation only if the current program does not support landscape orientation in principle, while on the monitor screen the height of the image is slightly less than the height of the display area, and black fields are displayed on the right and left. In all other cases, regardless of the orientation of the smartphone, the image on its screen and on the monitor screen is forced to be displayed in landscape orientation. Unfortunately, the image is displayed on the monitor in a slightly reduced form so that black stripes remain around the perimeter. There seems to be no way to disable this output. As a result, the actual resolution on the monitor screen is lower than on the screen of the smartphone itself, that is, less than Full HD. Sound is output via MHL (in this case, the sounds were heard through headphones connected to the monitor, since there are no speakers in the monitor itself) and is of good quality. At the same time, at least multimedia sounds are not output through the loudspeaker of the smartphone itself, and the volume is controlled by buttons on the smartphone body. The smartphone connected via MHL is charging.

Video output using the standard player deserves a special description. To begin with, using a set of test files with an arrow and a rectangle moving one division per frame (see Methodology for testing video playback and display devices. Version 1), we checked how the video is displayed on the screen of the smartphone itself. Screenshots with a shutter speed of 1 s helped determine the nature of the output of frames of video files with various parameters: the resolution varied (1280 by 720 (720p) and 1920 by 1080 (1080p) pixels) and frame rate (24, 25, 30, 50 and 60 frames/ With). The results of this (block entitled " Screen") and the following test are tabulated:

File	Uniformity	Passes
Screen
watch-1920x1080-60p.mp4	did not play
watch-1920x1080-50p.mp4	Badly	few
watch-1920x1080-30p.mp4	Fine	No
watch-1920x1080-25p.mp4	Fine	No
watch-1920x1080-24p.mp4	Fine	No
watch-1280x720-60p.mp4	Great	No
watch-1280x720-50p.mp4	Fine	No
watch-1280x720-30p.mp4	Fine	No
watch-1280x720-25p.mp4	Fine	No
watch-1280x720-24p.mp4	Fine	No
MHL (monitor)
watch-1920x1080-60p.mp4	did not play
watch-1920x1080-50p.mp4	Badly	a lot of
watch-1920x1080-30p.mp4	Fine	few
watch-1920x1080-25p.mp4	Badly	No
watch-1920x1080-24p.mp4	Badly	No
watch-1280x720-60p.mp4	Badly	a lot of
watch-1280x720-50p.mp4	Badly	a lot of
watch-1280x720-30p.mp4	Badly	No
watch-1280x720-25p.mp4	Badly	No
watch-1280x720-24p.mp4	Badly	No
MHL (adapter)
watch-1280x720-60p.mp4	Badly	a lot of
watch-1280x720-50p.mp4	Badly	a lot of
watch-1280x720-30p.mp4	Badly	No
watch-1280x720-25p.mp4	Badly	No
watch-1280x720-24p.mp4	Badly	No

Note: If both the Uniformity and Dropout columns are rated green, this means that when watching movies, there will most likely be no or no amount of artifacts caused by frame spacing or dropouts visible. will not affect viewing comfort. "Red" marks indicate possible problems related to the playback of the corresponding files.

Only one file plays perfectly - 1280x720 at 60 fps, in all other cases the intervals between frames alternate unevenly, in one case a small part of the frames is skipped, and 1080p files at 60 fps are not played back. However, except for these two cases, it is quite difficult to visually notice artifacts. Note that uniform alternation of frames, if it exists, is still a relatively unstable state, since some external and internal background processes lead to periodic failure of the correct alternation of intervals between frames. When playing video files with Full HD resolution (1920x1080 pixels) on the smartphone screen, the image of the video file itself is displayed one-on-one, exactly along the border of the screen in true Full HD resolution. The brightness range displayed on the screen slightly does not correspond to the original one - in the shadows three or four shades of gray are indistinguishable from black, but in the highlights all gradations of shades are displayed (for video in the range 16-235). It is impossible not to note the relatively good - loud and good quality - stereo sound that is created by two spaced apart speakers of this smartphone. As a result, it is not at all necessary to wear headphones to watch a movie, unless, of course, the sound disturbs those around you.

With a monitor connected via MHL, when playing a video with a standard player, the image of the video file itself is displayed both on the smartphone screen and on the connected monitor, but information elements and virtual controls are displayed only on the smartphone screen. When playing video files with Full HD resolution (1920×1080 pixels), due to the non-disabled overscan, as noted above, the actual image resolution on the monitor screen is slightly less than Full HD resolution. The brightness range displayed on the monitor corresponds to the original one - all gradations of shades are displayed in highlights and shadows (for video in the range 16-235). The results of the monitor output tests are shown in the table above in the “MHL (monitor)” block. The output quality is not high, since the intervals between frames (or between groups of frames) alternate unevenly, and in some cases frames are skipped.

Additionally, video output (with a standard player) via MHL using an MHL adapter was tested. When using this adapter, output to the monitor was carried out in 720p mode at 60 fps, which determined the maximum actual image resolution. With the exception of resolution and frame rate, everything else - the nature of the interface output, charging, audio output and gray scale - did not differ from a direct connection via MHL. The test results are shown in the table above in the “MHL (adapter)” block. The conclusion is similar - the output quality is low.

As a result, it turns out that the implementation of the MHL interface in the HTC One smartphone has a number of serious shortcomings. However, this type of connection can, in principle, be used for games, watching movies, displaying web pages, etc., but you will need to come to terms with a decrease in actual resolution and periodic twitching of the picture when displaying a dynamic image.

Battery life

The capacity of the lithium polymer battery installed in HTC One is 2300 mAh. The battery is non-removable, so you won’t be able to remove it and replace it with a new one yourself.

The smartphone demonstrated very good performance in terms of duration battery life, leaving a little behind all the top new products we have tested recently. Here are the results of testing the test subject in several battery modes.

Continuous reading in the FBReader program at a minimum comfortable brightness level (the brightness was set to approximately 100 cd/m²) for 2 hours consumed only 14% of the full battery charge, and two hours of watching YouTube videos in high quality (HQ) via home network The Wi-Fi device has used up 27% of its battery capacity. At maximum load in continuous 3D game mode (100% brightness, 60 fps), the smartphone worked for 2 hours 14 minutes. HTC One is fully charged in 2 hours.

Prices

The average retail price of the device in rubles in Moscow at the time of reading the article can be found by moving the mouse to the price tag.

Bottom line

As for the cost, official sales of the HTC smartphone in Russia have already started. From April 10, the smartphone was supposed to start being sold in most retail chains and stores at a recommended price of 29,990 rubles. This time there will be no exclusive contracts with individual sellers, which is understandable: the company is not in a position now to dictate its terms to anyone. Thus, the smartphone will be sold in all stores, and those who pre-ordered on the company’s websites and all its key partners, will receive a smartphone at a price of 27,990 rubles. Compared to the flagships of other companies, this is a very attractive price, and the smartphone turned out to be quite interesting. Of the obvious advantages, it has a reliable body made of high-quality and durable materials, as well as a powerful, most advanced hardware platform to date. Relative disadvantages include a strange camera, an inconvenient combination and location of all hardware buttons, as well as the need to get acquainted with the “finds” of the developers expressed in the software and interface, such as the vertical program menu and BlinkFeed, for example.

For a set of innovative solutions concentrated in one product, flavored with a non-standard attractive appearance, the HTC One smartphone certainly deserves our award.

With this whole incomprehensible situation in the world in general and in Russia in particular, when the cost of smartphones has increased sharply and is not yet going to go down, it’s time to think about whether a new smartphone is needed at all. I’m now talking not so much about the condition of the device - new or used (although about this too), but about whether it is a modern smartphone or, say, a little outdated, released 2-3 years ago, but still on sale. For example, I have an HTC One M7, a very successful device for its time, which I still sometimes take out to use as a device for distributing the Internet on a trip or even as a second smartphone. And if you think about it, it could very well be used as a main phone. I propose to take a look, or rather, even remember, what strengths and weaknesses this model has, if we consider it as the basis of a smartphone for this year.

The main strength of the HTC One M7 today is its design, combined with body materials and dimensions. The device looks cool and after two years has not lost any of its originality; it is still one of the few of its kind and is easily recognizable. Moreover, it is counterfeited, copied, and various developments from the M7 design are used by other companies.

The second is brushed aluminum. The material is practical and convenient - thanks to it, the smartphone lies comfortably in the hand, does not slip out, and traces and fingerprints on the body are invisible and barely remain. Scratches - yes, they appear over time, but they do not really spoil the appearance.

In my sample, after two years of not very active, but nevertheless used, very few scratches appeared on the body, a couple of deep ones on the ribs, and the Beats logo was slightly erased - that’s all. Otherwise, the smartphone looks like a solid “B”, that is, it is perfectly preserved.

A few scratches where the front panel meets the bottom edge

Faded inscription with the Beats logo

Finally, the dimensions are what attracts me most about the HTC One M7. The device cannot be called very compact, but compared to modern flagships it is comfortable: moderately elongated, not too thin, but not too thick, and most importantly, with a good width. Due to all these parameters, holding the M7 in your hand is much more convenient than modern top-end smartphones. You can use it with one hand without any problems, but you just have to get used to the not very good location of the power button on the top edge on the left. Otherwise, in my opinion, in terms of ease of working with the device with one hand, the HTC One M7 will outperform many modern models.

In terms of technical characteristics, as was expected back then, at the beginning of 2013, the flagships of two years ago have not turned into pumpkins today. Yes, progress cannot be stopped: we constantly see new platforms, more cores, more precise technical processes, and so on, but this does not make the devices of previous years slower. The HTC One M7 has excellent operating speed; the device does not lag or slow down during daily use. Seriously, I pick up some HTC One M8 or Samsung Galaxy Note 4, and then One M7 - and I don’t see a fundamental difference in the smoothness of the interface or operation in general. It’s possible that the most hardware-demanding games may not run as fast as you’d like, but not all of us need to play such games, you’ll agree.

The operating time of the M7 is also acceptable compared to 2014 flagships. The screen with a resolution of 1920x1080 pixels in the M7 was one of the best two years ago, and remains very good today: maximum viewing angles, natural color rendition, and a good amount of brightness.

Of the minuses that are critical for me personally, I can only mention a weak camera: four megapixels, albeit of an increased size, today this is not always enough, let’s face it. Among the general disadvantages is the lack of a slot for a memory card and, probably, that’s all. I can't think of anything else critical. The smartphone has LTE, cool and loud stereo speakers and a user-friendly HTC Sense interface.

By the way, I did some digging and even found a couple of good shots from the review, taken with the weak camera of the HTC One M7 (and yes, of course, it’s macro):

But general plans are not the strength of the four-megapixel camera of the HTC One M7, alas:

Yes, the HTC One M7 does not have the highest resolution (not all flagships of late 2014 have it either), but a smartphone with a 5-6-inch screen doesn’t really need it, let alone models with screens less than five inches, which includes M7. Yes, the device does not have 3 or 4 GB of RAM and an eight-core processor, but even without this it is fast and works without problems or delays. Yes, the battery capacity here is only 2300 mAh, but this is enough for the device to survive until the evening, like any current flagship (with the exception of a couple of models). That is, in a good way, if you don’t know that this is a smartphone from 2013, it can be put on a par with many modern models, and the HTC One M7 in this comparison is far from an outsider.

What would you like to say based on the results of this short note? If you think about it, and then look at the device, remember its shortcomings and strengths, it turns out that the HTC One M7 is still an excellent device today. If the camera in a smartphone is not of decisive importance to you, but the design, build quality, body materials, sound of external speakers, speed and just overall quality are important, the M7 looks like a reasonable choice even now, two years after the model's release. True, it’s difficult to find it on sale, but there are probably used options in good quality, if you look for it. The main idea I want to convey is that perhaps not everyone has thought about this, but it is not necessary to choose your new smartphone only among 2014 devices. In 2013, a lot of cool smartphones were released, and many of them, two years later, have not at all lost their advantages and strengths, and as for prices, if you look, devices from two years ago (meaning the release date) can easily be compared in price to current smartphones from the mid-price segment. So why limit your choice only to new models, if you can expand your review and find something very interesting and still relevant, such as the HTC One M7.

Look, isn't he handsome?

Information about the make, model, and alternative names of the specific device, if available.

Design

Information about the dimensions and weight of the device, presented in different units of measurement. Materials used, colors offered, certificates.

Width Width information - refers to the horizontal side of the device in its standard orientation during use.	68.2 mm (millimeters) 6.82 cm (centimeters) 0.22 ft (feet) 2.69 in (inches)
Height Height information - refers to the vertical side of the device in its standard orientation during use.	137.4 mm (millimeters) 13.74 cm (centimeters) 0.45 ft (feet) 5.41 in (inches)
Thickness Information about the thickness of the device in different units of measurement.	9.3 mm (millimeters) 0.93 cm (centimeters) 0.03 ft (feet) 0.37 in (inches)
Weight Information about the weight of the device in different units of measurement.	143 g (grams) 0.32 lbs 5.04 oz (ounces)
Volume The approximate volume of the device, calculated based on the dimensions provided by the manufacturer. Refers to devices with the shape of a rectangular parallelepiped.	87.15 cm³ (cubic centimeters) 5.29 in³ (cubic inches)
Colors Information about the colors in which this device is offered for sale.	Black Silver Red Blue

SIM card

The SIM card is used in mobile devices to store data that certifies the authenticity of mobile service subscribers.

Mobile networks

A mobile network is a radio system that allows multiple mobile devices to communicate with each other.

GSM GSM (Global System for Mobile Communications) is designed to replace the analogue mobile network (1G). For this reason, GSM is often called a 2G mobile network. It is improved by the addition of GPRS (General Packet Radio Services), and later EDGE (Enhanced Data rates for GSM Evolution) technologies.	GSM 850 MHz GSM 900 MHz GSM 1800 MHz GSM 1900 MHz
CDMA CDMA (Code-Division Multiple Access) is a channel access method used in communications in mobile networks. Compared to other 2G and 2.5G standards like GSM and TDMA, it provides higher data transfer speeds and the ability to connect more consumers at the same time.	CDMA 800 MHz CDMA 1900 MHz
UMTS UMTS is an abbreviation for Universal Mobile Telecommunications System. It is based on the GSM standard and belongs to 3G mobile networks. Developed by 3GPP and its biggest advantage is providing greater speed and spectral efficiency thanks to W-CDMA technology.	UMTS 850 MHz UMTS 900 MHz UMTS 1900 MHz UMTS 2100 MHz
LTE LTE (Long Term Evolution) is defined as a fourth generation (4G) technology. It is developed by 3GPP based on GSM/EDGE and UMTS/HSPA to increase the capacity and speed of wireless mobile networks. The subsequent technology development is called LTE Advanced.	LTE 800 MHz LTE 850 MHz LTE 1700/2100 MHz LTE 1800 MHz LTE 1900 MHz LTE 2100 MHz LTE 2600 MHz

Mobile communication technologies and data transfer speeds

Communication between devices on mobile networks is carried out using technologies that provide different data transfer rates.

Operating system

An operating system is a system software that manages and coordinates the operation of hardware components in a device.

SoC (System on Chip)

A system on a chip (SoC) includes all the most important hardware components of a mobile device on one chip.

SoC (System on Chip) A system on a chip (SoC) integrates various hardware components, such as a processor, graphics processor, memory, peripherals, interfaces, etc., as well as the software necessary for their operation.	Qualcomm Snapdragon 600 APQ8064T
Technological process Information about technological process, on which the chip is made. Nanometers measure half the distance between elements in the processor.	28 nm (nanometers)
Processor (CPU) The primary function of a mobile device's processor (CPU) is to interpret and execute instructions contained in software applications.	Krait 300
Processor size The size (in bits) of a processor is determined by the size (in bits) of the registers, address buses, and data buses. 64-bit processors have higher performance compared to 32-bit processors, which in turn are more powerful than 16-bit processors.	32 bit
Instruction Set Architecture Instructions are commands with which the software sets/controls the operation of the processor. Information about the instruction set (ISA) that the processor can execute.	ARMv7
Level 0 cache (L0) Some processors have L0 (level 0) cache, which is faster to access than L1, L2, L3, etc. The advantage of having such memory is not only higher performance, but also reduced power consumption.	4 kB + 4 kB (kilobytes)
Level 1 cache (L1) Cache memory is used by the processor to reduce access time to more frequently used data and instructions. L1 (level 1) cache is small in size and works much faster as system memory, and other levels of cache memory. If the processor does not find the requested data in L1, it continues to look for it in the L2 cache. On some processors, this search is performed simultaneously in L1 and L2.	16 kB + 16 kB (kilobytes)
Level 2 cache (L2) L2 (level 2) cache is slower than L1 cache, but in return it has a higher capacity, allowing it to cache more data. It, like L1, is much faster than system memory (RAM). If the processor does not find the requested data in L2, it continues to look for it in the L3 cache (if available) or in RAM memory.	2048 kB (kilobytes) 2 MB (megabytes)
Number of processor cores The processor core executes software instructions. There are processors with one, two or more cores. Having more cores increases performance by allowing multiple instructions to be executed in parallel.	4
CPU clock speed The clock speed of a processor describes its speed in terms of cycles per second. It is measured in megahertz (MHz) or gigahertz (GHz).	1700 MHz (megahertz)
Graphics Processing Unit (GPU) Graphics processing unit (GPU) handles calculations for various 2D/3D graphic applications. In mobile devices, it is most often used by games, consumer interfaces, video applications, etc.	Qualcomm Adreno 320
Number of GPU cores Like a CPU, a GPU is made up of several working parts called cores. They handle graphics calculations for various applications.	4
GPU clock speed Running speed is the clock speed of the GPU, measured in megahertz (MHz) or gigahertz (GHz).	400 MHz (megahertz)
Amount of random access memory (RAM) Random access memory (RAM) is used by the operating system and all installed applications. Data stored in RAM is lost after the device is turned off or restarted.	2 GB (gigabytes)
Type of random access memory (RAM) Information about the type of random access memory (RAM) used by the device.	LPDDR2
Number of RAM channels Information about the number of RAM channels that are integrated into the SoC. More channels mean higher data rates.	Dual channel
RAM frequency The frequency of RAM determines its operating speed, more specifically, the speed of reading/writing data.	600 MHz (megahertz)

Built-in memory

Each mobile device has built-in (non-removable) memory with a fixed capacity.

Screen

The screen of a mobile device is characterized by its technology, resolution, pixel density, diagonal length, color depth, etc.

Type/technology One of the main characteristics of the screen is the technology by which it is made and on which the quality of the information image directly depends.	Super LCD 3
Diagonal For mobile devices, screen size is expressed by the length of its diagonal, measured in inches.	4.7 in (inches) 119.38 mm (millimeters) 11.94 cm (centimeters)
Width Approximate screen width	2.3 in (inches) 58.53 mm (millimeters) 5.85 cm (centimeters)
Height Approximate screen height	4.1 in (inches) 104.05 mm (millimeters) 10.4 cm (centimeters)
Aspect Ratio The ratio of the dimensions of the long side of the screen to its short side	1.778:1 16:9
Permission Screen resolution shows the number of pixels vertically and horizontally on the screen. Higher resolution means clearer image detail.	1080 x 1920 pixels
Pixel Density Information about the number of pixels per centimeter or inch of the screen. Higher density allows information to be displayed on the screen with clearer detail.	469 ppi (pixels per inch) 184 ppcm (pixels per centimeter)
Color depth Screen color depth reflects the total number of bits used for color components in one pixel. Information about the maximum number of colors that the screen can display.	24 bit 16777216 flowers
Screen area Approximate percentage of screen area occupied by the screen on the front of the device.	65.2% (percentage)
Other characteristics Information about other screen features and characteristics.	Capacitive Multi-touch Scratch resistance
	Corning Gorilla Glass 2

Sensors

Different sensors perform different quantitative measurements and convert physical indicators into signals that a mobile device can recognize.

Main camera

The main camera of a mobile device is usually located on the back of the body and is used for taking photos and videos.

Sensor model	STMicroelectronics VD6869
Sensor type Digital cameras use photo sensors to take photographs. The sensor, as well as optics, are one of the main factors in the quality of the camera in a mobile device.	CMOS BSI (backside illumination)
Sensor size	5.44 x 3.07 mm (millimeters) 0.25 in (inches)
Pixel size	2.024 µm (micrometers) 0.002024 mm (millimeters)
Crop factor	6.93
ISO (light sensitivity) ISO indicators determine the level of light sensitivity of the photosensor. A lower value means weaker light sensitivity and vice versa - higher values ​​mean higher light sensitivity, i.e. better ability of the sensor to work in low light conditions.	100 - 1600
Diaphragm	f/2
Focal length	3.82 mm (millimeters) 26.46 mm (millimeters) *(35 mm / full frame)
Flash type The most common types of flashes in mobile device cameras are LED and xenon flashes. LED flashes produce softer light and, unlike brighter xenon flashes, are also used for video shooting.	LED
Image Resolution One of the main characteristics of mobile device cameras is their resolution, which shows the number of horizontal and vertical pixels in the image.	2688 x 1520 pixels 4.09 MP (megapixels)
Video resolution Information about the maximum supported resolution when shooting video with the device.	1920 x 1080 pixels 2.07 MP (megapixels)
Information about the maximum number of frames per second (fps) supported by the device when shooting video at the maximum resolution. Some of the main standard video shooting and playback speeds are 24p, 25p, 30p, 60p.	30fps (frames per second)
Characteristics Information about other software and hardware features related to the main camera and improving its functionality.	Autofocus Continuous shooting Digital zoom Optical image stabilization Geographical tags Panoramic photography HDR shooting Touch Focus Face recognition Self-timer Scene Selection Mode
	720p - 60fps

Additional camera

Additional cameras are usually mounted above the device screen and are used mainly for video conversations, gesture recognition, etc.

Sensor model Information about the manufacturer and model of the photo sensor used in the device's camera.	OmniVision OV2722
Sensor size Information about the dimensions of the photosensor used in the device. Typically, cameras with larger sensors and lower pixel densities offer higher image quality despite the lower resolution.	2.73 x 1.53 mm (millimeters) 0.12 in (inches)
Pixel size The smaller pixel size of the photosensor allows more pixels per unit area, thereby increasing resolution. On the other hand, a smaller pixel size can have a negative impact on image quality at high ISO levels.	1.414 µm (micrometers) 0.001414 mm (millimeters)
Crop factor The crop factor is the ratio between the dimensions of the full-frame sensor (36 x 24 mm, equivalent to a frame of standard 35 mm film) and the dimensions of the device's photosensor. The indicated number represents the ratio of the diagonals of the full-frame sensor (43.3 mm) and the photosensor of a particular device.	13.81
Diaphragm Aperture (f-number) is the size of the aperture opening that controls the amount of light reaching the photosensor. A lower f-number means the aperture opening is larger.	f/2
Focal length Focal length is the distance in millimeters from the photosensor to the optical center of the lens. The equivalent focal length is also indicated, providing the same field of view with a full frame camera.	1.59 mm (millimeters) 21.95 mm (millimeters) *(35 mm / full frame)
Image Resolution Information about the maximum resolution of the additional camera when shooting. In most cases, the resolution of the secondary camera is lower than that of the main camera.	1932 x 1092 pixels 2.11 MP (megapixels)
Video resolution Information about the maximum supported resolution when shooting video with an additional camera.	1920 x 1080 pixels 2.07 MP (megapixels)
Video - frame rate/frames per second. Information about the maximum number of frames per second (fps) supported by the secondary camera when shooting video at the maximum resolution.	30fps (frames per second)

Audio

Information about the type of speakers and audio technologies supported by the device.

Radio

The radio of the mobile device is a built-in FM receiver.

Location determination

Information about the navigation and location technologies supported by your device.

WiFi

Wi-Fi is a technology that provides wireless communication for transmitting data over close distances between various devices.

Bluetooth

Bluetooth is a standard for secure wireless data transfer between various devices of different types over short distances.

Version There are several versions of Bluetooth, with each subsequent one improving communication speed, coverage, and making devices easier to discover and connect. Information about the Bluetooth version of the device.

4.0

Characteristics Bluetooth uses different profiles and protocols that provide faster data transfer, energy savings, improved device discovery, etc. Some of these profiles and protocols that the device supports are shown here.

A2DP (Advanced Audio Distribution Profile) AVDTP (Audio/Video Distribution Transport Protocol) AVRCP (Audio/Visual Remote Control Profile) FTP (File Transfer Profile) GAVDP (Generic Audio/Video Distribution Profile) GOEP (Generic Object Exchange Profile) HFP (Hands-Free Profile) HID (Human Interface Profile) HSP (Headset Profile) OPP (Object Push Profile) PAN (Personal Area Networking Profile) PBAP/PAB (Phone Book Access Profile) SDAP (Service Discovery Application Profile) SDP (Service Discovery Protocol)

USB

USB (Universal Serial Bus) is an industry standard that allows different electronic devices to exchange data.

HDMI

HDMI (High-Definition Multimedia Interface) is a digital audio/video interface that replaces older analog audio/video standards.

Headphone jack

This is an audio connector, also called an audio jack. The most widely used standard in mobile devices is the 3.5mm headphone jack.

Connecting devices

Information about other important connection technologies supported by your device.

Browser

A web browser is a software application for accessing and viewing information on the Internet.

Video file formats/codecs

Mobile devices support different video file formats and codecs, which respectively store and encode/decode digital video data.

Battery

Mobile device batteries differ from each other in their capacity and technology. They provide the electrical charge necessary for their functioning.

Capacity A battery's capacity indicates the maximum charge it can hold, measured in milliamp-hours.	2300 mAh (milliamp-hours)
Type The type of battery is determined by its structure and, more precisely, the chemicals used. There are different types of batteries, with lithium-ion and lithium-ion polymer batteries being the most commonly used batteries in mobile devices.	Li-polymer
2G talk time 2G talk time is the period of time during which the battery charge is completely discharged during a continuous conversation on a 2G network.	27 h (hours) 1620 min (minutes) 1.1 days
2G latency 2G standby time is the period of time during which the battery charge is completely discharged when the device is in stand-by mode and connected to a 2G network.	500 h (hours) 30000 min (minutes) 20.8 days
3G talk time 3G talk time is the period of time during which the battery charge is completely discharged during a continuous conversation on a 3G network.	18 h (hours) 1080 min (minutes) 0.8 days
3G latency 3G standby time is the period of time during which the battery charge is completely discharged when the device is in stand-by mode and connected to a 3G network.	480 h (hours) 28800 min (minutes) 20 days
Characteristics Information about some additional characteristics of the device's battery.	Fixed

Specific Absorption Rate (SAR)

The SAR level refers to the amount of electromagnetic radiation absorbed by the human body while using a mobile device.

Head SAR level (EU) The SAR level indicates the maximum amount of electromagnetic radiation that the human body is exposed to when holding a mobile device close to the ear in a conversation position. In Europe, the maximum permissible SAR value for mobile devices is limited to 2 W/kg per 10 grams of human tissue. This standard established by the CENELEC Committee in accordance with IEC standards, subject to the ICNIRP guidelines of 1998.	0.863 W/kg (Watt per kilogram)
Body SAR level (EU) The SAR level indicates the maximum amount of electromagnetic radiation to which the human body is exposed when holding a mobile device at hip level. The maximum permissible SAR value for mobile devices in Europe is 2 W/kg per 10 grams of human tissue. This standard has been established by the CENELEC Committee in compliance with the ICNIRP 1998 guidelines and IEC standards.	0.36 W/kg (Watt per kilogram)
Head SAR level (US) The SAR level indicates the maximum amount of electromagnetic radiation that the human body is exposed to when holding a mobile device near the ear. The maximum value used in the USA is 1.6 W/kg per 1 gram of human tissue. Mobile devices in the US are regulated by the CTIA, and the FCC conducts tests and sets their SAR values.	0.655 W/kg (Watt per kilogram)
Body SAR level (US) The SAR level indicates the maximum amount of electromagnetic radiation to which the human body is exposed when holding a mobile device at hip level. The highest permissible SAR value in the USA is 1.6 W/kg per 1 gram of human tissue. This value is set by the FCC, and the CTIA monitors mobile devices' compliance with this standard.	0.404 W/kg (Watt per kilogram)