*** The official HTC One S thread ***
- Thread starter Johnnytoxic
- Start date
Still deciding what to do 
I think it is either going to be;
This (not in white though......but black
),
Would definitely be going for it if it just had some more protection at the top and bottom.
Or this,
My brother has the tough case for his desire and it is very nice and feels great in the hand but the one S feels great as it is and looks much better, plus I love the thinness of it
Review is taking slightly longer than I thought......should definitely have it up at some point today.
I think it is either going to be;
This (not in white though......but black
),Would definitely be going for it if it just had some more protection at the top and bottom.
Or this,
My brother has the tough case for his desire and it is very nice and feels great in the hand but the one S feels great as it is and looks much better, plus I love the thinness of it
Review is taking slightly longer than I thought......should definitely have it up at some point today.
Overall that's a good review, a few things though.
You've basically mentioned the perceived quality issue a lot. When trying them both, I didn't personally feel that the One S felt any more premium than the One X, just that it was slightly different. I certainly wouldn't say either are better than the iPhone, but certainly on par with it just about.
Are the performance differences really noticeable and are they down to software or hardware differences? I seriously doubt it's a hardware issue as there's nothing here that either phone should struggle with at all. I think HTC have just done a poor job with some of the software optimisation on the X.
I agree about the one handed use thing though, I have relatively big hands and I wouldn't say the One X is comfortable to use, and I think that will automatically rule it out for a lot of women and men with small hands (I know a lot of people who complain about anything bigger than iPhone...
).
I wonder if the notification LED is different on the S, as I find mine to be very good and clear, almost as good as my Bold 9900 (which is excellent). I also like the subtle placement of it below the speaker.
Also, why on earth are you using a launcher that has the 3pin menu at the bottom. Aren't there any that avoid this? It looks awful! This is an issue on a lot of apps and it's really annoying.
Lastly, why did you get a One S and not wait for the S3?
You've basically mentioned the perceived quality issue a lot. When trying them both, I didn't personally feel that the One S felt any more premium than the One X, just that it was slightly different. I certainly wouldn't say either are better than the iPhone, but certainly on par with it just about.
Are the performance differences really noticeable and are they down to software or hardware differences? I seriously doubt it's a hardware issue as there's nothing here that either phone should struggle with at all. I think HTC have just done a poor job with some of the software optimisation on the X.
I agree about the one handed use thing though, I have relatively big hands and I wouldn't say the One X is comfortable to use, and I think that will automatically rule it out for a lot of women and men with small hands (I know a lot of people who complain about anything bigger than iPhone...
).I wonder if the notification LED is different on the S, as I find mine to be very good and clear, almost as good as my Bold 9900 (which is excellent). I also like the subtle placement of it below the speaker.
Also, why on earth are you using a launcher that has the 3pin menu at the bottom. Aren't there any that avoid this? It looks awful! This is an issue on a lot of apps and it's really annoying.
Lastly, why did you get a One S and not wait for the S3?
WOW! A serious review there - will read it tonight.
Still deciding what to do
I think it is either going to be;
This (not in white though......but black
Would definitely be going for it if it just had some more protection at the top and bottom.
Or this,
My brother has the tough case for his desire and it is very nice and feels great in the hand but the one S feels great as it is and looks much better, plus I love the thinness of it
Review is taking slightly longer than I thought......should definitely have it up at some point today.
I was leaning more towards the tough case for the protection. My flip case off of ebay came today and although does afford some protection it does somewhat bulk up the phone which I'm not right keen on.
The glass screen has two minute scratches on the glass already
Not noticable unless screen is off and you tilt it in the right direction. Can't get a Martin Fields screen protector as yet so to prevent further 'damage' bought a twin pack of HTC ones. Not the best I've ever applied and seem to load with static that sucked dust and debris out the air. I swear a pen on the desk was just about sucked across! Not ideal but live with for now.I see you have your review up. I'll have a read. I've mostly been pleasantly surprised with the One S. I have a slight issue with mobile wireless in that signal indicator seems to read very low when there is a good signal to the point of disconnecting. That said it's not been too much of an issue. One the upside showing just 2 bars of signal I got a Speed Test result .... ping 87ms, DL 10932kbps and UL 1413kbps.
All things considered in that it's a new phone, battery life seems very good.
You've basically mentioned the perceived quality issue a lot. When trying them both, I didn't personally feel that the One S felt any more premium than the One X, just that it was slightly different. I certainly wouldn't say either are better than the iPhone, but certainly on par with it just about.
That is just my opinion
Are the performance differences really noticeable and are they down to software or hardware differences? I seriously doubt it's a hardware issue as there's nothing here that either phone should struggle with at all. I think HTC have just done a poor job with some of the software optimisation on the X.
As stated as well
I agree about the one handed use thing though, I have relatively big hands and I wouldn't say the One X is comfortable to use, and I think that will automatically rule it out for a lot of women and men with small hands (I know a lot of people who complain about anything bigger than iPhone...
I am not too bothered about the size of mobiles (I have slightly larger than average hands) but I know that it is a very important factor for some people, so I thought I should include a bit about it in my review. The X was just a tad too big for my liking as well and is purely why some people aren't getting the X. I could live with the size of the X and GN, but any bigger is a no no!
Also, why on earth are you using a launcher that has the 3pin menu at the bottom. Aren't there any that avoid this? It looks awful! This is an issue on a lot of apps and it's really annoying.
Yes there are plenty of other launchers and apex is the best alternative, but go is still better for features, which I love and NEED! (calendar widget and folders in the app drawer!)
It is incredibly annoying having the menu on the bottom wasting screen space but that is not due to the mobiles, it is down to the apps themselves and the way ICS is and the developers just need to update their apps for ICS, which should happen soon (hopefully)
Lastly, why did you get a One S and not wait for the S3?
I got the one S for these reasons:
- my contract is up and I needed a new mobile as soon as possible, couldn't use my spica for any longer
- the GS 3 will most likely be too dear for me
- Yes the GS 3 will be the best mobile once it is out for hardware etc. however, there won't be a huge difference between the current top end handsets like there was when going from the top end galaxy S to the GS 2
- After having a good long play with sense in the shop, I absolutely loved it and we all know that Samsung will butcher stock ICS with their horrible touchwiz and I don't really want to root or flash a custom ROM this time round
- The One S IMO seems just perfect for everything apart from the few niggles that I mentioned
I was leaning more towards the tough case for the protection. My flip case off of ebay came today and although does afford some protection it does somewhat bulk up the phone which I'm not right keen on.
The glass screen has two minute scratches on the glass already
I see you have your review up. I'll have a read. I've mostly been pleasantly surprised with the One S. I have a slight issue with mobile wireless in that signal indicator seems to read very low when there is a good signal to the point of disconnecting. That said it's not been too much of an issue. One the upside showing just 2 bars of signal I got a Speed Test result .... ping 87ms, DL 10932kbps and UL 1413kbps.
All things considered in that it's a new phone, battery life seems very good.
The tough case does add some bulk, however, it isn't an awful lot (given the protection you get) and then given that the phone is extremely thin already, it should still be thin enough I reckon.......
so it might not be too much of a problem for you.Yup, I am definitely getting a screen protector on as well. A screen protector came with the tough case for my bro's desire and it seems decent, however, he didn't do a great job of applying it so there are air bubbles around the edges, I will try out the one that comes with the case mate cases and if it isn't any good, then martin fields it is, even though they are a rip off
The best way to apply screen protectors is after you have had a hot shower, the steam works wonders with the dust
That's all fair enough, as you say it's largely opinion. There are people who will prefer things on the X and others on the S. Some things do need to be smoothed out on the X, there is no actual slowdown or lag but there is microstutter and such things are inexcusable on such a powerful phone. I imagine there are instances of it on the One S but I'd have to try one more extensively to see. The Nexus for example has had such issues until the latest update which has pretty much sorted it all out.
Perhaps it's just the launcher, I may stick Apex on and have a look, but I'm quite happy with Sense for now.
The 3 dots at the bottom do irk me though, it's on quite a lot of apps. I'd say it's certainly a HTC issue because on the Nexus they align properly with the software buttons - which must be the problem.
I quite like the capacitive buttons though, hopefully One X/S support will be added and they'll sort it out because while it isn't a big issue, it's a waste of space and just looks wrong!
Indeed!
The one S at stock still felt faster/smoother to me than the X at stock, personally for me there is virtually no difference in terms of speed/smoothness between apex, go and sense.
I haven't really noticed any micro stutter on either the X or S, the X just doesn't open menus, apps etc. as instantly as the S and some animations just appear smoother on the S.
True, but unfortunately there are some serious issues with the nexus and the latest update now
Oh yeah the 3 dots menu button is different to the nexus, but it still isn't the "correct" place for the menu any longer. Plus the reason the way it is on the nexus is cause the buttons are actually part of the screen, not separate like the X and S. I imagine that once more ICS devices are out and the older mobiles have been updated to ICS officially, developers will put the menu in the proper place. I can't see how HTC could work around the 3 dots menu on the bottom of the screen
I love the touch sensitive controls as well!
The one S at stock still felt faster/smoother to me than the X at stock, personally for me there is virtually no difference in terms of speed/smoothness between apex, go and sense.
I haven't really noticed any micro stutter on either the X or S, the X just doesn't open menus, apps etc. as instantly as the S and some animations just appear smoother on the S.
True, but unfortunately there are some serious issues with the nexus and the latest update now
Oh yeah the 3 dots menu button is different to the nexus, but it still isn't the "correct" place for the menu any longer. Plus the reason the way it is on the nexus is cause the buttons are actually part of the screen, not separate like the X and S. I imagine that once more ICS devices are out and the older mobiles have been updated to ICS officially, developers will put the menu in the proper place. I can't see how HTC could work around the 3 dots menu on the bottom of the screen
I love the touch sensitive controls as well!
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Pretty good review there. Concise and to the point.
Things I also find that are good...
Call quality is excellent, nice and clear. It is a phone after all.
I really like the app switcher (recent apps) button. Like the windows aero thingy but damned useful on a phone when switching from one app to another. Say like for a password manager to browser and the like.
Boot up .... Fast
Compared to the time it took my Motorola to boot which was measured in minutes though felt like days when it crashed and rebooted. Seems to be up and away in 15 to 30 seconds though would need to time to be sure. Whatever, it is fast.The bad.....
Only one issue in that either the aerial or it's firmware is problematic as seems to struggle with mobile signal at times when my Motorola reports a good signal. This may be just my phone?
Other than that all is good. No problem with chipping of my One S after a week and without a case/skin. Not even round usb connecter.
Whoop!
My review got featured on the front page of neowin!
http://www.neowin.net/news/neowin-member-reviews-htc-one-s
Yeah the audio/call quality really is outstanding.
It is a very useful feature that, I was thinking about mentioning it and including a screenshot in the review, but it has been a feature of android since 2.1 and the only difference is a nicer UI and being able to close apps from there
Hmm, I personally can't comment on the signal strength as I just moved to o2 with this new mobile (was on 3 previously), so don't have anything to compare it to and my other mobiles are locked to 3, so I can't try the o2 SIM card out in them and plus they don't support micro-sim anyway
I always seem to have about 2-4 bars of voice reception and a H connection in my house:
Maybe it is a problem with ICS as the galaxy nexus has similar problems with the signal strength? (not every user was experiencing those problems though....) But I think that was a problem with V4.0.4 not V4.0.3 and an update was just released today to fix those issues.
Hopefully it is just a problem with the software/drivers and will be quickly fixed.
My review got featured on the front page of neowin!
http://www.neowin.net/news/neowin-member-reviews-htc-one-s
Pretty good review there. Concise and to the point.
Things I also find that are good...
Call quality is excellent, nice and clear. It is a phone after all.
I really like the app switcher (recent apps) button. Like the windows aero thingy but damned useful on a phone when switching from one app to another. Say like for a password manager to browser and the like.
Boot up .... Fast
The bad.....
Only one issue in that either the aerial or it's firmware is problematic as seems to struggle with mobile signal at times when my Motorola reports a good signal. This may be just my phone?
Other than that all is good. No problem with chipping of my One S after a week and without a case/skin. Not even round usb connecter.
Yeah the audio/call quality really is outstanding.
It is a very useful feature that, I was thinking about mentioning it and including a screenshot in the review, but it has been a feature of android since 2.1 and the only difference is a nicer UI and being able to close apps from there
Hmm, I personally can't comment on the signal strength as I just moved to o2 with this new mobile (was on 3 previously), so don't have anything to compare it to and my other mobiles are locked to 3, so I can't try the o2 SIM card out in them and plus they don't support micro-sim anyway
I always seem to have about 2-4 bars of voice reception and a H connection in my house:
Maybe it is a problem with ICS as the galaxy nexus has similar problems with the signal strength? (not every user was experiencing those problems though....) But I think that was a problem with V4.0.4 not V4.0.3 and an update was just released today to fix those issues.
Hopefully it is just a problem with the software/drivers and will be quickly fixed.
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Caporegime
- Joined
- 18 Oct 2002
- Posts
- 30,831
Props on the Neowin feature m8, good solid review 
Loving mine at present and am tempted to try the X for the bigger screen but I think I'd miss the ultimate in 'snappiness'
Loving mine at present and am tempted to try the X for the bigger screen but I think I'd miss the ultimate in 'snappiness'
Soldato
got one of these arriving tomorrow; quite excited considering i'm upgrading from a Hero
i've seen this takes a micro-sim, i've got the traditional big one... now i've seen online guides for trimming that down to micro-sim size; is this wise? or should i just go to the three store in town and get a proper one?
i've seen this takes a micro-sim, i've got the traditional big one... now i've seen online guides for trimming that down to micro-sim size; is this wise? or should i just go to the three store in town and get a proper one?
Thanks for the comments on my review guys 
Mobile fun are providing me with the case mate tough to review, so I will provide the link to that in a few days time.
You should be twist3dOn3!
Up to you what you do with the SIM, probably easiest to just get a new micro-SIM from three though
Mobile fun are providing me with the case mate tough to review, so I will provide the link to that in a few days time.
You should be twist3dOn3!
Up to you what you do with the SIM, probably easiest to just get a new micro-SIM from three though
Soldato
hmm ok, cheers.
that'll mean waiting an extra few hours to use it
i take it as long as you're in range of wifi you can still use it for browsing etc?
that'll mean waiting an extra few hours to use it
i take it as long as you're in range of wifi you can still use it for browsing etc?
Soldato
sweet, at least i can have a play with it before i get the sim sorted
cheers
cheers
Whoop!
My review got featured on the front page of neowin!
Yes, I saw that, well done.
It is a very useful feature that, I was thinking about mentioning it and including a screenshot in the review, but it has been a feature of android since 2.1 and the only difference is a nicer UI and being able to close apps from there
It's a lot better implementation of it - unless I've been missing something! Before I had to press and hold the 'Home' button and up would pop a recent apps list. This is a whole lot better. Certainly seems to be the experience I have had. Makes swapping from say a password manager to browser a lot easier?
Speaking of browsers I immediately installed Boat Browser but then started using the One S default one (Chrome?). Must say I'm leaning towards uninstalling Boat Browser and do find the bundled browser loads a web pages a whole lot faster and has a certain snappiness to it?
Hmm, I personally can't comment on the signal strength as I just moved to o2 with this new mobile (was on 3 previously), so don't have anything to compare it to and my other mobiles are locked to 3, so I can't try the o2 SIM card out in them and plus they don't support micro-sim anyway
I always seem to have about 2-4 bars of voice reception and a H connection in my house:
It's a queer issue to be honest. Does mean it is prone to losing signal rather too often. Signal indicator bounces about all over.
I've raised the issue with HTC and waiting to hear back. Hopefully it'll be just as you say. Only issue I have as everything else about the phone is just peachy
Thanks for the comments on my review guys
Mobile fun are providing me with the case mate tough to review, so I will provide the link to that in a few days time.
Ordered one yesterday. Flip type case makes phone the size of a brick in the pocket.