The smartphone market might seem like it is getting crowded, but that hasn’t stopped handset makers from trying to corner every niche they can find. HTC is one of the fastest growing brands in the smartphone category.
In its boldest move yet, the Taiwanese company has launched the HTC One, a smartphone with more than 100 new updates since its predecessor the HTC One X. The launch of the new flagship was done here in the midst of special invitees from around the world.
Size matters
The new 4.7-inch smartphone competes with a brand new crop of devices, including the BlackBerry Z10 and Apple iPhone5 , when it comes to features, convenience and cult following.
In an attempt to get users to stay updated with news and social activity, the company has dedicated one home screen to Highlights where you can pick your favourite topics or people and follow all that’s happening around them.
The device sports a unibody construction with a thin bezel and is bound to draw comparisons with the iPhone.
Big media tweaks
The new HTC One comes with a Full HD capable 4MP rear camera which it says comes with Ultra-pixels (pixels bigger than the competitors’) which ensures that the pictures aren’t very grainy. It has also introduced interesting new tweaks like HTC Zoe, that lets the user select the best picture from multiple clicks in one burst.
As part of the post processing edits, HTC Zoe lets you crop people out who might be photobombing the picture.
In a very 'Harry Potter-esque' way, it gives you the option of viewing your still photos captured as moving images. Apart from the BlackBerry's BB10 which currently lets you go a couple of microseconds in time to chose just the right frame in its time shift feature, no other smartphone in the market offers this feature currently.
The device also sports front facing amplified stereo speakers, which are said to enhance the personal music and movie experience.
HTC One will come to the Indian market in March. There is no word on the Indian pricing yet, but it is likely to be competitively priced at around Rs 42,000, considering that the competition is in the form of BlackBerry Z10, iPhone 5 and Nokia Lumia 920.