HTC One XL review

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Verdict:

A new chipset for an already excellent handset makes it a great 4G alternative to the mighty Samsung S3 LTE

Review Date: 23 Nov 2012

Price when reviewed: £41

Best monthly deal: From £36.00 a month (Handset FREE)

Buy it now for: £393
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Supplier: http://www.ee.co.uk

Reviewed By: Seth Barton

Our Rating 4 stars out of 5

User Rating

The camera remains identical, with great controls and a super-fast burst mode, see our original HTC One X review for more details and some sample shots. The 1,280x720 LCD display also remains here and remains impressive.

Still one of the best cameras around

The device feels brilliant, all smooth curves with no flex or pop-off panels, and we really like this grey version of the handset. One bugbear is the small power button, which sits just forward of the top edge, making it hard to press with your finger when holding the handset.

As before, the battery is sealed away inside. It's the same 1,800mAh model as the original, though the new chipset has helped somewhat, battery life is only up by around 40 minutes to just over seven hours. Compared to the ten hours we saw from the S3 in the same constant video playback test.

The awkward positioning of the power button is the only sticking point in the design

What's disappointing about this handset, is that it's already been surpassed in many ways by the HTC One X's true successor, the HTC One X+. That handset has a fast processor than the original, comes with 64GB of memory, has an update to Android 4.1 installed and packs in a larger 2,100mAh battery. All of that makes the HTC One XL seem a little dated.

Despite its 9-month old design, the HTC One XL still looks and feels like a flagship phone, but the battery is still a sticking point. We prefer the Samsung Galaxy S3 for its longer battery life and AMOLED display - an updated review of the 4G version, the Samsung Galaxy S3 LTE will be online shortly. For EE subscribers, who we presume will be heavy smartphone users, battery life will be a big issue and so places the HTC One XL in a clear second place.

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Model & Tariff	Mins & Texts	Handset cost	Contract length	Monthly cost	Available from
HTC One XL EE 4G + 750 MB	Unlimited free minutes Unlimited free texts	£0.00	24 months	£36.00	More info
HTC One XL The Full Monty	0 free minutes Unlimited free texts	£49.99	24 months	£37.00	More info
HTC One XL EE 4G + 750 MB	99999 free minutes 99999 free texts	£0.00	24 months	£36.00	More info
HTC One XL T-Mobile Internet (250MB)	600 free minutes 500 free texts	£149.99	24 months	£26.00	More info
HTC One XL T-Mobile Internet (750MB)	600 free minutes 500 free texts	£99.99	18 months	£36.00	More info