Product Listing

HTC Sensation - The Sensational Android

By Seow Tein Hee - 19 Jul 2011
Launch SRP: S$838

Conclusion

A Good Blend

As smartphones continue to break the barriers of multi-core processors and faster clock speeds, some distinguish themselves from the competition. The HTC Sensation is one such example.

Its solid build quality and 148g weight does well in portraying a robust and powerful feel out of the Sensation. While HTC markets the Sensation with a unibody design, you can still separate its chassis to access the removable battery. The experience isn't pleasant though, mixed in with frustrating moments as we tried to pry the chassis open with difficulty.

The Sensation is more suitable for power users who wish to get the most and the best out of their smartphone. With Google's Android 2.3 operating system as the backbone, HTC adds more bells and whistles with its intuitive and updated HTC Sense 3.0 user interface. Sense 3.0 provides users with immediate access to four apps of your choice. By simply swiping the app icon towards the ring, you save on a few extra steps to unlock and access the app from the home screen or menu.

Home screen access is also enhanced, with a carousel interface that lets you continuously scroll through the seven different home pages on the Sensation. From its notifications, we also noticed more enhancements in the form of recent apps and a Quick Settings tab. This tab brings up a list of common features such as Wi-Fi, mobile hotspot, Bluetooth and even a task manager to monitor and close idling apps in the background.

In reality, we weren't too concerned with killing apps on the Sensation. Thanks to its 768MB RAM, multi-tasking was well handled with minimal lag observed. Furthermore, the Qualcomm MSM8260 Snapdragon dual-core 1.2GHz processor, coupled with Qualcomm's latest Adreno 220 GPU, served up a smooth experience with the HTC Sense user interface.

Imaging is nothing to shout about, seeing how its 8-megapixel camera returned images with a lot less attention to details and vividness than what we've seen on other cameras. While it does come with 1080p video recording capabilities, you won't get quality close to dedicated 1080p video cameras.

As a media player, its 4.3-inch S-LCD display with a resolution of 960 x 540 pixels gets the job done well. Coupled with SRS audio enhancement and a 5.1 surround sound mode with a 3.5mm earphone, the Sensation managed to create a cinematic experience. Its battery mileage bordered slightly below our expectations of less than a day for casual usage. With its 1520mAh battery, we managed to get moderate usage out of calls, data services and multimedia playback on it. Where its battery life was working against the plus points of the device was when we looped a video continuously to mimic constant intensive usage.

Dual-core smartphones are aplenty, but if you want some decent performance without a hole in the pocket, the Sensation's S$838 price tag is an attractive offer to consider.

Considering the amount of hardware and software enhancements loaded onto this Android device, the $838 pricing (without contract) makes it one of the most reasonably priced high-end smartphone to date. That's just the suggested retail price and it gets even more tantalizing when you consider its street price as shown in our latest price option above.

In short, if you're looking for a high-end smartphone with a perfect balance between features and performance that won't burn a hole in your pocket, the HTC Sensation is a good fit. It definitely presents great value in its category of devices and hence we've also bestowed the Sensation with our Best Value award for a high-end smartphone device. Just take note that its battery life isn't as ideal we would have hoped for, but if you often charge your phone at work and office, this shouldn't be too much of a concern.

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9.0
  • Design 8.5
  • Features 9
  • User-Friendliness 9
  • Performance 8
  • Value 9.5
The Good
Improved HTC Sense 3.0 with enhanced lock screen
Smooth performance
Solid build quality
Affordable in its class
The Bad
Low battery mileage
Lack of portability due to weight
Below average imaging quality
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