HTC One X vs Sony Xperia ion head-on for AT&T
It seems the world is waiting for news on the iPhone 5 and Galaxy S3 at present but while much of the focus is on those two smartphones there’s a danger of people missing out on some other very decent handsets. Two of those are the HTC One X and the Sony Xperia ion, both heading for a release on AT&T in the U.S. and both with a lot to offer. We thought we’d take a look at the HTC One X vs. Sony Xperia ion head-on to give you more of an idea about these two handsets.
The HTC One X is due for release on AT&T in May but a release date for the Sony Xperia ion is a little more sketchy. There was a certain amount of frustration recently as when the Xperia ion was announced way back at CES in January it was said to be an exclusive for AT&T in the US. It has seemed like a long wait since then and very little has come out about the Xperia ion since, until a few days ago when it became apparent it would be launched first in Taiwan. It looks as though the Xperia ion will come to AT&T at some point in May or June though, as a Q2 release was originally stated so hopefully it won’t be too much longer.
Either way, if you’re an AT&T customer you’ll be finding both of these smartphones on offer in the near future so we’ll tell you a little more about of the key specs and features. The HTC One X famously received a huge amount of attention due to the fact it would have a quad-core processor and while this is true for other regions where it has already been released, the AT&T variant instead has a Snapdragon S4 1.5GHz dual-core processor. This is nothing to sniff at though especially as AT&T’s will also have LTE connectivity. The Sony Xperia ion has an MSM8260 Snapdragon 1.5GHz dual-core processor and also supports 4G LTE so there’s very little to choose between them so far.
Moving on to displays the One X has a 4.7-inch Super LCD display with resolution of 720×1080 while the Xperia ion features a 4.6-inch HD LCD display, also with resolution of 720×1080. Storage-wise the One X offers 1GB of RAM with 32GB of built-in storage while the Xperia ion also has 1GB of RAM and 16GB of internal storage that is expandable with microSD card. As you can see these two upcoming phones are still very closely matched.
Next we’ll look at the camera set-ups and the One X has an 8-megapixel rear camera with auto focus, LED flash and 1080p HD video capture and also a 1.3-megapixel front-facing camera. The Xperia ion on the other hand has a 12-megapixel rear camera with auto focus, LED flash, Exmor R sensor and 1080p HD video recording capability. It also has a 1.3-megapixel front-facing shooter so here the ion has the edge. Both of these handsets also offer NFC support.
When we move on to the operating systems this is where one definitely has an advantage over the other. The HTC One X runs on the Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich operating system, the very latest Android OS. It’s also skinned with HTC Sense 4.0. The Xperia ion though will launch with Android 2.3 Gingerbread although it’s pretty certain that this will be upgraded to 4.0 ICS later. If you want all the benefits of the latest OS though then this may be your deciding factor between the two.
Ultimately your final choice may also depend on aspects such as the design, feel and price of the phones and of course personal preference. On looks alone we prefer the sleek and stylish Xperia ion but the One X is also pretty appealing. The price of the HTC One X coming to AT&T has been cited as $199.99 on the usual two-year contract while the price of the Xperia ion is not yet available. Really we feel that both of these smartphones are impressive and have a great deal to offer.
If you want the latest OS then the One X might be your best option or if you use your phone often for photography you might prefer the 12-megapixel shooter of the Xperia ion. We’d like to hear if you’re interested in either of these smartphones. Have you already made up your mind which one you prefer? What was the key factor in your decision? Let us know with your comments.
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10 thoughts on “HTC One X vs Sony Xperia ion head-on for AT&T”
One X will get phone around May 6th with pre-order Sony was not in ballpark-other option was waiting for Samsung S3
the one XL (AT&T version of one X) will have 16GB of internal storage, not 32GB like the international version. the article is incorrect at that statement. that was the deciding factor for me, i can not live off of 16GB storage without the option to expand, so i will be waiting for the Ion to come out and purchase that one.
XL? Â AT&T is calling it the One X, just like the international version.
Waiting for the ion, it also has a wide array of accessories including the Smartdock by Sony. And I love the feeling of sturdiness of the new Sony phones, while they may not be the thinnest, it’s comforting to know that you can drop your phone a couple times without it being destroyed. Battery is also a big thing.
I mean c’mon….its the Ion haha. Gotta wait….then again, I’ve always been an Xperia fan, ever since the X1. So I’m probably biased I haven’t even looked at the other phones :/
why the heck would the ion not having ics be the deciding factor if it is going to get it within a month of release(at the very most)?
anyone who believes a smartphone’s OS version will be updated (gingerbread to ICS) less than a month after the device’s release is being extremely naive.
okay, thanks… regardless, the average buyer (and me)Â doesnt give a crap wether the phone has gingerbread, ice cream sandwhich, or keylime pie… as long as it works and looks nice.
The Xperia ion is my choice because it is said to have a battery capable of 10 hours of talk time.Â
i live in taiwan, have the sony xperia s, but my contract needed to be renewed so i was able to get the one x for only around 50US$, i havent opened it cuz i just want to sell it and get the ion as soon as it comes out… which is supposed to be soon here… but none of the sony stores can give a sale date… the longer i look at this htc box the more im thinking of opening it! i’m not a fan of the new sync/ sony bridge for mac that they have forced on us but the 16g built in with 32g expandable option is a major selling point… as much as they piss me off most of the time, i am a huge sony boy… gotta love that camera!