The HTC One X was one of the smartphones that made the most waves at MWC last week and it appears from the attention that it’s drumming up, that we could have a real contender to the Apple iPhone 5 and the Samsung Galaxy S3 (S III). The iPhone 5 and SGS3 have long been anticipated as highlights for this year but the One X is definitely a threat from what we know so far.
The specs and features for the HTC One X are now official while they remain a mystery for the iPhone 5 and the Galaxy S3. Let’s take a look first at the One X and see what it has to offer. This has a lot of phone enthusiasts excited as it will be one of the first wave of smartphones featuring quad-core processors. Specs and features include the NVIDIA 1.5GHz Tegra 3 quad-core processor (except for AT&T in the U.S. where it will feature the Qualcomm S4 dual-core chip and have LTE connectivity).
Other inclusions are a 4.7-inch HD touchscreen, 8-megapixel rear shooter with 1080p HD video capture capability and a 1.3-megapixel front-facing camera. It will operate on Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, the very latest Android OS, layered with HTC Sense 4.0. There’s also 1GB of RAM and 32GB of internal storage. The HTC One X is a very decent looking handset and weighs 130g with dimensions of 134.36mm x 69.9mm x 8.9mm, features Beats Audio, NFC and a 1800mAh battery. We’d say that all in all it offers a huge amount and will satisfy even the most demanding smartphone buyer.
As far as a release goes the HTC One X is expected in April so could certainly get a head start on sales over the S3 and iPhone 5. The Galaxy S3 does not have a confirmed release date yet but we expect to hear more on that soon from a Samsung event this month. However there has been speculation that this could also release in April or that the launch may coincide with the Olympics 2012, which begins in July. As for the iPhone 5 it was rumored for a summer release but most of the experts now seem to feel a fall release is much more likely. If this turns out to be accurate then both the One X and the Galaxy S3 may turn out to be just too tempting to some who may have been potential iPhone customers.
As far as specs and features go for the Galaxy S3 and the iPhone 5 obviously we can only go on rumors and leaks as these have not yet been announced. Nevertheless we do have an idea of what is highly expected. For the Galaxy S3 we anticipate a step up to a quad-core processor, likely the Exynos (either 1.5 or 1.8GHz). Also expected are a larger 4.8-inch Super AMOLED Plus display, 2GB of RAM, 32GB of internal memory, a 10 or even 12-megapixel rear camera with 1080p video recording, and possibly LTE connectivity, NFC and 3D support. This will also use the Android 4.0 ICS operating system.
Turning to the iPhone 5 it seems that an improved processor is on the cards (possibly quad-core) while other anticipated inclusions are LTE connectivity, an improved camera (maybe 12-megapixels), longer lasting battery, NFC support and a move up to a larger 4-inch display. The iPad 3, to be announced today is believed to be coming on iOS 5.1 so the iPhone 5, if released in fall, may even feature the following iOS 6.0 operating system.
If the Galaxy S3 and iPhone 5 turn up with most of what we are expecting they will be formidable smartphones but it seems that the HTC One X has plenty to offer and as it’s only just around the corner it could steal some of the competition from Samsung and Apple’s flagship handsets. We’d like to know what you think about these three smartphones. Have you already decided which one is for you, maybe from previous purchases? Maybe you’ve decided to wait for confirmed specs on all three until you make your final choice?