Analyzed: HTC One V

A couple of weeks ago, we took a look at HTC's latest top of the line offering, the HTC One X. We also got a chance to review X's little brother, the HTC One V. This is the entry level version of 3 new models that HTC has released under the One banner. We have the S, the V and the top dog, the X. 

The HTC One V features a unique curved chin design that makes it easy to hold and you almost get the feeling of holding a regular phone. Like all One series phones, it packs an impressive list of features including a camera that captures every moment (even in low light) with crisp, vivid, beautiful photos. Plus, you get Beats Audio speakers that allow you to hear authentic, deep sound. The speakers are among the loudest we have heard on smartphones and the base is also very deep (for a phone). If you are tired of the ginormous phones that are coming out in the market, you will be happy to know that all these features come in a package that has a display size of 3.7" (a little larger than the iPhone 4S' 3.5" screen) and weighing in at a petty 115g (among the lightest we have tested). The display is good but not as good as, say a similarly priced Samsung or Nokia. Still considering the screen size, you won't be complaining while watching videos or cycling through your pictures. The other tech specs are as follows:

1. 3.7" screen at a resolution of 800 x 480 pixels
2. Qualcomm single-core 1GHz processor
3. 512MB RAM
4. 4GB internal storage plus up to 32GB via an external microSD card
5. 5MP camera with LED flash
6. Android Version 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich)
7. 720P HD video recording - also allows photo capture while video recording
8. Battery capacity: 1500mAh
9. Weight: 115g

Based on our testing, we felt the HTC One V was held back by the single-core processor. Every time we tried to run some memory intensive applications or just plain multi-tasking we noticed significant lag in loading apps or just cycling through the menus themselves. This is the only sore point we had when testing the phone. Battery life is pretty average and we got a little under 6 hours with heavy use (gaming, watching videos, browsing). All said, it is not a bad phone for being an an entry-level model. It is a true testament to how far technology has come now that the features included in the One V are considered a entry-level features.

Our Rating: 

The HTC One V is currently on sale in India for around Rs. 17,500 (~$350).