Guest PaulOBrien Posted September 19, 2012 Report Share Posted September 19, 2012 At an event that has just wrapped up in New York, HTC have announced their two new Windows Phone devices, the 'Windows Phone 8X by HTC' and it's lower end sibling, the 'Windows Phone 8S by HTC', labelled by Microsoft as 'THE signature phones of Windows Phone 8'! The first thing you notice when you see the new devices is the colours, including California Blue, Graphite Black, Flame Red and Limelight Yellow for the Windows Phone 8X, by HTC and Domino Black-White, Fiesta Red, Atlantic Blue and High-Rise Grey-Yellow for the Windows Phone 8S. Limelight Yellow in particular looks amazing. Having had a play with the devices I can see that they look even better in the flesh than they do on the page. :) Don't be fooled into thinking that because the devices are colourful they are Lumia knock-offs - in reality they feel very different. With an innovative pyramid stacked internal design, the devices have what HTC call a 'pillow' design that makes them feel thin in the hand and it does indeed work. HTC call it the 3D embodiment of a live tile. Not sure I buy that, but they sure are nice. :) What's particularly key to note is that the devices are not Android re-badges, they are designed from the ground up. A number of premium features have made the leap from Android to Windows Phone (at least on the 8X), including HTC's camera experience and Beats audio. Beats audio on the 8X includes a dedicated amplifier that powers the 3.5mm jack and speaker. As well as inclusion of HTC's ImageSense chip (now called the ImageChip) and a dedicated camera button, the 8X features a 2.1mp, f/2.0 aperture, 88° ultra-wide angle front-facing camera that allows up to four people and more to be captured at once, while also supporting 1080p video capture. The 8S does not include a front camera. More details on the 'Windows Phone 8X by HTC' specifications... Qualcomm S4 1.5 GHz dual-core processor4.3" 720P SLCD2 display with Gorilla Glass1GB RAM16GB storage8 megapixel camera with auto focus, LED flash and BSI sensor (for better low-light captures), f/2.0 aperture and 28mm lens, 1080p HD video recording with stereo sound. Dedicated HTC ImageChipWi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n (2.4GHz)MicroSIMNFC capable132.35 x 66.2 x 10.12mm130g1800 mAh battery and the 'Windows Phone 8S by HTC'... Qualcomm S4 1 GHz dual-core4" WVGA LCD display with Gorilla Glass512MB RAM4GB storage5 megapixel camera with auto focus and LED flash, f/2.8 aperture and 35mm lens, 720p HD video recording with stereo soundBluetooth 2.1 + EDRWi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n (2.4GHz)MicroSIMMicroSD expansion120.5 x 63 x 10.28mm113g1700 mAh battery The Windows Phone 8X by HTC will be available in 50 countries beginning in early November with 126 mobile operators. The Windows Phone 8S by HTC will be available in 52 countries beginning in November with more than 146 mobile operators. In the UK, all HTC's UK Operator, Retail and Distribution partners will be ranging both the Windows Phone 8X and 8S by HTC: Three, Orange, T-Mobile, Vodafone, O2, Virgin Media, Carphone Warehouse, Phones4u, Brightpoint and Brightstar Tech Data The phones will also be ranged by a number of other operators including AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon Wireless in the USA; Vodafone, Orange and T-Mobile in Europe; and Telstra, Vodafone Australia, Singapore Telecommunications Group, Chunghwa Telecom, Smartone, Optus and Telecom NZ in Asia-Pacific. Click here to view the item Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Kyrii Posted September 19, 2012 Report Share Posted September 19, 2012 I think that Nokia's phones are better than this phones Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Stuart_f Posted September 19, 2012 Report Share Posted September 19, 2012 8S is meh, last year's hardware in a pretty package. Who knows - it'll probably sell really well but nothing for enthusiasts to get excited about. 8X is interesting. Nice camera but the deal breaker (other than WP8!) is lack of LTE for EE in UK. Why would I pay a premium for an LTE phone and then accept 3G speeds? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest PaulOBrien Posted September 20, 2012 Report Share Posted September 20, 2012 It will have LTE on supported providers. P Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Stuart_f Posted September 20, 2012 Report Share Posted September 20, 2012 Yes, "supported providers" can mean anything though :P It seems there's 2 versions floating around, the US version is quad band with LTE support but the International Version lacks 1800 (Band 3) LTE. The Australians are already complaining because band 3 is what they need for Telstra. http://www.computerworld.com.au/article/436948/preview_htc_windows_phone_8x/?fp=4&fpid=18 "The most disappointing omission on the HTC Windows Phone 8X is the lack of 4G connectivity. The device will support LTE networks used in the US, but the international model is a regular, quad-band 3G device. This means it won't work on the 1800MHz LTE band used in Australia by Telstra and Optus' 4G networks" 1800MHz is also what EE use in UK so unless we get the US version of the phone there's no LTE for us Brits. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest PaulOBrien Posted September 21, 2012 Report Share Posted September 21, 2012 There will be a EE version i'm told? P Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts