Trouble in paradise? HTC One S / X owners reporting hardware problems

[Guest PaulOBrien]

The HTC One S and One X are wonderful devices... if you read my One X review you&#39;ll know i&#39;m a big fan and (spoiler alert) i&#39;m rather taken with the One S too... but it does seem that there might be some hardware problems coming to light as the devices hit the street.<br />

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The first issue, which affects the One X, is one that I mentioned in my review. On the One X, the camera module on the back protudes considerably from the device and the plastic covering the camera will touch the surface on which you are placing the device face up. The camera surround doesn&#39;t have a lip and I reasoned that this might leave the device susceptible to scratches. It seems I was right... I have a scratch on mine - and i&#39;ve had another report from a user that they have the same. <img src='http://android.modaco.com/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/sad.png' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':(' /><br />

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The second issue, which affects the black One S, is more worrying. I have been using my One S almost exclusively over the long weekend and I noticed that on the top edge of the device, it appeared that a small piece of the black coating had chipped off revealing the lighter metal underneath. Now, I should point out that I am EXTREMELY careful with my devices so I wouldn&#39;t expect this to have happened and I also hadn&#39;t dropped the device. I initially put this down to &#39;I must have knocked it against something without realising&#39;, but then I noticed a second area start to &#39;go&#39; and my worst fears were confirmed with a Tweet this morning from MoDaCo member piter1225 highlighted a XDA-Developers topic where others have had the issue. It does seem a problem with the &#39;micro arc oxidation&#39; coating that is on the black One S and not the grey device.<br />

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I have reached out to HTC for comment on both issues, but in the interim, it&#39;d be great if One X / One S owners could post here if they are / aren&#39;t experiencing similar problems.<br />

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Photo courtesy of mardon85 @ XDA-Developers<div style='text-align: center;'><img src='' alt='' /></div><div style='text-align: center;'><img src='http://content.modaco.net/dropzone/oneschip.jpg' alt='' /></div><br />

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[Guest rovex]

I think the more elaborate the material, the easier it is to damage. We have ceramic and polycarbonate superphones and even totally glass ones, but guess which phone still looks like new after a year.. the 'cheap' plastic SGS2.

All the more exotic ones look nasty in weeks. The old iPhones metal backs looked like they were attacked with a sandblaster in days and the glass ip4 gets scratched up and ugly in no time.

[Guest Rocky7]

I don't know what S2 you have. My S2 screen was mint. The incredibly cheap (Mr Kipling Tin Foil?) black metal surround chipped like crazy and the plastic heavily scuffed. The speaker grill was also losing "paint".

My stand out device for resilience was my Nexus One. That lived in my pocket with my change and keys and was hardly marked after 18 months when I finally retired it.

See photos of the awful SGS2 surround below.

I do have experience of quote a few phones :)

Edited April 10, 2012 by Rocky7

[Guest djgabi]

How can the One S housing worn? i tought its made from super-duper durable metal thing:

[Guest craig82]

My one s has signs of chipping. Microscopic at the moment but it hasn't even been outside or in my pocket as I'm waiting for a cover before everyday use. Not a good omen.

[Guest Shadman2011]

My One X has got scratches on the camera lens, I was worried that I was the only one that had. Not good news that it can be marked so easily, but glad to know I'm not the only one...

[Guest galileox]

Can anyone with the grey version confirm if this problem is also present in that version?

So far it looks like all reports come from owners of the black model.

[Guest Paul77]

The grey version doesn't have the same 'micro arc oxidation' finish as the black version - probably a good thing on the basis of the picture above.

[Guest PaulOBrien]

I don't expect this to affect the grey version...

P

[Guest Xmoo]

Nope, had the grey version for two months (Prototype) no issues there..

[Guest rovex]

I don't know what S2 you have. My S2 screen was mint. The incredibly cheap (Mr Kipling Tin Foil?) black metal surround chipped like crazy and the plastic heavily scuffed. The speaker grill was also losing "paint". My stand out device for resilience was my Nexus One. That lived in my pocket with my change and keys and was hardly marked after 18 months when I finally retired it. See photos of the awful SGS2 surround below. I do have experience of quote a few phones :)

I have no issues like that with my S2. It does have a few marks on the surround, but only because I dropped it on a hard tiled floor. My point was that the initial complaints that the back was plastic and the battery door was so thin haven't proved to be an issue. Its as good as anyone can expect a phone to be after a year.

Edited April 10, 2012 by rovex

[Guest Cass67]

Had my White One X for 5 days, no scratches on the camera lens here ... looks fine ..

[Guest skyster]

Had a HTC One X exactly 1 day and there are a couple of micro scratches on the lens cover. No Gorilla glass there it seems! A basic design flaw compounded by the fact that the rear cover isn't easily replaced like on my old Desire. My One X box says it's black but it looks more grey. No signs of the oxidation thankfully. If that happens it's going back! I'm now googling to see what kind of a case I can get that keeps the lens protected. If anyone has any recommendations please shout..

[Guest gavken]

Had mine a week (Grey version) no scratches on the lens. My case should arrive in the next day or two so I shouldn't be affected after that. I did have a wierd issue whereby the battery indicator was reporting that the battery wasn't charging but a reboot fixed this so must have been a software glitch.

So far I'm very happy with the device.

[Guest MZaza]

@skyster

Get a screen protector cut out carefully out of it a small piece to cover the lens, until you buy a decent case for your phone.

[Guest twrock]

I don't have either phone, but the protruding lens cover on a lot of phones is a poor design decision. There is no way it isn't going to scratch when it is the furthest thing sticking out of the back.

After replacing my phone's back cover because of scratched lens cover problem, I stacked up two paper hole punch reinforcers on the new lens cover, and solved the problem. It doesn't look the greatest because they are white, but it is effective. I suppose a couple of layers of black tape with a hole punched in the middle would do the same thing.

Manufacturers should take care of this common problem by designing their phones differently. The ring around the lens cover should always be raised slightly.

[Guest TonyL]

I know the guys at bestskinsever.com are about to cut the first skin for the X One, Ive asked if they can invoice me and send one over asap to review for the site. Always been very impressed with the skill of the person/machine that figures out the cutting!

Is there any value in asking them to add a teeny round skin to cover the lens? Im guessing this would impair the actual photograpgh, so Im guessing not..

Tony

[Guest TonyL]

agree with TWROCK. Create a .5mm raised lip around the lens, probably sort the issue.

[Guest spunkmonkyuk]

just noticed this morning,i have a slight dot of a scratch on the lens cover of my one x,bad design flaw..