Making mobile phone purchasing decisions is tough. And it isn’t helped by the fact that no sooner do you buy a device when the same company releases a new model and the whole process starts over. Knowing the ins and outs of different models can really help you to make your decision, which is how we’re here to help. HTC is a mobile manufacturer with a pretty good reputation for producing sleek and reliable devices. However, like most companies, it produces several competing lines of phones. Its two best known lines are both Android operating system lines, the Desire and the One. We wanted to know how these two lines held up against each other. We took a phone from each line, both of which run Android’s 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich operating system, and both of which retail for similar prices, to find out which was better. For Desire we have the HTC Desire X, and for One we have the HTC One XL. So, do we desire Desire? Or is One number one? Read on to find out…
Is the HTC One XL Number One?
The One XL has a lot going for it. Firstly, it’s a lot faster. It runs a 1500 MHz processor, rather than the 1000 MHz processor on the Desire, making it more powerful, snappier and more responsive. Plus, it has thirty per cent more RAM. Extra RAM helps with responsiveness but also makes the phone better at multi-tasking and handling the running of more than one process at a time. The screen is also superior, and bigger, measuring in at 4.7 inches as opposed to the four inches of the Desire. The display also has two and a half times higher resolution and thirty per cent more PPI (pixels per inch), making for a screen that’s noticeably brighter, more colourful and sharper than that of the Desire. The camera also has a higher resolution, its 8 MP (as compared to the 5 MP on the Desire) making for photos that have more fine detail and are just of a higher quality than those taken by the Desire X. And it shoots video in full HD too. On top of all that, you get a lot more internal storage on the One XL, which comes with 32 GB of internal memory, as opposed to the mere 4 GB on the Desire. For you, that mean you can store a massive eight times more music, videos, games and photos on your device, which is a pretty big difference. The XL is definitely an extra-large package…
Do We Desire the HTC Desire X?
Well, not really. In our tests, the only thing that the Desire had over the One XL was that it came in twenty per cent smaller and around ten per cent lighter. But that’s probably due to the fact that it has a far smaller screen than the One XL.
And the Winner Is…
The HTC One XL was the undisputed champion here. It’s just a better phone, faster, with a better screen and camera, and with a lot more storage. Not all lines are created equal, and the One line is far superior to the Desire line.
Phil Turner has found that the easiest way to compare mobile phones is to make a shortlist and then to compare the phones on the shortlist in pairs, discounting the underdog in each comparison,
Great review !