HTC SENSATION SMARTPHONE

             Like most HTC handsets, the Sensation is designed to be slick, and the curved edges and dark tones make for an elegant device. It features a 4.3-inch display with a 540 x 960 pixel resolution; just a few pixels shy of the Retina Display. Encased in Gorilla glass, fingerprints may be a slight issue, but scratches won’t. Although HTC’s Sense UI version 3.0 doesn’t really bring too much new to the table, it does add quite a bit of cosmetic appeal. For starters, the Lock screen is all new with a circle-dragto- open feature and the option to have four quick access shortcuts. A 3D-ish scrolling setting has also been thrown in to make the UI a little more attractive.
             There was considerable lag with various widgets each time we locked the handset for awhile and then unlocked it. Sense UI was a bit of a mess, although we could attribute it to being an issue with this test unit, as you don’t expect sluggishness from a Gingerbread device running on a 1.2 GHz dual-core CPU with Adreno 220 GPU. Other than the issue with speed, HTC Sense UI is still the most competent interface to come preloaded onto a phone.
              The display itself is not as vibrant as Xperia Arc or the Galaxy S II, but in terms of image sharpness and color saturation, we prefer it even if it’s a little harder to see in bright sunlight. Another bit of a let down was the video playback. None of our DivX videos worked, so we were forced to download a third party player. Although the Sensation has no HDMI-out support, it does support TV-out via MHL as well as DLNA for streaming. Audio playback wasn’t an issue though. Tones were crisp and clear at a high enough decibel level. With the added bonus of EQ presets and SRS enhancements, we thoroughly enjoyed the Sensation’s music prowess.
               For connectivity, the Sensation’s got it all, from 3G with HSDPA 14.4 Mbps and HSUPA 5.76 Mbps, Wi-Fi with Hot Spot creation and DLNA, tethering support, Bluetooth 3.0 with A2DP and USB 2.0 with MHL. Thanks to Adobe Flash 10.3 support, Web browsing is enhanced, and setting up email is simple even for Microsoft Exchange. For the GPS module, aside from Google Maps, HTC’s Locations includes Footprints for Geotagging, adding notes to images, and 3D mapping with directions.
               The Sensation is equipped with an 8 megapixel auto and touch focus camera with a dual LED flash. It features various camera settings and fun effects, including white balance, scene modes, ISO options, geotagging and face detection. Video records at 1080p and quality, although slightly jittery, was not too bad. Image quality is sharp, but just a little grainy in native resolution, while colors seemed to be retained quite well. On a full charge, the Sensation ran for about a day and a half, with standalone talk time of about 5 hours.
               With a price tag of Rs. 32,000, which is Rs 2,000 more than the Galaxy S II, we’re not convinced that the Sensation is a worthy consideration. In fact, we’d rather go with the Incredible S that’s priced much lower.

VERDICT: A POWERFUL HIGH-END SMARTPHONE WITH A FEW DRAWBACKS.
FOR: Great display, good camera.
AGAINST: Buggy UI, poor video playback, expensive.

SPECIFICATIONS
www.htc.com/in
Dimensions (WxHxD): 126.1 x 65.4 x 11.3 mm;
Weight: 148 g; Processor: 1.2 GHz dual-core processor,
Adreno 220 GPU; Memory: 1 GB internal; RAM: 768
MB; Display: 4.3-inch S-LCD, 540x940; Camera: 8 MP,
1080p video; Data: GPRS, EDGE, 3G, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi
N, microUSB.