HTC One review: To rule them all

Retail package is par for the course

The HTC One comes with the standard set of accessories to look for in a smartphone's retail box, premium or else. A pair of headphones (the cool looking red earbuds are a nice touch) is joined by an A/C adapter to use with the supplied microUSB cable.

Retail package contents

There's also an HTC-branded SIM eject pin in case you need to swap microSIM cards. Since the HTC One doesn't have a microSD slot, there's obviously no memory card in the package. The base version has 32GB of internal storage, which should be more than enough for the majority of users.

HTC One 360-degree spin

The HTC One measures 137.4 x 68.2 x 9.3mm, which makes it slightly more compact but thicker than the Xperia Z (139 x 71 x 7.9 mm). Of course the Xperia has a larger screen and water resistance to show for it, but the size difference seems adequate to us.

Comparisons with the Samsung Galaxy S4 (136.6 x 69.8 x 7.9 mm) aren't as flattering for the HTC flagship. The aluminum unibody is way superior, aesthetically, and definitely worth an extra millimeter here and there but a replaceable battery and memory expansion give the Samsung smartphone an important advantage.

HTC One sized up against the Sony Xperia Z and HTC Butterfly

As for the HTC One weight of 143g, we have to say that the smartphone strikes a good balance between feel and portability.

Design and handling

The combination of metal and glass gives the HTC One a premium feel that few other smartphones can match. The handset is an instantly recognizable HTC device following the design philosophy of its predecessors, but is clearly more sophisticated than any of them - without being overdesigned.

The exquisitely built HTC One wouldn't look out of place in a luxury phone shop alongside Vertus, Mobiados and the likes. Even the glass-clad Sony Xperia Z, which oozes with style, can't match the compelling simplicity of the HTC One. The Apple iPhone 5 probably comes the closest, but its design is starting to get a little played out and there's way too much bezel at the front.

Handling the HTC One

The HTC One is a bit narrower than the HTC One X, which makes its handling a bit easier. A slimmer waistline might have helped even further, but let's not get greedy. To put things into perspective though, the Galaxy S4 about the size of the HTC flagship (slimmer, and a tad shorter) and has a larger screen at that.