HTC One Max

User opinions and reviews

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S
Senku
NuQ
05 Feb 2014

Have been using the One Max now for over three weeks. Its an amazing device.

D
AnonD-230571
PF8
05 Feb 2014

3:54 PM

So I got the opportunity from HTC to test out HTC One Max and I've been using it for two months now and I must say I'm impressed. Since my previous phone was HTC One S (I thought it was *good* enough and I never had any problems with it), moving up to One Max is totally an amazing experience. Despite the big size (two-hands holding phablet but I easily adjusted to), HTC One Max really is a must have if you're into multimedia smartphone.

It escalades my entartainment experience:

5'9" screen and such clarity is indulgent for my eyes to watch video, and games.

The double front speakers (and boomsound!) deliver great audio more than I expected.

And the fingerprint scanner is really helpful to secure my phone (prevent my toddlers to unlock and play it out). Some users might find the difficulty to run this feature due to the scanner position or etc, but for me it's perfect. I am able unlock/launch an app by scanning it right 4 out of 5 trials.

HTC did their work well by Sense 5.5:

The smooth UI is undebatable.

Blinkfeed feature that gives me a quick round up for news and my soc med accounts.

The ability to organize icons in app drawer pleases me.

Video hilight and Zoe camera outstands this phone to any others at its group.

Anyway, two features in One Max that I really enjoy now are:

HTC Scribble (built-in feature) to write/share notes in so many exciting ways (yes, it includes a photo blog template and many more!)

Dual capture option that allows me to take picture both front and rear camera at the same time resulting both good photo especially for indoor/low light photo (as long as I don't zoom in).

For a sum, I score this phone 9 out of 10.

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AnonD-229817
dWh
02 Feb 2014

HTC One Max, this device is aimed at everyone who enjoy phablets while enjoying everything HTC has to offer. The HTC One Max features a 5.9-inch Full HD display, a 1.7GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 600 processor and a fingerprint scanner on the back of the device. HTC was kind enough to provide me with a device for testing and review.

Design
The HTC One Max has a few changes comapred to the HTC One design, but it’s still made out of a premium aluminum material with a few tweaks to the design. The front is pretty much the same with larger 5.9-inch Full HD display. Below the screen you can find two capacitive buttons, HTC logo between them, and dual-stereo speakers even lower. While above the screen you will find second dual-stereo speaker, front-facing camera and sensors.

The only big change on the back panel is the inclusion of a fingerprint scanner, which is located below the camera. On the left side of the camera you still have LED flash, and white plastic that has a hidden microphone. At the back center you can find HTC logo, and on bottom right you will find standard HTC dock pins.

While sides of the phone are now made of white polycarbonate it still provides you with a premium quality. While the Max is 164.5 x 82.5 x 10.29mm in size you can still reach notification with one hand, but keep in mind you need a good grip case and a large hand. Don’t try to manage this when you first get the device, because a period of adjustment is expected when handling a larger device.

Fingerprint scanner
The HTC One Max is one of the few smartphones that feature a fingerprint scanner, but it’s located at the rear of the phone here. When you look at the back of the phone you will see the scanner loacated under the camera. It allows you to unlock the phone, launch apps while providing you with security if you don’t want other people unlocking your phone.

When you are setting up the fingerprint scanner, you can choose which finger to use, but it recommends you use your index finger. You can use one finger to unlock your device, second to launch the camera and third any application you want.

An important thing to remember is to use your finger as you would use it to unlock while holding the device. On occasion you will feel little frustrated when using fingerprint scanner, but only until you get how things are handled. This is why it’s important to scan your fingerprint while holding your device.

Software
The HTC One Max is the first device to ship with Sense 5.5, and this Sense version includes tweaks and new features. Sense 5.5 looks and feels like Sense 5, but it has been improved and optimized to improve user experience.

You probably already know about BlinkFeed, and how similar it is to Flip Board. Same idea but in my opinion BlinkFeed is much easier to use and setup when you first start your phone. It’s baked into Sense, but you can turn it off if you are not a fan.
New version of BlinkFeed supports custom RSS, Instagram and Google+ social network. Great thing is how HTC keeps updating available list of content in BlinkFeed, and now more and more international content is available so be sure to add your favorite local content provider.

Scribble
The One Max includes Scribble, an app which allows you to write down notes, create documents from templates and just have fun on a big screen. You can write with virtual keyboard, pencil and few other pen tips like paint brush and a marker. Import photos, audio and mix it up with some clip art from the app.

Entertainment
Video playback is something you will enjoy on this device with large screen and BoomSound speakers, but the default video player has only standard options. For full experience you will need a video player like MX Player from Play Store. If you are using local videos, YouTube content or wide variety of streaming services like Hulu or Netflix you will love the experience.

Gaming is also a plus on Max as all games run great on it, and with 5.9-inch screen and BoomSound the games are amazing. I am not a big gamer, but I have played more games on Max then on One just because it’s easier on a larger screen.

Camera
The camera application on HTC One Max itself did not change from HTC One. The camera app will allow you to use several modes such as the scene, Night mode, HDR, Sweep Panorama, Dual Capture and Anti-Shake. You also have standard settings like timer, crop, video quality, white balance and others.

HTC Zoe is also present on HTC One Max, and if you don’t know this feature will allow you to take about 20 photos, with short 3 second video. This will allow you to create sequence shots, draw on photos, crop, rotate and save your best shoot.

In HTC One Max you will find same 4MP Ultrapixel camera included in the HTC One. Even if camera on Max is missing OIS it’s still amazing camera with a lot of features. For regular users it’s just as on One because OIS on it didn’t kick in to allow a longer shutter with reduced ISO and noise. So the images on One and One Max are just as good.

Sound
Usually the manufacturers tend to use low cost speakers on phones which don’t impress us or even users, but the speakers on the HTC One have impressed us and a lot of users. The Max is here with even better sound thanks to bigger speakers, and it will provide you with a good range of highs, medium and low-level sounds.

The speakers will provide you with perfect video and movie watching experience. When we consider other devices on the market, nothing comes close except perhaps the One. Beats Audio is gone but I don’t miss it, and if you want EQ you can still use apps for that.

Headphone output offers nice, clean and vibrant sound while offering good volume it you like to turn it up.

Performance
Nothing much has changes with processor since One was released, and this means the One Max is on par with One. You have tested Snapdragon 600 and you won’t have any complanint with it, but if you compare it with Snapdragon 800 it’s just load times for large applications and games. HTC decided to use Snapdragon 600 which is tested and very powerful, but if they decided to use Snapdragon 800 the price of HTC One Max would probably be higher.

The performance is good, and there is no lag or any problems with the device. Four cores and a 1.7GHz are here to provide good gaming and UI performance while still giving you a lot of life from battery. HTC was kind enough to provide me a device for testing and review.

Battery
The HTC One Max has a larger size batter when compared with HTC One, and this means the battery capacity has increased to 3300mAh. This is something that will make a lot of people happy considering you can get a lot on an HSPA+ network. The battery will provide enough juice for a day of heavy use. For me personally the battery last about 25-30 hours of moderate to heavy use, but this is relevant on how you use the device. For light use it lasted 3 days with few calls, sms, browsing and social channels.

Conclusion
I have been using One Max for almost 2 months now, and I love it. Even today when I use it I am surprised with the screen, battery life and just how much it’s easier to use a device if the screen is bigger. When we consider the quality design, screen, battery and KitKat update that should be released soon it’s easy to conclude how much you’re going to enjoy this device.

HTC One Max is a great phone, and there’s a lot of things to like about it like metallic design, 5.9-inch high-resolution display to the awesome BoomSound speakers and great battery life.

If you have enjoyed the hardware on HTC One, but wanted a phablet expirience then HTC One Max is a device you will enjoy.

a
adrian
tA$
02 Feb 2014

give me 1 pls :)

j
josh
utc
02 Feb 2014

The best phone ive used till date! Playing movies and games on a smartphone has reached new heights thanks to the one max! The size and the pixel density gives a unique experience together, It fits in the hands perfectly and huge enough to grab attention! The One max takes up any tasks on its way with ease, Sense 5.5 To be honest, this is the best UI i have come across in recent times, its neat and simple, Lag-free and efficient, Coming to the battery back up, The 3300 mah battery does justice to this huge phone, even under extremely heavy usage it lasts up-to a full day with some more juice left! The Htc one max is a total mixture of everything you need! Finger print scanner on this phone works perfectly and gives you the feel of living in the future! Coming to the camera, LOW LIGHT performance couldn't get better! It out performs its rivals with a large margin! Expandable memory comes in handy for people storing files according to their preference! I thank HTC for sending me this beauty to test-out and OH my! This gem never failed to impress me! Sense 5.5, BlinkFeed, and Sense TV and the list goes on! This is a must have device, Its the best smart phone money can buy at present, so, if you got the cash, head to a store and get one, you will never regret!

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AnonD-223654
UD%
01 Feb 2014

AnonD-229589, 01 Feb 2014This phone is whole heartedly the best phone I have ever ow... moreWe both have the same opinion on One max. very good! I also have this phone since Nov 29,2013. :-)

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AnonD-229589
6uM
01 Feb 2014

This phone is whole heartedly the best phone I have ever owned. With no shadow of a doubt. My first impressions when this device was announced is that it was FAR too big, I’m not really a “phablet” fan, however owning this device has changed my mind in a big way. There’s a few little issues I’ve had with it, but nothing too significant. I’ll go in to detail about that later on however.
Where to start?! The size would be a good starting point. Do not let the size put you off purchasing this phone. The size was my biggest concern about this device (I thought my HTC One X+ was a big phone before owning this device!). I was worried I’d look silly with it, that I’d be unable to keep it in my pocket or it’d take up too much room in my bag. All silly things to worry about. Yes, the phone is big, with its massive 5.9” LCD3 touchscreen, but you WILL fall in love with the size after a while, and all other phones seem tiny and unusable after a while. The bigger screen is amazing. The colour and clarity on this device is better than my recently purchased laptop! It’s on par with an iPad retina display. At first it was difficult to handle the large screen, and I found myself stretching more to use it, but you soon get used to it and will learn to love it. When playing games on this phone, I found not only the excellent CPU speed, but the bigger screen makes for a better gaming experience.
Next we have the battery, there’s nothing I can fault about this battery, other than the fact you cannot remove it. A standard charge will last me on average 2/2.5 days depending on how much I use the phone. I always leave powersaver on and make sure mobile data is off when I don’t need it, and the screen brightness turned to auto. The battery is just phenomenal. Compared to all other smartphones I’ve used, I’ve no worry of this device dying on me when I need it most.
This handset comes with a microSD slot for memory upgrade (it can take up to 64gb), which I definitely would recommend you purchase a good sized microSD card to go with. I tried using just the stock 16gb memory, however, I couldn’t get anywhere near as much on the phone as I did on my HTC One X+. I now have a 16gb SD card in as well as the stock memory.
The camera has to be one of my favourite parts of this phone. I love taking photos with my phone. After a recent move to the Scottish Highlands, the camera on this phone has been whipped out at every given opportunity to take photos of the stunning scenery surrounding me! I thought the camera would be lower quality than what I was used to with the HTC One X+, however the 4 megapixel with Ultrapixel technology is just amazing. I personally feel the camera on my HTC One max is superior to the 8mp camera on the One X+. There’s loads of fantastic options for image adjustment, as well as Zoe. Zoe isn’t something I’ve used as much, but definitely a good feature to have. The clarity and colours the camera picks up is just amazing. Again, no complaints there.
There’s just so many cool tricks and features that come with this phone. Not only does the great screen allow for easier photoshopping/adjustments via 3rd party apps, but the phone also comes with a few neat little apps also, HTC Scribble and HTC TV. The TV app doesn’t work with our Sky box, however it works perfectly as a remote control for our television. Scribble is a good little app also. It recognises your handwriting and converts it to notes for you, still in your own handwriting.
The fingerprint scanner is one thing that I have not got along with. I found it to be unreliable, and within the first few days of having it, got myself locked out of the phone because it wouldn’t recognise my fingerprint! There is the option of putting in a password, but me being silly, I forgot what the password was! Luckily I remembered and managed to unlock with no issues, but a word of warning would be to remember what the password is as you will need it if the scanner fails 3 times! I turned the fingerprint scanner off in the end, we just don’t get along!
Another feature I’m not too keen on is BlinkFeed. Thankfully the HTC One max has the option to turn it off however. I prefer my homescreen with my customisable wallpapers, and my apps! I did find BlinkFeed more reliable on this device though than the upgrade for the HTC One X+.
This phone comes with a hardcase for your device in the box. This is definitely a must until you get another protective cover, and I would highly recommend you do get one, mainly because the size of it, it can fall out of pockets a little easier. The case that comes with it is certainly a good temporary cover, however it’s not very good for long term use. The corners on mine have cracked and the case is slowly falling to bits. The in-earphones that come with the device are great quality also. I do still prefer my Dre Beats though. BoomSound is another good feature of this phone. The sound quality that comes with it is just amazing, you can hear the bass a lot clearer, and it doesn’t sound as tinny as a normal set of phone speakers would.
This phone is definitely worth every penny. I’ve fallen in love with it and will not be parting with it for a very long time. I would like to thank HTC for giving me the phone to test out. It was a massive privilege and lots of fun!

n
nikk
34F
01 Feb 2014

Guys simple thing..I got this phone like a month ago and my friend around that time got galaxy note 3 and we compared.
I must say one max is faster than note 3
Much more snappier than note 3
1) Like for the proximity sense note 3 lags a lot..when take u it of from ur ears
2) yucky plastic feel on note 3 whereas max is just fantastic..love aluminum and that rigid body
3) sound ..omg boombox is way better
4) max just overall is very snappy..fast u open stuff u close it is like quick..
On the other hand I found note 3 lot slower than max
5) battery on both is good
6) searching a contact and calling him is more easy and faster on max
7) camera is better on note 3
Overall max is more fast and is just a beautiful elegant sleek phone..and u won't regret it
Even my friend is selling his note 3 and getting max..so yeah

n
nazmul
9xF
01 Feb 2014

Can anyone tell me how it feels to use HTC.

P
Platonicdudedev
nx@
01 Feb 2014

Guys i am really intrested to buy this phablet but for the 1st time i am going to buy htc brand so i am litte afraid. pls tel me the advantage or disadvantage of this phablet pls pls pls

n
nick
RKk
30 Jan 2014

God damn d phone is amazing.

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AnonD-220775
6Qn
29 Jan 2014

Lovely phablet
gonna get one soon

J
Joe
X31
29 Jan 2014

I had this phone about 3 months now I love this phone so much....

l
lex
PHu
27 Jan 2014

there's no beatsaudio!!!!!

O
Oudjat
pgv
27 Jan 2014

I already had a Htc One but I wanted a bigger screen because I play a lot and I spend a lot of time on the internet .
Well, I must admit that it Htc Max One is really great.
Autonomy is simply monstrous and I managed to hold my 48 hours with intensive use I saw .... :)
Another strong point that made me choose the Max is that it is the only phablette with 2 speakers on the front, we finally have a true stereo sound for movies , music and games !
The screen is great too with its 5.9 inches and a faithful reproduction of the super responsive couleurs.Ecran , nothing to say .
The camera is really nice, the photos are excellent qualities for a phone but do not expect to take a photo pro. For cons , the Zoe system to take videos of 30 seconds to make a montage with sound and send it to his family, is one amazingly simple . :)

Htc has yet opted for a beautiful piece aluminum exterior finish and I must say it is one of the most beautiful moment. We are far from my old plastic finishes Note 2 .

Only weak point of this little Max, is that it lacks a suite to enjoy the big screen. I have indeed seen the opportunity to share the screen in two to take advantage of these two applications simultaneously .

Aside from that, I am very very happy with my phone .... heuuu phablette , because he is still big . LOL

O
Oudjat
pgv
27 Jan 2014

h
hariri
PF5
26 Jan 2014

can someone tell me the different between HTC one max and Samsung S4? i want buy HTC one max but i dont know well about this phone. too risk. pls?

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AnonD-227474
6vM
25 Jan 2014

I went to buy this phone and the price was 625$ in Erbil / Iraq, but I stopped buying because it does not contain the Arab language frankly device was amazingly strong and will come back to buy it after that and found a way to incorporate the Arabic language

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Anthony
8yP
25 Jan 2014

AnonD-20215, 25 Jan 2014Definitely different from what the photos seem like on the ... moreI am a SIII user for the past 2 years, it’s my first official Android phone (had android dual boot on a HTC HD2 before). But i think this year it’s time to move on and I’m interested in this phone.
1. Could you give me and idea of how long i could expect the battery to last if i use the waze app about 5 hours a day, web browsing about 2 hours and average to low use for the rest of things?
2. How long does it take to charge from 0% on a wall outlet and PC USB port?
3. How does the remote app work? can i set it up so the volume adjust the TV but the channels control the cable box, or do i have to setup 2 different remotes and switch between them?

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AnonD-20215
jCQ
25 Jan 2014

Definitely different from what the photos seem like on the internet. The phone is quite a looker. Without feeling clunky and chunky, the phone feels incredible in the hand. The screen is also absolutely gorgeous. Yea you can argue it doesn't have top of the line processor, but android and HTC sense has made that a non-issue. The speed is great. I have had this phone for 3 months and the entertainment value + battery life makes everything worth it. I watch netflix on my phone everyday. The boomsound speakers are even louder than the HTC One's. Incredible. Don't get tricked by crappy photos of this phone.

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