HTC One Max review: Supersized

14 October 2013
It's phablet o'clock on HTC's watch and they're shifting gear and changing direction. Done expanding the One portfolio towards the compact end of the spectrum, HTC are going the other way with the aptly named One Max...

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  • s
  • st
  • K7g
  • 15 Oct 2013

The Z ultra is the UGGLIEST phablet around. It is so huge that it looks really cheap!
And this One Max is another fail..

Note3 is still the King of phones and phablets this 2013 ;)

    • D
    • AnonD-196454
    • MSx
    • 15 Oct 2013

    Very fast review, thanks!
    Waiting for battery test.

      • D
      • AnonD-45523
      • 7q9
      • 15 Oct 2013

      Anonymous, 15 Oct 2013S4 is fossil, s600 is ancient and s800 are history. Just wa... morethere is no s900...it will be a complete different naming system...a.k.a. next gen

        • ?
        • Anonymous
        • HI8
        • 15 Oct 2013

        Anonymous, 15 Oct 2013S4 is fossil, s600 is ancient and s800 are history. Just wa... moreI think the next one will be S1000.

          • D
          • AnonD-121109
          • vby
          • 15 Oct 2013

          Very fast gsmarena. Rather nice review for such a crappy device. I can't believe they dared launching it in such state even after seeing how Note 3 has turned out to be. Failure awaits now.

            • ?
            • Anonymous
            • v0X
            • 15 Oct 2013

            S4 is fossil, s600 is ancient and s800 are history. Just wait for s900!

              • T
              • Ted
              • uRE
              • 15 Oct 2013

              it's launched 1 day and there is already a review? huh?

                • ?
                • Anonymous
                • pF7
                • 15 Oct 2013

                Anonymous, 15 Oct 2013And the region lock makes it a no brainer, One Max is the o... moreYou are not going to buy one max either!

                  • J
                  • Jessica Lee
                  • IW9
                  • 15 Oct 2013

                  One Max: gimmicky nonsense ultra-pixel camera
                  Note 3: best phablet in 2013, no doubt, unless u really need an even larger screen then dont even bother to have look at this.
                  G Pro: good phablet spoiled by bad manufacturer aftersales service and late android updates
                  K900: the REAL black horse is this one, but of course the Intel processor can be tricky under certain circumstances
                  Ascend Mate: good solid phablet with mind-boggling battery life, but sadly spoiled by uninspiring processor
                  Z Ultra: slim and sleek (apart from those crazy bezel), but hopeless camera and typical rubbish Sony interface

                    • ?
                    • Anonymous
                    • mjP
                    • 15 Oct 2013

                    htc, one word for you - lenovo:), sell while you can because with products like this you clearly insult everyone buying your products

                      • ?
                      • Anonymous
                      • BXH
                      • 15 Oct 2013

                      Are the battery life tests coming?

                        • ?
                        • Anonymous
                        • v0q
                        • 15 Oct 2013

                        AnonD-77443, 15 Oct 2013You shouldn't tell lies Michael... you don't own a Note 3. ... moreAnd the region lock makes it a no brainer, One Max is the only logical choice for cash customers buying SIM free phones.

                          • D
                          • AnonD-77443
                          • vuA
                          • 15 Oct 2013

                          AnonD-188284, 14 Oct 2013Well S600 is not that bad, I got Note 3 a week ago, but if ... moreYou shouldn't tell lies Michael... you don't own a Note 3.

                          I have had the Note 3 (N9005) for 1 week now. Typically it will get 12 hours of solid video or 10 hours of solid web browsing on wifi. These are with everything on, max screen brightness and several emails in sync.

                          There are no worries getting through a 16 hour day with heavy usage. Even on moderate usage it is still at 50%. Light usage would comfortably make 2 says with everything on.

                          Standby uses less that 1% per hour.

                            • b
                            • beCool
                            • TXn
                            • 15 Oct 2013

                            AnonD-188284, 14 Oct 2013Well S600 is not that bad, I got Note 3 a week ago, but if ... moreWTF are talking about.
                            SD800 is more power efficient than SD6OO.
                            So, I can bet on, that you haven't Note 3. You just use the same old iTricks to manipulate.

                              • D
                              • AnonD-12008
                              • j$d
                              • 15 Oct 2013

                              AnonD-118519, 14 Oct 2013I have one suggestion for HTC. Start manufacturing great I... more... HTC does not manufacture displays (or any of its components really). HTC, like Apple, buys them from suppliers.

                                • G
                                • Gibby
                                • Y1h
                                • 15 Oct 2013

                                Oh dear.
                                Slower than conpetitors, none removable battery, poor camera, no beats audio, oversized to be practical, over weight, no stylus, slow updates.
                                Only thing it has going for it was the nice build & back but after seeing & feeling the back of the Note3 even that's not the best anymore (if u even care about what the past of a phone your hand covers looks like). Fingerprint scanners are scarey if you care about security.
                                HTC - pls innovate something before you go the same way as Blackberry :'(

                                  • D
                                  • AnonD-4340
                                  • Kg$
                                  • 15 Oct 2013

                                  [deleted post]You are really not so bright are you? They had the review unit a while already, have you never heard about signing an NDA?

                                    • D
                                    • AnonD-4340
                                    • Kg$
                                    • 15 Oct 2013

                                    AnonD-118519, 14 Oct 2013I have one suggestion for HTC. Start manufacturing great I... moreYou have seen Z Ultra in real? Many reviews has said the same as me, its the best there is.

                                    The problem with Z1 is that the pixel density is too high for their current manufacturing line to use In-Plane Switching, while the much lower pixel density of Z Ultra made IPS possible. Basically only Sharp has been able to use IPS on very high density displays, looks like LG is catching up but they are also still far from Sharps 4.5 inch Full HD display. That's why Sharp manufacture displays for HTC One, no-one else was capable.

                                      • S
                                      • Slim
                                      • uEA
                                      • 15 Oct 2013

                                      I think specs are now becoming over rated given what a mobile phone can really do as opposed to marketing hype. I appreciate the great looks of HTC and sound in particular. Camera was a bad decision as I like to crop. Size, well for vids ok, but for day to day use, these mobiles are now getting too large for practical usage. 5" is ok but once you get into the 6" they become a pain to carry around for little benefit.

                                        • R
                                        • Ronny
                                        • v3B
                                        • 15 Oct 2013

                                        Nothing special about this device except that you can use it as a video player with stereo sound. Ultrapixel again? HTC still trying to trick people with that gimmicky technology?