The world of the so called phablet is growing. No longer confined to super high end devices with ultra modern specs, the phablet territory consists of new type of buyers that want a huge screen but doesn’t necesarily need a crazy feature set. Its a market Samsung has put a stake on with Galaxy Mega 6.3 and one which HTC looks to join with the One Max. How does the One Max fair? let’s find out.
Hardware
Its impossible to over state how massive this device really is when compared to Galaxy Note 3 positively dwarfing the One. Its is huge, the kinda that requires two hands for usage, the kinda huge that will have everyone asking about the phone when taken out in public. At 217gm its one of the heaviest on the market. The aluminium body looks as premium as it did on the One. The redesign allows for a removable back cover revealing a MicroSD card slot for those who were left begging for more storage on the One. The battery is still embedded but its also over sized at 3300 mAH. Below the 4MP Ultra Pixel rests a Finger print scanner. On the flipside there is a 5.9 inch gigantic Full HD SLCD3 display. The One Max is also gonna take a grief from spec fanatics due to its internals with a Quad Core 1.7Ghz Snapdragon 600 processor and 2GB RAM with Adreno 320 graphics. The S600 is not a slouch by any means and compared to the newest and the baddest S800, it comes close.
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In terms of software the One Max is a well made device. Android 4.3 running on top Sense UI 5.5 is as smooth as it can get. HTC has enhanced Blinkfeed with Instagram and Google+ functionality along with tighter, smarter integration of Facebook. You can also remove the Blinkfeed from the homescreen if you wish to do so. HTC’s gallery has also been given an over haul with greater user control so the end result is more pleasing and enjoyable. There’s also the capacity to create animated GIFs. On the other hand, the picture isn’t so rosy in terms of security. The Finger Print Scanner on the One Max is nothing like the one on iPhone 5s which performed very well in terms of Positive ID. The Max’s scanner requires a swiping gesture that’s nowhere as reliable and the positioning below the camera ensures you will be constantly smudging the lens. But you can use the in built software security instead of the finger print scanner. So, in terms of software the One Max is a super sized HTC One.
Software
Camera
One of the things we enjoyed on the One was its 4MP camera. It may have produced some relatively noisy, low res photos, it earned major points for OIS(Optical Image Stabilization).
With the One Max we thought we’d see a higher res ultra pixel sensor but sadly there's the same 4MP shooter with the OIS removed. It may seem like a deal breaker but its not bad as it seems. HTC has worked a bit of magic with the low light photos appearing failry good even without the OIS. On average they’re not as sharp as the One’s but they've surpassed our expectations. Photos taken in normal lighting were fairly good though it was difficult to keep the massive One Max steady which sometimes caused blurry photos. HTC has also included its live effects for photos and dual capture is also present. Video recording was also good for 1080p at 30fps with sharp focus but only average exposure. Overall the camera is passable but not as good as it should and could be.
With the One Max we thought we’d see a higher res ultra pixel sensor but sadly there's the same 4MP shooter with the OIS removed. It may seem like a deal breaker but its not bad as it seems. HTC has worked a bit of magic with the low light photos appearing failry good even without the OIS. On average they’re not as sharp as the One’s but they've surpassed our expectations. Photos taken in normal lighting were fairly good though it was difficult to keep the massive One Max steady which sometimes caused blurry photos. HTC has also included its live effects for photos and dual capture is also present. Video recording was also good for 1080p at 30fps with sharp focus but only average exposure. Overall the camera is passable but not as good as it should and could be.
Battery
Elsewhere the Beats Audio is removed along Beats software from the One Max. To be honest we don’t really miss it but the Boomsound speakers are as good as they can get. They are much louder than the original One since the Max has bigger body. You might say touché`. No matter how hard we try we could’t trip the One Max with even the most demanding games and webistes. The 3300 mAH power pack should get you more than a day of moderate usage as it was in our case.
Conclusion
Ultimately the the One Max goes between a Super sized One and an Ultra Sized One Mini. But we cant help but wonder who was asking for that. If you are the one of the few who looked at the original One and said “This needs to be bigger” , well then this might be just the one for you. But for the vast majority of folks, this phone might come across as too big and too heavy. We’d give it a good score but we’re still left wondering just who exactly is this phone for. Is it for you? Yes? No? Let us know in the comment section below.
HTC One Max - Full Phone Specifications
| Specifications | HTC One Max |
|---|---|
| 2G Network | GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 |
| 3G Network,4G Network | HSDPA, LTE LTE 800 / 850 / 900 / 1800 / 2100 / 2600 |
| SIM | Single SIM(Micro Sim) |
| Display Type | Super LCD3 capacitive touchscreen, 16M colors |
| Display Size | 1920 x 1080 pixels, 5.9 inches (~376 ppi pixel density) |
| Features | Quad-core 1.7 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 600 chipset, Krait 300 Processor, Android OS v4.3 (Jelly Bean), 2 GB RAM |
| Phonebook | Yes, Practically Unlimited |
| Call Records | Yes, Practically Unlimited |
| Internal Memory | 16/32 GB Internal Storage, 2 GB RAM |
| Card Slot Memory | Yes, microsd upto 64GB |
| GPRS | Yes, Class 12 |
| EDGE | Yes, Class 12 |
| WLAN | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band, DLNA, Wi-Fi hotspot |
| USB | Yes, microUSB v2.0 |
| Bluetooth | Yes, v4.0 with A2DP,LE,EDR |
| 3G | HSDPA, 42 Mbps; HSUPA, 5.76 Mbps |
| Camera Primary | 4 MP Ultra Pixel 1/3'' sensor size, 2µm pixel size, simultaneous HD video and image recording, autofocus, LED flash |
| Video | Yes, 1080p @ 30fps, 720p @ 60fps |
| Secondary | Yes, 2 MP |
| Sound Alert Type | Vibration, MP3, WAV ringtones |
| Loudspeaker | Yes, HTC Boomsound Dual Speakers |
| 3.5mm jack | Yes |
| OS, CPU, Chipset, And GPU | Android OS, v4.3 (Jelly Bean), Quad-Core 1.7 GHz Krait 400 CPU, Qualcomm Snapdragon 600 Chipset And Adreno 320 GPU |
| Messaging | SMS(threaded view), MMS, Email, Push Mail, IM |
| Browser | HTML5 And Flash (Download From Outside) |
| Radio | Yes |
| GPS | Yes, with A-GPS support |
| Java | Yes, via Java MIDP emulator |
| Colors | White, Black, Plum Purple |
| Battery | Standard Li-Ion 3300 mAh battery |
| Talktime | Not available |
| Standby | Not available |
| Price | Not Available. |
Author : Nadeem Ansari
Designation: Senior Editor
Bio: A gadget freak who can't make a day without his tiny little toys and is constantly trying to keep himself up to date with the latest events in tech history. Loves to read and write articles.
Bio: A gadget freak who can't make a day without his tiny little toys and is constantly trying to keep himself up to date with the latest events in tech history. Loves to read and write articles.
