by HTC phones have a reputation for being ergonomic and good-looking, and the sensation is no exception. Te 4.3-inch screen and smooth curves on the unit are the stuff of dreams. However, only detailed review can tell if its beauty is more then skin deep.
Design and display
The HTC Sensation boasts a three- tone back cover, which consists of brushed metal in the center and a rubbery plastic on both sides. The top penal consists of the camera lens, dual-LED flesh and the speaker grill. The unibody chassis celebrates the unison of the back cover with the upper rim of the handset (the part that covers the front camera and the proximity sensor). According to HTC, this particular design was chosen ‘’ for a premium look and solid feel.’’ However you will soon find out that it wasn’t the best decision. Present on the back cover are small pores (Five in total), which are actually the phone’s antennas. This means that HTC Sensation is bound to lose network signals when you remove the back cover or accessories the phone with a hard plastic cover. Though the likelihood of using the handset without the back cover is low, this design increases the chance of the handset to suffer from the”death grip”. Our fears were realized when we held the phone so as to cover the antennas, and noticed a sharp drop in WI-Fi signals.
The front of the handset is occupied by the massive, 4.3-inche Super LCD (S-LCD) screen, which made up of contoured Gorilla Glass. There are no hard keys on the front; however, below the display, are four capacitive touch keys for home, Menu, Back and Search. Above the display are the ear-piece, the front camera, the proximity sensor and the notification light. The top of the handset has the power/ phone lock button and the 3.5mm audio jack, while the side sports the volume rockers, with the micro USB port near the lower edge.
User interface and performance
Upon first use, the handset requires you to go through a simple seven-step setup process. The UI running on the sensation is HTC sence, which has a lot of new things to offer- in terms of usage, apps and customisability. The home screen of HTC can be modified. Unfortunately, this particular handset has a fixed number of home screens, so you can,t add or remove them, you can only rearrange them. The apps menu sreen with its vertical scrolling is standard android. The coping, moving and editing files is not satisfactory. The HTC sensation is powered by 1.2 GHz dual core processor, which allows you to operate smoothly.
Telephony and messaging
Call history on sensation can not be viewed separately for incoming, outgoing and missed calls, nor can calls be selectively deleted. Call quality is good and uninterrupted on the users end, while on the other party,s end it did create some problems.The HTC Sensation uses the stock android messaging app by default.
Entertainment and Camera
Entertainment is HTC Sensation’S forte. Video watching (on HD) and music experience on the sensation are pleasure. The 8MP camera on the sensation is great, minus the absence of camera key. Also, on a automatic settings, white is not its best color. The refresh rate in impressive, as are the handy effects available on screen. The dual-LED flash, Geo-tagging, auto focus and face detection are all top notch.Video recording with 30 frame per second is also good, but it was the audio recording that blew us away.
Connectivity
Connectivity on the HTC Sensation is single-handedly its best feature. Internet browsing, especially media streaming, was absolutely smooth on the HTC Sensation.
Conclusion
The HTC Sensation is a really good phone; and had it not been for the issues noted above and the learning curve (especially for Nokia users), it would have been Sensational. The Android ecosystem that HTC Sensation creates fantastic.
