The Windows Phone 8X and 8S by HTC
by Anand Lal Shimpi on September 19, 2012 11:15 AM ESTCheck out our hands on with the devices here.
At an event today in NYC, HTC unveiled its first two Windows Phone 8 devices: the Windows Phone 8X and 8S by HTC. Similar to Nokia's next-generation Lumia stack, HTC's Windows Phone 8 lineup includes a high-end flagship and a more affordable mainstream option.
The 8X is the new high-end device, while the 8S is its more affordable sibling. The 8X features Qualcomm's dual-core Krait Snapdragon S4 (MSM8960) running at 1.5GHz. The 8S on the other hand uses a lower clocked MSM8627 (1GHz) with a slower Adreno 305 GPU. The two phones differ in the amount of on-package DRAM (1GB for the 8X and 512MB for the 8S). Connectivity differs between the two, the 8X features LTE while the 8S is single carrier WCDMA.
Display is a big differentiator between the two devices. The 8X features a 4.3-inch 720p Super LCD 2 display, while the 8S uses a smaller 4-inch 800x480 display.
Storage is split between the two as well, with the 8X featuring 16GB of NAND on-board (no microSD card slot), and the 8S with only 4GB integrated and a microSD card slot for expansion.
HTC really ramped up its focus on the camera with the 8X. Aided by HTC's external imaging processor there's an 8MP f/2.0 rear facing camera with a 28mm lens. The front facing camera sounds pretty impressive at 2.1MP with a f/2.0 aperture and an 88-degree, ultra-wide-angle lens. The 8S features a 5MP f/2.8 camera by comparison.
Audio is also a priority for the 8X, which gets a 2.55V amplified headphone output for what promises to be a much better implementation of Beats. The 8X also features two microphones for noise cancelling duty.
The 8X features dual-band WiFi while the 8S continues its cost-reduced theme by only supporting 2.4GHz.
Colors are big in HTC's Windows Phone 8 line. The 8X is available in california blue, graphite black, flame red and limelight yellow. The 8S will come in domino, fiesta red, atlantic blue and high-rise gray. Both the Windows Phone 8X and 8S will be available starting in the beginning of November. HTC will be bringing the devices to over 150 carriers in 50+ countries. In the US we'll see these devices on AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile. Customers in Europe will find the new HTC Windows Phone 8 lineup on Orange, O2 Telefonica, MTS, Three UK, T-Mobile and Vodafone. In Asia-Pacific markets you'll see the 8X/8S on Chunghwa Telecom, Optus, Singtel Group, Smartone, Telstra and Vodafone Australia.
The only pricing announced at this time is $199 for the Windows Phone 8X on AT&T and T-Mobile with a standard 2-year contract.
| Windows Phone 8 Devices - Physical Comparison | ||||||
| HTC Windows Phone 8X | HTC Windows Phone 8S | Nokia Lumia 920 | Nokia Lumia 820 | |||
| Height | 132.35 mm | 120.5mm | 130.3 mm | 123.8 mm | ||
| Width | 66.2 mm | 63 mm | 70.8 mm | 68.5 mm | ||
| Depth | 10.12 mm | 10.28 mm | 10.7 mm | 9.9 mm | ||
| Weight | 130 g | 113 g | 185 g | 160 g | ||
| CPU | Snapdragon S4 1.5GHz MSM8960 | Snapdragon S4 1.0GHz MSM8627 | Snapdragon S4 1.5GHz MSM8960 | Snapdragon S4 1.5GHz MSM8960 | ||
| GPU | Adreno 225 | Adreno 305 | Adreno 225 | Adreno 225 | ||
| RAM | 1GB | 512MB | 1GB | 1GB | ||
| NAND | 16GB integrated | 4GB + microSD slot | 32GB integrated | 8GB with up to 32GB via microSD slot | ||
| Camera | 8MP f/2.0 + 2.1MP f/2.0 front facing camera | 5MP f/2.8 | 8.7MP with OIS, f/2.0 + 1.2MP F/2.4 front facing camera | 8MP f/2.2 + VGA front facing camera | ||
| Screen | 4.3" 720p Super LCD 2 | 4" 800x480 Super LCD | 4.5" 1280x768 IPS LCD | 4.3" 800x480 AMOLED | ||
| Battery | Internal 6.66 Whr | Internal 6.29Wh | Internal 7.4 Whr | Internal 6.11 Whr | ||
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haukionkannel - Wednesday, September 19, 2012 - link
Lumia allso seems to have better screens. But it allso depends on what these devices are going to cost!Malih - Friday, September 21, 2012 - link
oh yes, I'd love a WP8 Lumia with California Blue color, especially looks good when combined with Black and matching Tiles color.Amoro - Wednesday, September 19, 2012 - link
Anyone else disappointed by the screen sizes? I mean the Titan was 4.7", I was hoping it would at least match the size...I wonder why they didn't make another large screen phone.Amoro - Wednesday, September 19, 2012 - link
forgot to mention the GPU as well...225 seems so last gen. Was it too much to ask for the 320?I really wish this would have been the S4 Pro and not the plus. Or am I mistaken in that the Pro's are reserved for tablets?
karasaj - Wednesday, September 19, 2012 - link
S4 Pro isn't really current gen... the only phone announced with it is that Optimus G or something, which is LG and iirc only in Korea right now. We might see it in USA/Europe later, but not yet. S4 1.5ghz dual core + Adreno 225 is standard right now.I don't mind the screen size. It could be a bit bigger, but 4.3" isn't too bad.
Amoro - Wednesday, September 19, 2012 - link
It just makes me lean towards the Samsung ATIV S with it's 4.8" AMOLED screen. I don't know if the Samsung has anything else going for it besides the screen though.Samsung ATIV S: biggest screen
HTC 8X: Beats Audio
Nokia: wireless charging and 2nd largest screen with higher resolution
I wonder if they have any plans for the Titan 3.....
MadMan007 - Wednesday, September 19, 2012 - link
Beats audio is a branding, it doesn't really say anything about actual audio quality.winterspan - Wednesday, September 19, 2012 - link
Heres the deal:The only S4 Pro out right now is the quad-core tablet version that doesn't have an LTE baseband. The Optimus G phone uses that chip and a separate LTE chip so the battery life is going to suck.
Soon the 8960T will be out (the T being really important here) which is just like the 8960 in this phone except the GPU is upgraded to 320 instead of 225.
Avalon - Wednesday, September 19, 2012 - link
I'm actually very happy HTC is still launching 720p flagships at 4.3" sizes. I find that to be about as big as I'm willing to hold, and the ppi will be incredible on a screen that size.CaedenV - Wednesday, September 19, 2012 - link
I actually like the body style of that black and white 8S better than the 8X. In general the whole line kinda looks a bit cartooney for my taste, but I guess you can't go too far wrong with a black phone.Again with no SD support for the big phone? Is it really that hard and take that much extra space?
Any word on NFC? service providers? Bluetooth revision?