Our Verdict
TheHTC whizz 4G($200 with a two - class declaration from T - Mobile ) pretty much has it all : a twofold - core Qualcomm Snapdragon processor , the later version of Android ( Gingerbread ) , and 4 gee speeds on T - Mobile ’s HSPA+ meshwork . When I first play with Sensation 4 G , I was blown away by its beautiful ironware , gorgeous presentation , and slick user interface . After pass a few days with the phone , my opinion of it has n’t changed ; but I did run into some worrisome proceeds with its aerial .
Death grip issues?
There has been quite a bit of rumble about the possibility that the Sensation 4 G has “ death grip ” issues similar to those thatplagued the iPhone 4 . Sites are reporting that when you hold the sense experience in a certain way , you could mislay Wi - Fi , Bluetooth , and 4 gee connectivity . allot to a Swedish Website calledNordic Hardware , the problems occur when you lay the phone savorless in the decoration of your hand .
I resolve to take matters into my own manpower ( no paronomasia mean ) and conduct a serial of informal test in which I mimic the way that the Nordic Hardware folks held the Sensation 4 grand in thisvideo . I streamed a movie trailer over 4 thou from HTC Watch and managed to suffocate the picture three times during playback , though I had to move my custody around quite a bit and grip the phone to kill the 4 guanine signal and send the video into buffer mode . When I performed the same test over Wi - Fi , I could n’t kill the Wi - Fi signal , no matter how firmly I tried .
I also tested T - Mobile ’s HSPA+ web in various division of San Francisco , using the FCC - O.K. Ookla app . Again , I found that how I hold the headphone seemed to affect its data speeds . In three tests conducted in the South Park locality of San Francisco , I recorded an modal download speed of 1.82 megabits per second and an modal upload speed of 0.79 mbps when I held the phone by its edges . But in three tests immediately afterward in the same location , this metre with my handwriting covering the telephone set ’s back covering fire in the “ death clench , ” the phone fork out an average download amphetamine of 0.83 mbps and an middling upload speed of 0.64 mbps . These test results suggest that holding the earpiece in a certain way may have contributed to the observed debasement in data speed .
One caution : T - Mobile does not have a very secure 4 gigabyte sign in the South Park neighborhood of San Francisco ( wherePCWorld’soffices are located ) . When I ask the company about these issues , HTC replied , “ Every phone experiences a fragile variation in signaling metier when the antenna is covered in its entirety by a palm or fingers , however under normal circumstances this does not affect the carrying into action of the phone . ”
I view my test results as worrisome , but not conclusive . We will be guide more of our own trial over the next few twenty-four hour period . Stay tuned for a television and our test results .
Thin, curved design
I make out the means HTC unibody phones look and sense , but it ’s getting hard to distinguish one from another , with their solid gray or black battery cover version . gratefully , HTC has mixed up the color scheme with a tritone paneled battery natural covering for the Sensation 4G.
You ’ll also feel a modification in design when you have the Sensation 4G. Despite having a 4.3 - inch showing , the phone does n’t feel oversized . Large phones such as theHTC EVO tilt 4Gand theHTC ThunderBoltare wider and more difficult for me to use ( I have minor hands ) . The qHD display technology allows the phone to be comparatively narrow , so it ’s easier to hold and expend in one hand . Measuring 4.96 by 2.57 by 0.44 inch , the Sensation 4 gigabyte is quite sparse as well . And because the display is slightly concave , it wo n’t get expunge if you place it present down on a table .
The Sensation 4 G ’s 4.3 - column inch Quarter High Definition display has a resoluteness of 960 by 540 pixel arranged in a 16:9 aspect ratio . That resolution is one - one-fourth of a full - HD 1080p frame ( hence the name ) , or three - quarter of a 720p frame . The HTC EVO 3D for Sprint , which we consider at CTIA in March , has a qHD display , too , but it uses aparallax barrierto create 3D image .
The screenland on the Sensation 4 one thousand yielded spectacular images : Colors were bright yet not oversaturated , point face acute , and liveliness in the exploiter port — and aboriginal video — play back swimmingly . In bright sunlight , however , the showing completely fades . Do n’t phone manufacturers know that people need to use their phones outdoors sometimes ? I had a very operose time finding a phone number to rent some friends cognize that I was outside their apartment .
You ’ll get the common feeling - tender push below the display : Home , Menu , Back , and Search . The headphone manual laborer and the power / lock push button sit at the top of the earphone . A very long chrome volume rock ‘n’ roll musician occupies the left spine , with the micro - USB port wine situated below it . The left spine and the bottom of the phone are plain . Note that there is no HDMI port or MHL port for plug in the Sensation 4 G to your high-definition television .
New Sense user interface
Like the EVO three-D , the Sensation 4 thousand fun the latest interpretation of theSense user interface , with Android 2.3 ( Gingerbread ) run underneath . Sense is the prettiest of the Android overlays , and the latest version has some sugared feature .
One of these feature film is a newfangled customizablelock screen , which operate similarly to the newly announced lock screen door iniOS 5 . you could pick a theme for your lock sieve ( the speech sound extend quite a few of them to choose from ) and then select four apps that you visit most frequently . When you turn on your phone , you ’ll see the four apps at the bottom of the screen . To unlock the screen , simply sweep the circle into position over an app , at which point you ’ll jump straight to that app . Thanks to this feature film , you do n’t have to go through multiple menus to reach your e - chain mail or other frequently accessed items .
The raw variant of Sense has a spruce - up wall system , too . Rather than take to jerk back and forward between your walls , as you do in the stock Android operating arrangement , you could flick the Sensation 4 guanine ’s blind to make the wall spin . The effect is redolent of a rotating carousel . And like the sr. interpretation of Sense , you’re able to pinch anywhere in your homescreen to see thumbnail - sizing images of your walls .
You ’ll discover a clutch of Modern thingamajig in Sense , but my favorite is the gorgeous young Weather widget . HTC has a solid tradition of create optical weather apps , and it ’s nice to see the party retain to ameliorate them .
Multimedia
The Sensation 4 G also comes charge with HTC ’s new movie and TV show streaming overhaul , Watch . you could download videos from Watch and protrude view them immediately . Watch is well integrate into Sense , so finding the videos that you want to consider is well-situated . The app ’s port is white , and motion picture are sluttish to detect , but the library is pretty thin at this degree . You ’ll discover some newly turn flick likeDue Dateand some classic likeTop Gun . If you ’re looking for something in peculiar , though , you ’re not likely to find it ( noSpinal Tap ! ) . A few popular TV shows likeChuckandGossip Girlshow up , but you ’re modified to one or two season of episodes .
On the plus side , video from Watch played back swimmingly and looked great on the Sensation 4 G ’s display . Audio accompanying the video sounded crisp and vindicated when piped through the Sensation ’s outside speakers , with plenteous volume .
Unfortunately , the Netflix Android app is not yet available for the Sensation 4G. Watch has potential drop , but HTC needs to tot more cognitive content to keep customers well-chosen .
Camera
Like the EVO three-D and the ThunderBolt , the Sensation has a back - present 8 - megapixel camera and a front - facing photographic camera for TV chat . HTC says that it has pull off both the computer hardware and the software to better the back - facing photographic camera ’s shutter hurrying . I noticed and apprise the quicker speed in my script - on test . It does n’t weigh how respectable a tv camera ’s image calibre is if the equipment suffers from shutter lag , since the delay take a shit snapping exposure of people or brute incredibly difficult .
Colors in my outside photos looked vivid yet raw . Details could have been sharp , but overall , I was very proud of with how the snap wrick out . photograph taken indoors also look fairly good . There was a mo of a dark stamp to the vividness , but detail were passably sharp , even when the pic was blown up . The twinkling does a decent job of lighting up pic without completely blowing them out ( except for flannel , as evidenced by the middle Furby ’s chest of drawers in the test photo above ) .
you’re able to flash video in 1080p thanks to the duple - core processor , but I was frustrated with its overall quality . Playback was jerky , and the colors had a strange cast to them .
Performance
Call quality over T - Mobile ’s meshwork was moderately good . A few of my friends describe that my voice vocalise somewhat muffled . One report that the background noise ( dealings and wind ) was quite perturb during our call .
Thanks to the double - core Snapdragon mainframe , the Sensation 4 GB handled every app I throw at it perfectly . wild Birds Rio play smoothly and look terrific on the speech sound ’s adorable display . Even when I had multiple apps open , the Sensation 4 gramme did not seem to slow down down .
We have n’t had a chance to formally test this HTC earphone ’s bombardment life . Its 1,520mAh lithium ion bombardment has a trafficker - rated talk time of 8.3 hour and up to 12 days of standby time . My whole went a full day of heavy testing before I had to reload it .
Bottom line
If you ’re in the market for a newfangled telephone set this summer , you present a tough decision : There are a lot of raging phones useable . Hey , that ’s not a bad matter at all ! The Sensation 4 G has some impressive specs and a gorgeous intention , and I love the young updates in the Sense user interface .
The phone ’s possible feeler issuance are commove . As we get wind from the Apple iPhone 4 fiasco , trying to avoid holding a phone in a certain means is not a reasonable restriction to impose on user . And though I had totryto kill the Sensation 4 G ’s sign , I succeeded in doing it . We ’ll be doing more examination in coming days . For now , I advocate the HTC Sensation 4 G , but you should be aware that antenna problems could interfere with your datum pep pill .
[ Ginny Mies is an associate editor program for PCWorld . Mark Sullivan is a senior associate editor in chief at PCWorld . ]
