![]() One area that HTC has improved is the relatively few pre-installed apps that come with the One V. Factors like the volume key playing a pentatonic scale are minor annoyances, but the stark contrast between Sense and apps designed with the sharp, industrial nature of Android’s current design language Holo in mind can seem rather incongruous. The biggest negative of the One V’s software comes in the cutesy and overly glossy design aesthetic. I’m also left wondering what effect this will have on software updates, where different versions of Sense have to be built for each handset. All are minor changes, but surprising ones considering the shared naming scheme of the One series. ![]() The One V does lack some of the bells and whistles of its bigger brothers though - there’s no DLNA support, for one, movie streaming service HTC Watch is absent, and the Sense-style app switcher also hasn’t made the jump with HTC opting to use the stock Ice Cream Sandwich version instead. You’re also able to use some of the Android 4.0-exclusive Google Apps, like Chrome Beta and the new and vastly improved Gmail app. It has retained some of the more useful features of older versions of Sense, like the unlock ring which gives you direct access to the applications pinned to the launcher. Far closer doesn’t mean that it’s the true Google experience though, and HTC has still added its own tweaks that make for a slightly frustrating experience.įirst, the positives: Sense 4 runs very smoothly on the One V, and there’s not a hint of lag to betray the relatively low specs of the handset. Sense 4 is significantly pared back over previous versions, with fewer flashy animations, and offers an experience that’s far closer to stock Android than before. We’ve already covered HTC’s implementation of Ice Cream Sandwich in plenty of detail in the One S and One X review - as ever, the company has wrapped Google’s latest OS in its own Sense skin. To my mind it’s ill thought-out, and can make the One V plain uncomfortable to hold. No matter how I arrange my grip on the handset, I find one of my fingers pressed against the hard edges left where the aluminum casing has been milled away. On the bottom-left there’s a Micro USB port for charging and connecting the handset to your computer, but I’m not sold on where it’s placed. A volume rocker sits on the right-hand edge of the phone, which is easily found with your thumb (assuming you’re right-handed), though the buttons are a little mushy and imprecise. It’s barely noticeable most of the time, and conceals the notification LED which alerts you to missed calls, messages, the phone’s charging state, and more. On the left is a recessed 3.5mm headphone jack, and just next to it there’s a sliver cut away from the unibody frame. On the right of the top edge sits the power / wake button, which isn’t quite flush with the body of the handset meaning that it’s easily identified by touch alone. These are responsive to the touch, with a backlight that's activated in low ambient light making them easily found in the dark. ![]() Beneath the earpiece is a silver HTC logo, and at the bottom sit the three capacitive buttons that allow you to navigate around Android. The top of the glass is cut away to reveal a row of drilled holes for the earpiece, and the hard edge of the glass can feel uncomfortable when held up to your ear. The remainder of the front is dominated by the 3.7-inch Gorilla glass screen that protrudes from the body by around half a millimeter, which is another design choice, but one that has greater bearing on how you use the phone. It’s become something of an HTC trademark, and I’m quite fond of it - it’s a quirky design, and I think it improves the overall balance of the handset. The instantly striking feature is the pronounced chin: the bottom of the phone curves towards you by about ten degrees. HTC has given the handset I reviewed a matte black finish rather than the wire-brushed bare metal that graced the HTC Legend, though there’s still a grain to the material that gives it some character. The aluminum body feels decidedly premium, with no give when squeezed and a curve on the back edges that makes it comfortable to hold. Based on the design and build, calling the One V a budget option is something of a misnomer. ![]()
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