HTC Sensation XE Review
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We have the same 8MP camera found in the HTC Sensation on the Sensation XE, whose unobtrusive interface is very clean and easy to use, yet brimful of functions. It doesn’t sport a Panorama mode like the newest TouchWiz 4.0, but compensates with a rich collection of effects you can pre-apply to the photos or videos. Besides, you can always download a Panorama app from the Market.
Thanks to the faster processor it seems that navigating is a bit more fluid than on the Sensation, which sometimes took a split second before the numerous menu drawers got pulled out. Also, beware that the handset shoots with widescreen 16:9 mode checked by default, if you are wondering why so much scene gets into the frame on the sides, but up and down margins seem limited. There is also an autoenhance mode, which applies post-processing algorithms to smooth the pics out, but takes away some detail.
The photos are overly contrasty by default and with dull colors, which true photographers might scoff at. The camera captures fine detail, and gets tricky exposure situations right most of the time.
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Outdoor samples shot with the HTC Sensation XE | |||
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Strong | Medium | Low light | Darkness with flash |
Indoor samples | |||
HTC Sensation XE Sample Video:
HTC Sensation XE Indoor Sample Video:
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Before we dabble into the Beats by Dr Dre endeavor HTC has undertaken with the Sensation XE, we have to say that the music player is largely the stock HTC Sense 3.0 one.
Granted, the player is a beauitufully skinned piece of software with numerous functions, but no additional audio settings have appeared for twisting and playing around with, other than the previous list of equalizer presets. The stock music player on the Sensation XE doesn't support FLAC or any other high-qualtiy audio format, except .wav. Rather strange and disappointing, considering the high-end music phone idea.
The only new thing compared to the original Sensation is the Beats Audio mode. This is a tailored sound profile, designed to “enhance” the sound by giving it the Beats by Dre signature. It pumps up the overall volume and makes changes throughout the whole audio spectrum; but it mainly boosts the (low) bass and highest treble. The Beats by Dre sound is great if you listen to modern tunes (like the music of Dr Dre himself), but not as suitable for jazz for example.
This mode works with any pair of headphones that is plugged-in - with various success rates.
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The music player is largely the stock HTC Sense 3.0 one, and The only new thing compared to the original Sensation is the Beats Audio mode | |||
There are no upgrades when it comes to the audio hardware as well. HTC doesn't tout improving the DAC (digital-to-analog converter) or the operational amplifier (op amp), which both have great impact on the audio quality. So, except the software audio profile, there aren't any differences when compared to the original Sensation or other phones using the same Snapdragon S3 chipset.
There is an improvement in the supplied in-ear headphones, though. They are superior to any other headphones coming in a phone's standard package – including Sony Ericsson Walkman phones and Apple's iPhones. It seems they are a version of the iBeats in-ears, with HTC-friendly control module, and smaller number of ear plugs. Of course, they come with the “by Dre” sound signature (featuring heavy bass), and the red cable will make you look pretty cool rockin' them beats on the metro.
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The supplied in-ear headphones | |
The loudspeaker is a bit wimpy, although a tad beefier than the one on the original Sensation. The sound is pretty clear, and as full as it can be from a smartphone, but still notches below the excellent ones on the Nokia N8, or the Sony Ericsson Xperia line of handsets, in the strength department.
Nothing worries the HTC Sensation XE as far as video playback goes – it supports DivX/Xvid out of the box, and can run clips up to those highest 1080p definitions you throw at it. Beats Audio can be turned on or off directly from the video player.
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39 Comments
2. jamrockjones posted on 04 Nov 2011, 09:58 4
Agreed! I love HTC's UI and fast processing speeds but HATE their screens. You can tell just from the pictures the colors don't come through very bright. I don't think I'd buy any of HTC's phones right now, I'm still waiting for a slimmer and brighter phone with their great UI and hardware.
5. jacko (unregistered) posted on 04 Nov 2011, 10:26 4
i have the sensation and the screen is very nice i find myself using the sensation more then i do my galaxy s II
17. Dark4o90 posted on 04 Nov 2011, 19:44 2
can't agree super lcd is good enough and their displays look really good but when you campare them amoled it makes diff
3. tmcr7 posted on 04 Nov 2011, 10:14 8
What kind of a conclusion is that? The HTC Sensation XE comes with a more powerful processor, bigger battery, and better speakers, yet you say that the only difference is the high quality earphones? Come on!
8. Retro-touch posted on 04 Nov 2011, 13:17 1
overclocked processor, the bigger battery was put to compensate for the higher clock speeds which would give poor battery life on its previous capacity, better speakers; wouldn't know unless I tried them. Hence the only difference is high quality earphones and better sound quality assuming the speakers are better.
40. htainlintha posted on 11 Jul 2012, 04:07 0
My friend please I use 2430mAH battery for this one plus 32Gb miniSD memory card my phone is totally perfect :). Can outlast any phone I think even driod razar Max LOL. You can get one here if you want to.
http://www.ebay.com.sg/itm/180828209187?ssPageName=STRK:MEWN X:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1497.l2649 #ht_1914wt_1139
6. Epic09 posted on 04 Nov 2011, 10:55 2
I might not like the iproducts much but I'll agree on one thing..they're one of the top tier companies when it comes to sound quality.
7. xenover posted on 04 Nov 2011, 12:28 1
Cons are stupid as hell. Phone on the other hands seems quite top notch.
9. roscuthiii posted on 04 Nov 2011, 13:28 3
Couldn't they have put the 1730mAh battery in the Rezound too??
10. jackhammeR posted on 04 Nov 2011, 14:41 4
Beats audio or whatever this gimmick can be called was ported to other phones.
HTC made a bad decision. It's all about stupid software..they didn't use any new hardware for sound.
12. choupino posted on 04 Nov 2011, 16:22 1
jackhammeR... Do some research. This is not simply a software upgrade. "Ported to other phones"???? We should have a mute button for those people that spout stuff they have no knowledge of on PA. I mean really.
HTC paid hundreds of millions of dollars to purchase the beats company. Dr. Dre & Jimmy Iovine(Interscope Record's CEO) made $351 Million off the deal alone...
So you basically think that all of this was for some software and earbuds???
You can't really be that slow... Can you???
15. jackhammeR posted on 04 Nov 2011, 18:07 2
The only person who should read is YOU. dre dre beats was ported to HTC HD 2 and I think desire as well. And it's only software matter.
Yes, that was about software and earbuds...you know why? because dre dre is a trademark and is well known in music industry...which dosen't mean that is good or best.
You know what marketing is boy, do you?
The only slow dude here is you again.
Hug your precious htc and try convince yourself it's something more than a phone. Get a life dude!
11. CreeDiddy posted on 04 Nov 2011, 15:54 3
Another medicore upgrade from HTC...
I have had a Thunderbolt. This is no different, besides Beats Audio, bigger battery, and faster processor and RAM. What makes this different from the HTC Rezound.
Too much redunancy for Andorid phones now...
If the Iphone 4 and Iphone 4S is no different, then the Thunderbolt is no different from the Rezound.
Can HTC come out with one or two phones, instead of 10 of the same phones on multiple carriers. They have increased profits for this quarter, but they could improve their cost drastically by staying with one or two designs on multiple carriers.
That is why Apple has the highest profitability of any smartphone manufacturer. They are using the KISS method.
Cree
14. CreeDiddy posted on 04 Nov 2011, 16:35 0
Within 2009 to now...I have had BB Storm 9530, Droid 1, Thunderbolt, Bionic, and now iPhone 4 and not 4S. The top manufacturer's are only Samsung and Apple now. HTC is too gimmicky with their Sense 3.5 spin carousel OS. Too, too cheesy for me...The only phone that I want now is the Galaxy Nexus. The RAZR is nothing more than a Bionic. The Rezound is nothing more than an updated EVO3D without 3D and Beats Audio.
HTC is now becoming a joke...No comparison to Samsung Galaxy lineup in terms of performance, display, and features.
Cree
32. ILikeBubbles posted on 14 Nov 2011, 09:10 0
you do have a point, but didn't samsung pass apple as the highest grossing smartphone manufacturer this year? and part of the reason Android is an amazing alternative (not nessisarily better i'll agree) is because of how open it is. Android gave options when Apple said no. different strokes for different folks i think. it all depends on what you're into. we can't praise google for something then 2 years later backhand them for the same thing.. your agument is all valid but when it comes down to it there hasn't been a real gamechanger in the industry since the first iphone/android came out in like 2002/3
18. winsaki234 posted on 04 Nov 2011, 21:16 3
Phone arena suck! This reviewer is a iPhone fanboy
19. jackhammeR posted on 05 Nov 2011, 03:32 2
For God's sake!
Why the choosed 3gp as a contender in 1080p shooting??????????
This is nuts!
22. henrickrw posted on 05 Nov 2011, 07:37 0
In only interested in the phones to use them on my galaxy
23. andrej040 posted on 05 Nov 2011, 13:43 1
the res. of gs2 is lower then sensations. so, how in the world can you say that the screen on galaxy s 2 is better then on sensations. its almost like to compare a dvd rip movie and x264 or 720p movie.
24. nameless1521 posted on 06 Nov 2011, 04:04 0
Super Amoled Plus(SGS2) VS S-LCD(Sensation XE), my friend. Not about the resolution.
Technically Super Amoled Plus is better than S-LCD. That's just a fact. If you are happy with S-LCD, then it's fine, but don't be angry about the fact.
Besides, S-LCD is identical to Samsung's Super Clear LCD since S-LCD is a joint venture of sony&samsung and samsung uses this display for their low-end phones.
25. jackhammeR posted on 06 Nov 2011, 14:22 1
Well...SA in not a great deal for everyone.
I don't see anything spectacular is Super Amoleds. I remember that colors in Galaxy S were very annoying.
I got N8 with Amoled and I had for a while C6-01 with Amoled CBD.
One thing I can say for sure is that black color is amazingly..well, black.
And very readable under the sunlight.
I don't like too much oversaturated colors. The new gen of SA+ can be adjusted but still, I don't think it's far more superior than Nokias amoled cbd (compare them and you will see).
S II has lower resolution, despite of it's more than 4 inches.
Still, it has more than enough pixel density to use it comfy in day-to-day usage.
27. nameless1521 posted on 07 Nov 2011, 06:19 0
There is no such Amoled CBD.
It's manufactured by Samsung which owns OLED market(90%), so yeah Amoled display is basically identical to Samsung Super Amoled.
Bad rumors about oversaturated colors? I can you my friend, most of recent high-tech TVs from any manufacturers have oversaturated colors. We should be glad that Sammy provides $1000 TV screens for small handsets. Besides, yet again it applies to so-called Amoled CBS, since they are same products from same manufacturer, Samsung.
SA+ is even better. Blowing away most of disadvantages of OLED and maximize the pros of OLED.
I don't think 800x480 is a problem. Since, there aren't many photos and apps availalbe for 960 x 540 comparing to 800x480, which is already used for many laptops and netbooks.
26. jackhammeR posted on 06 Nov 2011, 14:23 0
too bad it doesn't support FLAC. it's a music phone dammit!!!
29. Pego71 posted on 08 Nov 2011, 17:14 0
What kind of a conclusion is that? More powerful battery, faster processor, improved audio and Technology Beats you say that the differences are minor whit sensation ...... tell lies!
30. kabir02 posted on 09 Nov 2011, 01:39 0
i think its true. HTC has same phone facilities different carriers and little manipulations on the specs
31. ifailandfandroidsuck (unregistered) posted on 11 Nov 2011, 01:56 0
Apple and Google are reinventing products for 10+ yrs ago... nothing innovative here.
34. nunoy posted on 28 Nov 2011, 21:04 0
wat is the real built-in storage of xe.? 4GB of built-in. & the 1GB is for user space for apps.?
or only 1GB built-in storage for apps. & phone space..?
36. jeffkoe posted on 08 Dec 2011, 23:34 0
Strikingly handsome phone with typical HTC failures. Why does HTC refuse to offer us decent audio quality with the camcorder function? Why put a weak camera in your high end smartphones? If I were an HTC stock holder, I'd really be upset over this. Inexcusable. HTC cannot continue to compete unless it steps up its game.
37. Shayne posted on 17 Dec 2011, 08:43 0
The red and black color scheme, an amazing HD display, Beats audio and extremely fast performance (the fastest phone thus far) come together in an ergonomic design to create a fantastic finished product. While almost comical at this point, the HTC Sensation XE is now my favorite Android device in the world. XE features all the latest lust-worthy pieces that fit together to make up any smartphone-lover ideal puzzle
38. shashivydyula posted on 08 Jan 2012, 22:02 0
This is a phone am dreaming of...Will get it soon.
39. knightlore posted on 03 Jul 2012, 04:18 0
would have been better if it has a oled screen like my desire...
41. ram134 posted on 03 Mar 2013, 04:50 0
hi
im facing problems in play store in my sensation. the images and screen shots are not loading in play store. it displays the message "cant load screen shots".
im using wifi connection with high speed but the images are not showing and when using data connection the images are loading. .
i have contacted google on this issue and they mentioned to clear cache and data in play store app and download manager. but nothing worked for me
i have also unistalled updates in play store app and again open the play store it gets updated to latest version 3.10.14 but the images are not showing.
so i cant figured out yet where the problem exist? is there any setting to be changed with the wifi connection?
anyone who came out of this issues please help me . it makes me frustrating from many days. .
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