The HTC One S

The HTC One S may be playing second fiddle to the HTC One X in HTC's MWC 2012 line up, but it still packs its own punch.

If the HTC One X hits the quad-core buzzword, the HTC One S ticks the thin box. Its slinky 7.6mm frame still manages to house a 1.5GHz dual-core processor, an 8MP camera with flash and all the tasty treats that Ice Cream Sandwich brings.

It certainly looks the part, with its slim form proving really pleasing to hold. Weight-wise, it's not much lighter than the One X but, to be honest, neither phone is going to be weighing you down.

See the HTC One S in action as we get our hands on it for a first look at MWC:

The screen on the HTC One S is 4.3-inches of AMOLED goodness; it's nice and bright, and the viewing angles are nigh on infinite (provided you can see the screen at all, obviously).

The unibody design remains, but rather than opting for just boring old aluminium, HTC has gone for a metal frame in two different finishes.

The first is the rather dramatic micro-arc oxidation chassis, which sees the metal frame bathed in a plasma field before being mercilessly electrocuted to carbonise the metal and give it a hardwearing but lightweight ceramic finish.

HTC tells us that this leaves it five times stronger than an anodised finish – sadly we weren't able to chuck the phone at any walls or run it over with a steam roller to see just how strong it is.

The second finish is a gradient anodisation. It's not as strong as the previous option but it does add a rather pleasingly subtle gradient effect to the back panel of the phone.

It's a good thing the One S is made of such sturdy stuff because it certainly feels a little insubstantial to hold – that's a good thing, by the way, but it does make you feel as though it could be quite fragile.

Once you're done fawning over the overall body of the HTC One S, we can move on to the camera. It's an 8MP snapper with flash, and we're pleased to report that the camera housing doesn't jut out as outrageously far as that of the HTC One X.

Also of note on the body of the phone are the microdrilled speaker holes (which take the place of the more traditional speaker grille).

There's also the microUSB slot on one edge, with the power button, 3.5mm headphone jack and volume slider completing the look.

 

What the HTC One S lacks is physical buttons. There are none but for the power and volume slider; although there are three soft buttons beneath the screen which can be used for multitasking and app swapping and the like.