![]() ![]() It's just one of those typical capacitive pens that lack pressure sensitivity, and bizarrely, it doesn't work on several other phones - not even the One. Don't worry, you're not missing much here. Finally, like most large smartphones, it doesn't come with a stylus in the box, but HTC will offer one outside Europe and the US. The battery is non-removable, since the Max takes advantage of the same pyramid-style component design we've enjoyed on the One, Butterfly series and Windows Phone 8X. You can detach the spring-loaded back cover with a tiny lever on the side of the phone, and upon doing so, you'll have access to the aforementioned microSD slot and a micro-SIM slot as well. ![]() Turning the handset around, we see a set of pogo pins (which you use to attach the power case), the f/2.0 lens belonging to the 4MP "UltraPixel" camera, the flash module and, just underneath, the square-shaped fingerprint scanner - which deserves a few paragraphs all its own. (In comparison, the Note 3 weighs 5.93oz and the Xperia Z Ultra hits the scales at 7.48.) Even so, one-handed operation should be considered unlikely - verging on impossible - due to the fact the Android notifications pull-down can't be reached with a thumb, and the phone's 7.65-ounce weight (217g) makes it seriously unwieldy. It's also applied the same design to the power button, which it's sensibly moved to the right-hand side of the device, leaving the hard-to-reach top edge for just the IR transmitter and 3.5mm headphone jack. HTC has thankfully retained the lovely etched metal volume rocker from the original One. The curved back panel, so elegant as part of the smaller One, brings the thickness to 10.3mm along its spine, which feels every bit as thick as it sounds. Samsung's Note 3 (151.2 x 79.2 x 8.3mm) and Sony's Xperia Z Ultra (179.4 x 92.2 x 6.5mm) offset their big screens with tiny waistlines or bezels, but the One Max makes no such effort: its front-facing BoomSound speakers sit loud and proud along the top and bottom of the display, bringing the length to 164mm (around 6.5 inches). We wish HTC had managed something similar here.Īnd then there's the issue of size. We refuse to take all the blame, however, since Sony has managed to deliver microSD slots in its latest phones without having a removable back cover. Having badgered HTC for the past two years to include microSD expansion, the company has finally given us what we want - and this loss of build quality comes as a direct result. Perhaps this is why we feel a pang of guilt about the One Max's design woes. The result is even less One-like than the One Mini, which also has a white band but wears it better due to the fact it has a neater, non-removable back. The One's singular, expertly crafted block of anodized aluminum has been replaced by an undignified white polycarbonate band that keeps the aluminum back and front sides of the phone joined together - kind of like elastic holding up saggy underwear. Build quality and designĮven forgetting about the build quality issues and starting with a clean slate, it's hard to find much good to say about the HTC One Max's design. We've also been told that tariff pricing on Vodafone UK will come to £19 on the 3G £47 tariff or free on the £52 4G equivalent tariff - making the One Max slightly more expensive than Sony's Z Ultra and barely any cheaper than Samsung's Galaxy Note 3. We're still waiting to hear from HTC on SIM-free pricing, but one retailer as it on sale at £600 ($952) in the UK. As a result, this review can't be considered final until we get a chance to play with an actual in-store device and post an update, which we hope to do when the One Max officially launches in the UK at the end of this week. The removable back cover doesn't fit properly the power button often jams there's a visible gap between the display and the bezel on the right-hand side, and the optional $90 Power Flip Case looks as if it was designed for some other phone, because its front flap fails to fully cover the One Max's enormous display. Our sample unit is coming apart at the seams. ![]() HTC gave it to us on the premise that it was worthy of being reviewed, so we expected it to be virtually immaculate. ![]() We need to kick things off with an unfortunate disclaimer: The device we're looking at here was not final, but rather a very late-stage factory sample - one of the first units off the assembly line. ![]()
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