HTC had a rough ending to 2011, so to kick off their 2012, they released the One Series of Android phones, including the flagship One X which we are about to dive deep into. With a new outlook on design, a less-intrusive take on Android skinning, and a focus on impressive hardware, this phone is one to “ooh” and “aww” over on paper and in pictures. There are few competitors that have produced phones in the last 12 months that can match the overall package of the One X, however, one question remains – is this phone capable of bringing HTC back from a dark and dreary place and to the forefront of the Android race once again? Let’s find out. 

Well, it has been a full week since we got our hands on the HTC One X and are getting closer to a full review, but first, we wanted to do an intense look at Sense 4.0. As you may have heard, this version of Sense is supposed to be the lightest and most toned down yet, resembling stock Android much more than any other release. Whether that’s true or not is up for debate, but the changes are drastic enough that we wanted to point some of them out to you. This is technically the first OEM skin to be slapped over top of Ice Cream Sandwich that has been released to the public, so it is definitely worth talking about. Some of it is definitely good – some of it not-so-much. Overall though, I’d have to say that I’ve enjoyed parts of the Sense experience, just not the launcher itself. Prepare yourself for 20 minutes of glory.

Instagram for Android received another update this evening (the third since launch), bringing with it support for Tegra 3 devices including the HTC One X. As someone who has been locked out of the service for the last 5 or so days since switching to a One X, I couldn’t be happier. I know that some of you aren’t fans, but as a social app that lets you view fun photos from your friends, it definitely can be entertaining at times. Plus, the developer team behind it is proving to be incredible. If only other major application teams would be on top of their game like this.

The Instagram team also fixed bugs on tablets, made geotagging more accurate, and increased camera support for more devices.

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Cheers Tato!

Let’s be honest here – benchmarks for the most part, are not something we care all that much about in 2012. Back in 2010 when we were overclocking everything that walked and phones still ran single-core processors, it was a big deal. Now, not so much. With the amount of power in phones today, a benchmark doesn’t tell the full story. With different cameras, screen sizes and techs, and build materials becoming increasingly more important, benchmarks are really just a piece of the puzzle and mostly for bragging rights now. And in the case of the HTC One X with the world’s first quad-core mobile processor inside (aka Tegra 3), bragging is exactly what we aim to do here.

We unfairly compared it to the Galaxy Nexus with its OMAP4460 dual-core chipset since it is the hottest Android device on the block, just to give you an idea as to how the T3 compares to last year’s dual-core chips. So what the G-Nex has to fight with is a “4-PLUS-1″ quad-core processor powering a 12-core GPU. “Oh joy!” 

This is probably an issue that many will never run into unless you take your phone obsession to the next level and start importing phones from overseas, but we wanted to make you aware of it in case this ends up happening at some point. When you buy an unlocked phone from say, the UK, it was meant to stay in the UK or in Europe and not the U.S. Typically, when you first boot a phone like this and start the setup process, it will think you are in another country, automatically displaying time and languages from somewhere outside of say, Kansas. On most phones, you can fix the issue simply by going into “Language & keyboard” and finding “English (United States)” from the “System Language” pull down and never worry about it again. But from time to time, like with an imported phone like the HTC One X (unboxing and first impressions), “English United States” is not listed (see middle screenie below), so you have to choose another variation of the English language. Well why is that an issue, you ask?

When HTC announced the One X at MWC in February, my initial thought was, “I need this device no matter what carrier it belongs to.” And then AT&T announced that they would have it, but it would not carry NVIDIA’s quad-core Tegra 3 processor and that only the non-U.S. version without LTE would. My second thought was then, “OK, unlocked HTC One X, here I come. I need me some quad-core phone-age.” (Not that the Snapdragon S4 is a slouch, but come on, who doesn’t want to say they have a quad-core processor in their phone?) And that’s where we sit today, with at first glance, one of the most beautifully designed smartphones I have ever seen on my desk. 

You are looking here at a device that should be unveiled tomorrow in NYC by HTC and Sprint. Yep, from what we know, this is the HTC EVO One (or EVO LTE?). Whatever the official name ends up being, this is the One series variant that Sprint will get with LTE on board. We know it’s not Verizon-related, but it’s worth sharing since up until now, all we had seen was a press image of the front of the device. Here we get a look at the classic EVO red and black styling along with the kickstand. Not bad, right?

Discussion continues over at Android Life.

The first round of HTC One X reviews are in, and most are now referring to this device as the “King of Android.” While that can normally be said every other month when it comes to this platform, it has actually been months since the Galaxy Nexus was released and no other phone has really been able to match it in an overall package. The One X may have blown it away.

Most who have handled the device for any amount of time are calling this screen the best they have ever seen on a mobile device, with amazing viewing angles and some of the most natural and realistic colors around. As a 4.7″ Super LCD2 display with 312ppi, that makes sense. On the battery front, most are noticing favorable charges even with a quad-core Tegra 3 processor tucked inside. Now, it’s not LTE if it has the T3 inside, so there is one trade-off. Speaking of Tegra 3, for sheer processing power, no other processor can match this. With that said, the Snapdragon S4 is actually outperforming it in a number of benchmarks and will be used in the AT&T version since it works with LTE already.

The camera, which HTC has been bragging about, received decent marks. It’s better than the one on the Galaxy Nexus, but definitely not the best on the planet for a smartphone. In fact, the HTC Amaze 4G tops this one. HTC’s new ImageSense technology appears to be a major winner though, adding to the overall camera and video recording experiences in a good way.

Overall though, most that reviewed this are blown away by the total package. A beautiful design, with raw power, toned down Sense UI, amazing display, and above average camera, have made this the phone to have for Android enthusiasts. Too bad it’s not coming anywhere near Verizon. Rumors are swirling about that we may see something similar on Big Red this year, but again, ”this year” could mean in 8 months when AT&T, Sprint and worldwide customers will have had it for months.

I should have the phone by the end of the week and will do a full review of our own then. In the mean time, check out some of the videos of the device from around the web after the break.