Of all the best Android phones, a great deal of attention has been focused towards the Samsung Galaxy S III, despite the fact that HTC has a track record of making some of the finest Android phones in the market including the HTC One X, which was lauded for its excellent camera facilities and its overall features as an Android phone. The vastly underrated HTC Windows Phone 8X, possibly one of the best smartphones that run Microsoft’s latest Windows Phone operating system, may also be subject to the same lack of awareness due to the spotlight being focused on Nokia’s Lumia 920.
To start with, the 8X has a design that sets it apart from a majority of Windows Phones; it is thinner and lighter than the bulky Lumia 920 and still offers some of the latest hardware advancements like wireless charging and a great sound system powered by Beats Audio. The body features tapered edges, creating the illusion of extra thinness with a slight bulge at the back which, while used to contain some of the phone’s bulkier components, doubles for an easier grip-hold.
As for the hardware, its 4.3-inch screen on the Verizon HTC Windows Phone 8X is optimally sized and has a high resolution at par with that of the iPhone’s Retina display. The phone-exclusive wireless charging pad lacks some of the aesthetic appeal of other charging pads like the one used for Nokia’s Lumia 920, but this issue is easily resolved as its wireless charging feature is fairly compatible with most industry-standard wireless charging pads.
The main attraction of the phone, however, is its flawless use of the latest version of Microsoft’s vastly underrated operating system, Windows Phone 8. The unique functional design of the Windows Phone 8 platform makes it an excellent alternative operating system to Google’s Android and Apple’s iOS. The user interface, while very similar to the previous two Windows Phone releases at first glance, is more customizable than its predecessors.
The interface abandons the conventional row of apps for a feature called Live Tiles, which has a tabulated list of icons that represent apps, which can be opened by tapping on the icon, and update in real time. For example, you can see updates in the news headlines, messages and notifications on Facebook, or new tweet updates on Twitter. It also allows users to prioritize specific tiles to show more or less information, even to the point of occupying a greater or lesser width of the screen.
While the greatest drawback to the 8X is the limited access to the some of the latest and highly preferred apps, the phone still makes for an excellent choice for an HTC phone. It’s a definite buy for consumers looking for a less mainstream yet highly capable alternative for the conventional Android or iOS smartphones available in the market today.
