HTC presented smartphones based on Windows Phone 8

Our review today is of the HTC 8S smartphone. According to some Russian marketers, the manufacturer of the device expects to win the sympathy of buyers in the middle price segment. The main arguments: the balanced characteristics of the device, as well as the traditionally high quality for the brand.

In addition, Microsoft, which released the OS under which this phone runs (Windows Phone version 8), is trying very hard to prove its worth in the competition with Android and iOS platforms. According to some experts, HTC 8S is a smartphone designed to combine two marketing principles: a recognizable prestigious brand and an affordable price. To what extent does the device correspond to this thesis?

Appearance

The body of the product is made of polycarbonate, pleasant to the touch, its shape is very strict, the corners are sharp. The gadget fits perfectly in the user's hand. The smartphone is supplied to the Russian market in four possible colors: black and white, gray (with elements of yellow), blue, and red.

Experts who have tested the device praise its successful design (while noting the fact that this characteristic also applies to most other HTC devices). Experts note that the case materials resist external contamination well. The build quality of the device is assessed as high. There are no backlashes.

The dimensions of the HTC 8S phone are neither large nor small. The length of the device is 120.5 mm, width - 63, thickness - 10.3. This, by the way, is very similar to the similar parameters of the prestigious iPhone 5 (123.8 x 58.6 x 7.6 mm). Many experts note that both devices are united by the thoughtfulness and elegance of the proportions of the various elements of the body.

Design, construction

The appearance of the HTC 8S is bright and memorable. The model is a parallelepiped with slightly rounded corners and streamlined shapes. The front part of the device is glossy, and the back part is rubberized plastic. The smartphone comes in orange, blue-black, gray-yellow and black-white colors. I received the blue version for testing. It looks original and neat.

Particular emphasis is placed on the bell speaker above the screen. It is painted in a bright, in my case, bright blue color. In addition, a light indicator is hidden in the speaker (it lights up when there is a missed call or when the battery is charging). The lower part of the device differs from the main tone of the body.

On the front of the communicator, in addition to the speaker, you can see an accelerometer, a proximity sensor, and a light sensor.

Most of the front side of the smartphone is occupied by a 4-inch screen. Below the display there are three touch control buttons: “Back”, “Windows” (“Home”) and “Search”.

The volume rocker is located on the right side, and below is the camera key. At the top end there is a button to turn on/off and lock the screen. You can also find a hole for connecting a 3.5 mm headset. There are no controls on the left.

The connector for connecting an interface cable and a microUSB charger is located at the bottom end.

On the reverse side there is a 5 megapixel camera eye with autofocus and an LED flash. At the bottom you can see the speaker holes for external calls. The built-in speaker has average volume reserves. In most cases, it is clearly audible so as not to miss a call in a noisy room.

The battery in HTC 8S is non-removable. Slots for microSD and microSIM memory cards are located under a small cover on the rear end. It comes off quite easily.

The build quality of the HTC 8S is excellent. There are no questions about execution. The model is assembled at a factory in China.

Control

Just like many other smartphones running Windows Phone OS, the device is configured with a control mechanism in accordance with Microsoft standards. Deviations from them can be made in the most exceptional cases. The main control elements of the device are the screen and three touch buttons located below it. There are also additional tools. These include a block of keys located under the display (with white backlight), which can be used in low-light conditions.

On the left side of the case there is a “Back” button (and if you hold it, a list of running applications will appear on the screen). In Microsoft Windows (performs the function of returning to the main menu, as well as calling the voice control system - when held for a long time). On the right is the search engine launch button.

Experts note a high level of comfort in using touch buttons. You can confidently work with your smartphone without fear of missing the key or hitting the right key. There is a high brightness of the backlight under the touch buttons.

At the top end of the phone there is a key to turn off the display. Conveniently, it is difficult to press it accidentally, since it is located on the same level with the body. If you hold this button, a window will appear with which you can turn off the power to the device. There is an audio jack next to the key. At the bottom end of the phone there is a micro-USB slot and a microphone.

On the right side of the case there is a button that regulates the volume level. Just below it is the key to turn on the smartphone camera (short but confident press), focus it (light, barely noticeable touch) or release the shutter (long, confident press).

In the front part of the case, on top, there is a voice speaker. It is covered with a neat mesh. Next to it is a light sensor, a motion (proximity) sensor, and an indicator that changes color with different user actions. For example, if the smartphone is connected to a PC or charger, it will flash red.

Now we are waiting for the next point of the HTC 8S review - characteristics.

HTC 8S :: Review :: User Interface

As mentioned above, HTC 8S runs the latest Windows Phone 8 OS. The system is not an acquired taste and requires habit: almost all respondents, from advanced to ordinary users, reported this.

In the current version, the size of the titles has been changed, but in general the logic of Windows Phone Mango 7.5 is recognizable. On a pleasant note: WP now has a tool for taking screenshots (screenshots). It works by pressing the power button and “start” (central touch key with an oblique window).

The lock screen has many faces, allowing you to choose a static or dynamic background, notifications, and even set a password. This element of the system is certainly interesting.

The desktop with the familiar “modest” notification area is a set of squares, “titles”, which in turn can be both shortcuts and active applications. The color of titles can be selected in the settings, and the size can be selected when held. The sheet of squares can extend down as long as you like, if it’s convenient for you, and there are only two design themes - white and black.

The main menu is also designed as a vertical list: here is a list of available items, icon + name. Inside applications, and even settings, the “vertical” logic is preserved - headings, which often do not fit on the screen, sub-items are written in a smaller font, and the current option is printed in the smallest font. .

Display

The smartphone is equipped with a technological S-LCD display. The diagonal is 4 inches, the resolution is 800 by 480 pixels. The phone screen can display, as is the case with many similar devices, 16 million colors. The display is covered with durable protective glass Gorilla Glass in version 2.

Experts note the moderate but sufficient brightness of the HTC 8S screen. The response to touching the display surface with your fingers is rated as excellent. Color rendition is characterized by experts as very calm and pleasing to the eye. There are opinions that the picture quality is somewhat inferior to screens made according to HD standards. But there are also counterarguments: the experts who voice them say that for the price category in which the smartphone is sold, an S-LCD display is already great.

Battery

The HTC 8S phone is equipped with a 1.7 thousand mAh battery. It is not removable. This, according to some experts, can be a significant drawback. It is known that batteries have an “expiration date”. Over time, any battery fails. At the same time, other experts believe that this “shelf life” is more than sufficient in terms of the likelihood of replacing the device with a new one - 3-4 years. Therefore, this feature, they believe, can not be considered a disadvantage.

Experts who tested the device note that with average use of the phone, battery life can last about two days until the battery is completely discharged. In music listening mode, the device lasts about 4 hours, while talking - about 60 minutes. There is a module for automatically adjusting screen brightness, designed to save battery power. Experts note that for a phone sold in the mid-price segment, even these rather modest figures can be considered good.

Performance

The smartphone has a dual-core processor running at 1 GHz, 522 MB of RAM, and 4 GB of built-in flash memory. It is possible to connect additional micro-SD modules. It may seem that the above characteristics of the HTC Phone 8S are very modest. Still, today's standard standards (even in the budget segment) are four cores and at least 1 GB of RAM. But experts who tested the device note the highest speed of the gadget.

According to some experts, the phone's performance may be due to the peculiarities of the Windows software platform, which makes it possible to manage the equipment more efficiently than, say, Android. Many users who left reviews about the HTC 8S phone on the Internet confirm the experts’ theses about the unusual performance of the smartphone with relatively modest technical characteristics.

Results

This model is the most affordable device running on the Windows Phone 8 operating system. Its closest opponent is the HTC 8X, it has two cameras, a larger diagonal and resolution display, and a better hardware platform. Following it is the “budget” model of Nokia - Lumia 820. It also has two cameras, a 4.3-inch display, a faster processor, replaceable body panels and the ability to control the display with any objects. HTC 8S captivates due to its compactness, light weight, bright body color options and easy-to-use Windows Phone 8 operating system.

Liked + Dimensions + Case materials + Screen + Smooth operation

Didn’t like it - Operating time - Lack of oleophobic coating - Camera quality - Lack of front camera

Cartography

The smartphone uses a GPS navigation program that is standard for many HTC devices. Using it, you can download maps and then use them offline when there is no Internet. Interestingly, this function is not formally free. But the corresponding expenses of the smartphone owner are already included in the price of the device. Therefore, the user does not incur any financial costs. The HTC maps used contain fairly detailed drawings of houses and their numbering. There is a mode for indicating the level of traffic jams in the city.

Unusual Features

Having listed the characteristics common to most other smartphones and the HTC 8S, let’s look at several proprietary functions that distinguish the device from its analogues.

The smartphone is equipped with an interesting mechanism called “politeness sensors”. Its structure is represented by three main functions: reducing the volume of the ringtone (when the owner takes the phone in his hand), increasing it (when placing the device in his pocket), and muting the sound if the device is turned face down. Each option is performed automatically.

The second notable feature is that in screen lock mode the user sees nothing more than a weather forecast.

The third interesting mechanism incorporated into the smartphone by the manufacturer is the proprietary HTC shell, which provides the device owner with a lot of useful information in real time. This includes news, stock quotes, detailed forecasts and actual weather conditions.

HTC 8S :: Review :: Hardware Specifications

In terms of hardware, even if the device is not the leader of the vendor in “phone windows”, then it’s hard to call it an outsider: everything starts up, scrolls and works quickly, although why should there be any particular slowdown? There are not many special and familiar software tests of the mobile platform - if they are indicative for you, look at the screenshots.

The battery life of the smartphone is approximately one day under average load, which includes email monitoring, sluggish SMS correspondence, 30-40 minutes of calls and checking social networks via 3G and WiFi. A traditional indicator for a modern device, to be honest. There are no complaints about the quality of network reception, everything is at the level: the search is fast, and the signal holds confidently. The call volume is sufficient for most situations, but without reserve. The vibration alert also does not fail. The earpiece coupled with a microphone did not disappoint either me or my interlocutors, even when talking on a busy street.

What are the results of all of the above? WP8 and HTC 8S have a tangible advantage - low competition. Mobile or, more precisely, “telephone” version of Windows 8 is available on few devices, and old people with 7.5, God willing, will only be updated to 7.8. Thus, those who love everything new, but are tired of “fruit” devices and “tank-shaped shovels” may well try the “tile”, evaluate the logic using the example of a device from a first-tier manufacturer, and do not necessarily have to buy the flagship, 8X. Again, the fact that there are memory cards is nice, even though removable media can only be used for content, not programs. Thus, we have before us a nice-looking, high-quality smartphone with the necessary and sufficient hardware, on an ambiguous OS, for those who are tired of everything else, but ready for new and bold experiments.

User reviews

What interesting things can we learn from reading the reviews left by users of the HTC 8S smartphone (not counting those that we have already given above)? Phone owners also speak about the gadget mostly in a positive way. Many of them especially emphasize the fact that a modestly resourced battery is capable of providing relatively long (compared to devices of a similar class with the same battery characteristics) autonomous operation. Users praise the smartphone for the stability of most functions, as well as for its excellent design. Just like many experts, device owners believe that the price set by HTC 8S dealers (about 5-6 thousand rubles, depending on the specific store) is fully consistent with the quality and capabilities of the device.

Multimedia capabilities

HTC is positioning the 8S as a convenient multimedia tool. Among other things, the manufacturer focuses on high quality sound. This is indicated by the Beats Audio marking on the device's body. In headphones, the device really sounds very, very decent. The device can be used as a good player. However, it is better to replace your original headset with something more decent.

There is a special section for playing music and videos. This also includes podcasts, but there is no radio in this model. The Music section will offer a list of files, which are ordered by name depending on the selected criterion. The following options are offered: artists, albums, compositions, playlists, genres. If you click on one of the letters, you can use the quick search function among the data.

When a song is played, the file's cover art appears on the screen. At the top there are three standard player control keys. Below is information about the artist, album and track title.

As for video, HTC 8S supports .3gp, .3g2, .mp4, m4v, asf, .wmv. The player interface is simple and ascetic. The screen displays the duration of the video and the time since the start of its playback. There are three player control keys, as well as a scroll bar that helps you quickly move through the movie.

Marketing

What are the market prospects for smartphones? It is believed that HTC-branded devices have played a very prominent role in the market for devices running Windows Phone in recent years. This also applies to the Russian national segment. Many marketers believe that HTC solutions, including the 8S smartphone, have every chance of becoming a leader in their categories.

There is reason to say that the Russian Federation is one of the priority markets for the brand. It is enough, for example, to recall the fact that the first phone in Russia running Windows Phone appeared thanks to HTC. We are talking about the Mozart smartphone. According to marketers, he not only became the pioneer of the platform in the national mobile device market, but also took a very noticeable share in sales. The Taiwanese brand, experts believe, will continue to be active in Russia, including through the promotion of devices like the HTC 8S.

Review of the Windows Phone 8X smartphone by HTC

From the editor.

With this review we continue the series of test reviews of smartphones, cameras, tablets, laptops and other gadgets necessary for the life of a modern person.

Characteristics of Windows Phone 8X by HTC

Weight: 130 g Dimensions: 66.2×132.35×10.12 mm Screen: Super LCD 2, 4.3 inches, 720×1280, 342 PPI Operating system: Windows Phone… →

The review consists of three parts. In the first, we give the floor to the manufacturing company. In the second - to an ordinary user (the so-called teapot). In the third, an expert from Gazeta.Ru evaluates the device from the point of view of relevance, convenience and prospects.

The editors invite Gazeta.Ru readers to also take part in the discussion. If you have used the device discussed in the review, please rate it on a five-point scale in the comments to this material and tell us why you liked or disliked it.

Information about devices is published free of charge. The editors may not share the point of view of the authors of published opinions.

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HTC

Comment by Nikolai Blokhin, product manager at HTC

Even its name says that Windows Phone 8X by HTC represents a new operating system.
The bright colors of the cases and the design of the main screen are matched exactly to the bright interface of Windows Phone 8 itself with live “tiles” of the screen. When developing Windows Phone 8X, HTC took an innovative approach to the design of mobile devices, tightly folding their components in the shape of a pyramid, which made it possible to create a unibody body with beveled edges, which seems to be captivated by a high-quality second-generation super LCD display with a protective coating of Gorilla Glass. Special amplifiers and Beats Audio support will make the sound not only high-quality, but also very loud. The 8X front camera is not only as fast as the main one, but also wide-angle, which will add comfort during video calls and panoramic photos. The dual-core processor of the smartphone is fast and at the same time economical. Windows Phone 8X from HTC is an innovative design, really loud music, a fast camera and speed. Argue with Nikolai Blokhin
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Comment by Sergei Oleynik, wholesale sales manager

I was given an HTC 8X for a week.
I will call it that, and not officially - Windows Phone 8X by HTC. So here it is. I tried my best, but it seems to me that 7 days is not enough. “The fault” is, in fact, Windows Phone 8. I saw a phone on this OS for the first time in my life, so I won’t write anything about it, about its capabilities. Otherwise, there won't be enough space to describe the phone. The only thing I can say is that she is not as scary as I thought before starting the test. At the normal user level, I completely mastered it, and relatively quickly, the main thing was not to be lazy and spend a couple of hours watching presentation videos and reading the manual.

And now I return to the HTC 8X.

Appearance and design are definitely top five. They gave me a “cheerful” blue-violet device, which, despite the large screen, does not look like a “shovel” for tough men, but is quite unisex.

The case is matte, non-slippery, fits comfortably in the hand, hardly scratches (unless you try to cut out a three-letter word on it with a knife), but it gets dirty, so I had to wipe it periodically.

I have no complaints about the screen - it’s a good screen, bright, not too much glare. The battery lasted for one and a half to two days of work, which I think is OK. There is also an energy saving mode. By the way, if you use it, then in case of a critical discharge it gives an additional hour or two of phone operation. Just enough time to get to the outlet.

Now, as far as I’m concerned, I downloaded several dozen of these very applications, all very different, and everything just flew. The WP8 interface itself is very fast. That is, there were no brakes at all, in any situation.

I'll digress from talking about the phone, but this is important. There seem to be enough basic applications for WP8, but in general their number cannot be compared with the Google Play I’m familiar with. For Android, it seems, there are programs for all occasions, even in case of aliens arriving. In the WP8 "app store" everything is MUCH more modest.

And most importantly, the applications there are very different in level. Applications from Microsoft itself or from their partners, as a rule, are good - beautiful and functional, but there are few of them and at the same time, next to them, in the store, there are some left-field crafts. Perhaps the picture is different among paid applications, but for obvious reasons I did not install them.

Main camera. For my needs it is quite enough, the level is clearly above average, although it does not cause ecstasy, but the front wide-angle camera is very good.

My best “crossbows” were made on it, with a cat and a friend. Everything fit and even the carpet on the wall fit into the frame)).

The video player turned out to be quite omnivorous and perfectly showed different formats, including Apple .m4v, and not a five-minute video, but a two-gigabyte rip of “Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows.”

But I have a mixed opinion about the audio player. I love good sound and I have something to say about this.

On the one hand, the audiophile FLAC format is not playable, and there are few settings in the player. There are all sorts of options, such as “share the track with a friend on social networks”, “determine what the song is”, “find information about the artist on the Internet” - all this is missing. That is, it's just a player and that's it.

But not really.

The HTC 8X has Beats Audio, a proprietary feature (they call it an “amp”) from HTC that really rocks the headphones. I tested the phone with Sennheiser MM 70i earbuds and AKG K 142 HD monitor earbuds. I can’t complain about the quality of playback of mp3 tracks, the sound is good, as good as it can be in mp3 format.

In general, if we ignore Windows Phone 8, then the HTC 8X is just a good, although not cheap, smartphone. But if abstraction fails, then in this case everything is much more complicated. A lot will depend on how you feel about Windows Phone 8. If you like it and money is tight in your pocket, then the HTC 8X is definitely your choice. And if you don’t like Windows Phone 8, but like HTC, then there’s nothing to discuss, HTC has good Android devices.

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Commentary by Oleg Kapranov, IT columnist for Gazeta.Ru

The world of Windows Phone smartphones can be considered one of the most boring for an IT observer.
All devices look, if not the same, then very similar: a single interface, the same number and arrangement of buttons on the body, no proprietary shells, etc. Having held one smartphone in your hands, you can say that you have practically held them all. HTC can be praised for its efficiency - after all, it was their WP8 smartphones that were the first to come to Russia and go on sale. This means that using the example of HTC WP 8X, together with a smartphone, we will get acquainted with the new version of the Windows Phone mobile operating system.

Despite the external similarity of HTC's WP8 flagship with the Nokia Lumia 920 flagship, which also runs on WP8, we can say that the image of a Windows Phone smartphone in HTC's interpretation looks more attractive.

The Taiwanese phone fits perfectly in the hand, this is achieved due to its moderate dimensions and weight (132x 66.2x10.1 mm, weight - 130 g), as well as due to its beveled edges. Another extremely successful solution is the screen, as if fused into the body. Similar designs could be found in Nokia N9 and one of the first Lumia.

The body is available in black, yellow, purple and red and is made of fashionable polycarbonate. Good, soft, pleasant to the touch coating. Special thanks to HTC for the matte surface, it is less susceptible to fingerprints.

What I didn’t like was the now “fashionable” design of the tray for MicroiSIM. It can only be opened with a special needle or paper clip. Few people carry needles with them, and pulling it out with something else risks damaging the case.

The disadvantages include the unibody form factor, that is, a non-separable case. This makes it impossible to remove the battery. Some people use this opportunity to hard reset their smartphone, others carry an extra battery with them just in case.

A breakthrough for WP smartphones was the removal of the screen resolution restriction in the G8. This allowed us to move away from the WP7 limit of 800x480 pixels and start making devices with competitive displays. In particular, in HTC WP 8X we received a 4.3-inch Super LCD2 display with a resolution of 1280x720 pixels, that is, HD 720p. Not outstanding characteristics of course, but better than everything previous. The screen is bright, the picture quality is high. Deep black color, good contrast and depth, the ability to display text perfectly, which is certainly important for a smartphone with Microsoft Office preinstalled. The display also copes well with viewing angles. I was especially pleased with the high-quality capacitive sensor. For reliable screen protection, shock-resistant tempered Gorilla Glass 2 is used.

The flagship - the flagship hardware - decided at HTC and used a dual-core Qualcomm MSM8960 processor for the new product, each core of which operates at a frequency of up to 1.5 GHz. The processor is powered by 1 GB of RAM and 16 GB of memory for data storage. Of these, 14 GB is available to the user, which is very little. There is no support for memory cards in this device, which can be considered an absolute omission of the manufacturer. In general, if we take into account the sensations during use, the HTC WP 8X turned out to be moderately fast and coped with all the assigned tasks without problems during testing.

An important innovation of the G8 was the refusal to synchronize with a computer using the Zune application. Now the familiar MTP (Media Transfer Protocol) is used, which allows you to drag and drop files with the mouse in Explorer when you connect your smartphone to your computer.

Due to this, working with multimedia has become significantly easier. Unfortunately, for some reason, the victim of HTC innovations was FM radio, which is not present in the HTC WP 8X.

There is also no support for Russian LTE networks. Apparently, manufacturers continue to be very, very skeptical about this data transfer standard, especially its Russian version. However, it is quite difficult to call “standard” something that has as many as 44 frequency ranges.

The latest version of Bluetooth, 2.1, was disappointing, but I was pleased with the expanded NFC support. Now the ability to transmit information through the contact of two smartphones is even built into the browser. In the same way, you can transfer contacts, photos, documents, etc. from device to device.

Windows Phone smartphones have always done well with battery life. These devices looked advantageous against the backdrop of Google phones, which, with active use, could hardly survive until the evening. Android smartphones from HTC were especially prominent in this part of the circus program.

What about battery life now? A Li-Ion battery with a capacity of 1800 mAh provides approximately 36 hours of operation under average load (mobile Internet, Wi-Fi, music, calls and SMS). The saving mode, which is launched in the OS settings, will help to slightly extend the life of your HTC WP 8X. A “heart” lights up on the battery indicator and pumping of mail and social media accounts is turned off, which allows you to extend battery life. You can charge your smartphone either from a power outlet or from a laptop. There is no wireless charging yet.

Camera. The favorite toy of HTC engineers for the last year or year and a half. There are two cameras: main and front. The front one in this case is even a little more interesting than the main one: wide-angle optics were used here, which allows you to take pictures of your loved one in very good quality, even people standing nearby are placed in the frame. The camera is only 2.1 megapixels, but takes photos and videos in Full HD quality, i.e. 1920x1080 pixels. Good optics with a fixed focus manage to produce a picture of very decent quality. I would even say that this quality is excessive for Skype.

As for the main camera, it is also capable of taking photos and videos in Full HD quality. There are a lot of settings, the speed of the module is impressive. However, this is actually the same camera that was previously used in the HTC One X. Here we have a resolution of 8 megapixels.

A few words should be said about the operating system itself. In addition to various little things like tiles on the main screen, which can now change their size, and a locked screen on which you can display various information and photos from albums, Windows Phone 8 has a number of very, very worthy innovations.

The first of them has already been mentioned - the rejection of Zune as a synchronization tool. In addition, it is now possible to make backups in cloud storage. Moreover, all information about your smartphone is pulled there, including accounts, installed applications and details of your payment card, which you use to pay in the application store. So, if necessary, the smartphone can be restored in just a few minutes. Linking is carried out using your live.com account.

A powerful design move: the black bar that was located on the right side of the screen was removed from the main screen. The reason for this stripe - the little arrow - has now moved to the very bottom, where it generally belongs.

Groups have appeared in contacts; correspondence and notifications can be sent within groups. This is convenient for corporate users. And taking into account the fact that “contacts” represent a single whole with the feed where messages from your social network accounts are loaded, you can now create your own news feeds for each of the groups.

A separate segment is dedicated to children. If your child loves to play with your smartphone, then it makes sense to provide him with a list of applications that you want to give him access to. This is the so-called “Children's room”. You can lock access to all other applications and services with a password and be sure that your child will not get into it. True, all this will not prevent him from dropping his phone into a glass of Coca-Cola. However, now users have the already mentioned data backup service.

An extremely important thing is multitasking. Now it is fully implemented in Windows Phone 8. Moreover, the user has the ability to control it. In particular, you can select the applications that you would like to keep running in the background.

Now about a couple of branded features from HTC. The most interesting of them, perhaps, will interest music lovers. We're talking about the Beats Audio module. The 8X takes this speaker manufacturer's collaboration with HTC to a new level. You can call this module an advanced equalizer as much as you like, but of course, it is more than just an equalizer. The Beats Audio module really makes headphones sound different, even if they are headphones for 700 rubles. It starts automatically when you connect the headphones to your smartphone. Headphones can be not only Beats Audio brands.

I also found the “politeness sensor” interesting. This is a set of presets that allows you to more flexibly operate the notification settings of your smartphone. There are three presets - this is not only familiar to all Anroid users, turning off the ringer when turning the phone face down, but also reducing the ringer volume when the phone is in hand and increasing the volume when the device is in a bag or pocket.

To summarize, we can say that Windows Phone 8 was the first version of the operating system that looks relatively decent, especially compared to the dubious WP7 and WP 7.5 Mango. The developers removed obvious nonsense, and interesting innovations appeared.

As for the HTC WP 8X, the smartphone as a whole is very good. A solid body, a good screen, powerful hardware, a high-quality camera - against this background, its price of 22 thousand rubles (the average price on Yandex.Market) seems quite appropriate. What was disappointing was the small amount of memory for storing data. Only 14 GB, without the ability to insert a 32 or 64 GB MicroSD into a smartphone - this is obviously small by the standards of a modern user. Annoying little things also include an inconvenient SIM card tray, a non-removable battery and the absence of an FM radio.

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From the editor.

We invite Gazeta.Ru readers to take part in the discussion of Windows Phone 8X by HTC. If you have used the device discussed in the review, please rate it on a five-point scale in the comments to this material and tell us why you liked or disliked it.