By Talk about the HTC One Max at AndroidForums.com!
HTC has officially announced the HTC One Max, the phablet version of their 2013 flagship phone that does more than just increase the screen size. Aside from the massive 5.9-inch 1080p HD display on this thing, new changes include a removable backplate, the ability to add additional storage, and — you guessed it — a fingerprint scanner!
HTC One Max Specs
Aside from the aforementioned changes, this device is largely the same in the specs department when paired up against the original HTC One. Here’s the quick list in case you need a refresher:
- 5.9-inch 1080p HD display
- Qualcomm Snapdragon 600 quad-core processor
- 2GB of RAM
- 16GB-32GB of internal storage (ability to expand up to 64GB with microSD)
- HTC UltraPixel camera
- 2.1 megapixel front camera with 1080p HD video recording
- Front-facing BoomSound speakers
- Fingerprint scanner
- WiFi ac, Bluetooth 4.0, aGPS, NFC and MHL
- 4G LTE
- Android 4.3 with HTC Sense 5.5
- 3,300 mAh battery
The added space to make room for a bigger battery is the most interesting, with HTC promising 25-28 hours of talk time. Despite the backplate being removable, the battery is not interchangeable (though with such a big battery we’re not sure you’d need to anyway).
HTC One Max Fingerprint Scanner
Just as rumors suggested, the fingerprint scanner is on board and lets you do a bit more than just unlock your device. You can assign up to three different apps that can be launched depending on the finger you swipe. It sounds like a pretty neat trick, giving HTC a somewhat unique take on the mobile tech Apple reintroduced with the iPhone 5S. We can’t speak to the quality of the HTC One’s scanner up against Apple’s Touch ID yet, obviously, but interests are piqued nonetheless.
HTC Sense 5.5 on HTC One Max
HTC Sense 5.5 doesn’t bring many dramatic changes in terms of usability and looks, but HTC did make BlinkFeed more useful. For starters, users can now enjoy more refined customization of categories and topics. You can integrate with new social networks like Instagram and Google+. Finally, BlinkFeed now also allows you to cache up to 120 articles for offline viewing.
HTC is also introducing Video Highlights in the camera software, a feature that will automatically combine photos and videos with a soundtrack and theme, and highlights can now be as short or as long as you want them to be.
HTC One Max Release Date
HTC didn’t have much to share about specific regions and carriers, but they did promise that the device would start rolling out across the “globe” from mid-late October. We know Verizon will eventually be on board here in America, and there’s a pretty good chance all of the other major carriers are going to get in on the fun, as well.
It’s time for the moment of truth — are you buying? We know anything and everything there is to know about this device, though with all the prior leaks there wasn’t much of a surprise here. Some folks are saying HTC took too long to launch this Galaxy Note 3 competitor, but these added features (namely the fingerprint scanner) might still be worth it for some of you.
Drop your vote in the poll below, and follow that up with a comment in the comments section to let us know what you are excited for (or why you won’t be throwing money at HTC if you’re on the other side of the fence).
[polldaddy poll=7474967]
I thought the max would have the snapdragon 800 processor
That was rumored early on, but the latest rumors downgraded it to Snapdragon 600. Bummer, I know, but the Snapdragon 600 chipset is still really good.
It is not. Games don’t run at full settings on s600. Battery life on s800 is really better. Lg g2 ‘s battery life is higher than iphone too.
Looks good. If I hadn’t sold my HTC One for an Xperia Z Ultra I might be interested, but the Ultra has it beat.
here come all of the whiny complaints “snapdragon 800 or gtfo” “600? pshhh, obsolete. HTC is doomed”
LMAO, i just saw this type of comment on another tech site. What a shame
it is a shame how a great device is beat to death in the comments simply because it isn’t everything that the commentator wants.
I recently got a Note, still in my 14 day period with T-MO. If I can get my hands on a demo unit I’ll give it a try but being a spec junkie I’m one of those “S800 or gtfo” people. Not that the 600 is bad but considering it’ll be just as expensive as the Note, I might as well pay for the best my money can buy.
I feel you on that. if you’re gonna pay for something expensive and plan to hold on to it for a while then it’d best be top notch to last you. I get that. I just don’t get the people complaining for the sake of complaining. I’m sure most don’t even have the money or plan on buying these products they continually bash.
agreed, but i know the price is going to be the same, and the reason is because of the build quality and dual speakers, i can almost bet that is the only reason why its going to cost so much
The 600 chip is no slouch, but how is a company who is already falling under expected to stay afloat when they can’t even match the competitions specs let alone be better than that device?
I’m a htc fan, but htc didn’t do anything to justify upgrading from the One to the Max.
I wonder what argument people can tell me that their .5 GHz difference makes on a phone? Why should I care if my benchmarks gets lower scores? Does my device crash? No. Is there lag? No. Is the camera good? Yes. That’s why my HTC One makes me happy. I would recommend the HTC One Max to people based off what I experienced with the HTC One, instead it has a bigger display, finger print scanner, better software, SD slot, and a bigger battery. Why not give this phone a chance, people?
Hmmm better than most anticipated. Not sure if better enough, this phone is heavier and bigger than any other thing 6″ screen. Talking about 6″ screen. What about the LG Flex?
Why do nerds always whine about specs. Iook at the ipad, it’s the market leader in tablets and the nerds complained about iOS, specs etc. Funny how the real world is different.
When you buy a new flagship device is nice to think that it has all the best possible components inside. That doesn’t always happen, of course. IPad buyers are not tech enthusiasts, they are just enthusiasts.
“AOL: So easy to use no wonder it’s number 1!”
(Of course, if you like engadget, you have no right to bash AOL but I can since I think it sucks)
The majority of people who buy Apple products are not nerds. I’ll bet that if you asked 100% of the iPad user base what the specs of their device were they could probably only tell you that it has a dual/quad core processor and a retina display, without being able to say an exact resolution. And no offence to them if they don’t care but these people aren’t tech enthusiasts. Hell, I worked with people who used to hold those iThings up and talk about them like they were bible’s and get all the details wrong. Mind you, these people sell mobile software.
Makes the NOTE 3 look like a GS4 lol
As I look at that picture while reading this on my note 3….yea… NO. The note 3 is the biggest im willing to go with on a phone. I can one hand most things as is. That very late to the party HTC offering is too much phone with last flagship round specs. It’s IMO not worth the money. For the price they are going to be offering that thing at to stay competitive, you might as well get something else. My last phone was an HTC sensation that held on for dear life for like 2 1/2 years. Ended one month ago when frustration met hammer. Glorious end to a decent phone.
LOL. Wise and funny words my friend.
It’s funny when there is no price announced and you are talking about that the hTC ONE MAX is not worth the money….
I would expect them to price this at around the same as the note 3. Seeing as it’s the last major flagship for 2013. If this thing costs the same as the note 3 then they are shooting themselves in the foot at the start. Only way this is gonna make any waves is by being stupid cheap. $450 off contract or something ridiculous like that.
599 I think should be fair to start. Then later on yes, down to around 450.
looks to be about the same size, the BoomSound speakers only make it taller
Looks about the same size, the bigger size is the only difference…. uh??
its ABOUT the same size… a bit taller due to the speakers
whats so hard to understand about that?
This phone is WAY bigger and heavier than the Note 3. It is, in fact, closer to the Z Ultra (6.4″) dimensions than it is from the Note 3s. Big screen phones require small bezels, HTC didn’t get that yet.
I agree, I think Samsung nailed with the Note 3 by having a small screen size increase to 5.7″ but making the device narrower, thinner and lighter with the same length.
The One max is 13mm longer, 3mm wider, 2mm thicker and 50g heavier….
If it doesn’t have useful hybrid like features, then why even make a phone that big? what can you honestly utilize? More screen when browsing? 4.7-5 is more then enough for a normal phone. Big isn’t just simply better. Welcome to the we have a big phone too club.
Update: I just saw a video, and it does have a couple of useful features for it’s size. It still overall seems like a bigger of the same HTC One. I feel HTC always adds features or bumps it with things they could have put into their last phone. Nothing to really draw the line between the two besides the screen size.
5.5″ to 6.5″ are the ideal for phones. Of course the bigger the screen is, the smaller the bezels need to be (HTC hasn’t gotten that yet). I use my smartphone for reading, browsing, games, movies, trading stocks, commenting in blogs and so many other things much more than talking in it. The whole point of a big screen phone is to use it as a phone AND as a tablet.
Idk if you know what ‘ideal’ means, unless you were implying that that screen size is ideal for you…
The ideal for any smartphone poweruser. We do so many things on our smartphone, why not do it comfortably? A 6″ screen phone next year might just have the same overall size than a 4.3″ screen phone two years ago.
disagree, idea is 4.5 to 5.0 inch screens for phones, infact the s4 and the htc one are about the limit size to idea for a phone, all to do now i eliminate bezel. but not add size
Steve jobs used to say that 3.5″ was the ideal for phones.
yea i think he was referring to idea for women, me as a man personally would not wanna go below 4.7, and no bigger than the 5.2 screen like on the LG G2, but really that is the biggest for a cell phone, i mean come on bruh, aint no way you can walk around with a max, note 3, or and ultra in your paints pocket and be completely comfortable
Comparing the NOTE 3 with the MAX and Ultra is silly. The Max and ultra are WAY bigger and heavier. I carry my note 3 around everywhere. It does bother a little when I’m working out but that’s about it. weight and thickness are the things that matter the most when the phone is in your pocket. Oh and there no way Jobs was talking just about women, he meant for everybody and he was dead wrong, obviously.
i know he was wrong thats why i said women lol, but you are right you cant really compare the note and max, but like you said, you cant really move as freely and as comfortable at all time, also if you do have a case on ur note, im sure its not a case that offers good protection, i have a good case on my one and it bare fits nice in my paints pockets
Tomorrow is the 15th. Unless Google is doing some last minute tinkering, then I don’t see the rumor of the 15th of Oct being Nexus Day :(
We have all seen this before. Chipsets aren’t everything look at the the Motorola phones all dual core but the performance with some tweaks is just as good as allot of quad cores. Its also not just the cores but the quality of the actual Chipset. We will see how it performs plus sense 5.5 is supposed to be very smooth.
Motorola phones suck as of October 14th 2013.
swing and a miss
Lol, I am not the only one saying that. The market is saying that as well.
True but you’re comparing the chip in the Moto X (proprietary) vs the chips in the Snapdragon line. Obviously, the newer more powerful 800 is better than the 600. If HTC had their own custom Chip in there, yeah, I’d give it the benefit of the doubt but when there is certainly better tech out there why wouldn’t you want the better one?
Moto X8 is the Snapdragon S4 Pro with custom firmware
Yay it has SD and removable backplate while still looking cool. No more excuses Samsung.
Except no removable battery!?! HTC is the one that needs excuses for this thing. 600? No stylus? sigh…
If only :(
Isnt the only diffrence between the 600 and the 800 the CPU?
And doesnt Androids UI mostly run on the GPU and thats the same in the 600 and 800?
And it not having a stylus is actualy a + for a lot of people seeing most people dont use a stylus.
Snapdragon 600 has Adreno 320 vs 800’s Adreno 330. 800’s chipset is clocked a bit faster but overall the same. The difference really isn’t that staggering.
All true. However if you think cars, a current year model will always be more appealing, even if it is very similar, than the year before’s. Everybody going for the last years model would want to buy it with a discounted rate. I think the same kinda thing happen with smartphones as well.
The 800 uses the same fabrication process, but some key improvements: Better power management for CPU and hardware polling and much better low signal power management for LTE.
Actually per Anandtech a siginificant improvement over the S600.
The difference matters to those of us who are laying down our hard earned cash and won’t be able to afford another one for another 2+ years. It needs to keep up for as long as possible.
OTOH No touchwiz either so it’s probably faster than Samsung
No more excuses Samsung? Samsung phones have had these features for years.
I had high hopes for this phone, having used an HTC One for the past several months. But I see no compelling reason to get this phone over the Note 3. HTC has made no substantive improvements over the One and has even downgraded with no Beats and no OIS. The fact that they eschewed the Snapdragon 800 could be a reflection of the financial troubles they’ve been having.
I hope this is not the beginning of the end for HTC. Maybe being acquired by Lenovo would be the best thing at this time. Lenovo has the resources and the desire to increase their reach in the smartphone market. Plus they’ve shown a knack for making phones with strong design.
Agreed.
> downgraded with no Beats
Beats just pisses me off. My headphones don’t need it and it causes clipping over bluetooth. Only time I want it on is for internal speakers, but it isn’t smart enough to turn on/off based on output type.
No Beats sounds like an upgrade to me.
> they eschewed the Snapdragon 800
The 600 is fine for the One, and the One Max has the same screen resolution. The Max should perform the same as the One and have better battery life than the Note 3.
The ONE does have a strong design. We dont need Lenovo.
It looks beautiful, I agree. But it is too big and too heavy for 5.9″ screen. It is actually heavier than the X Ultra and its 6.4″ screen. I see that as a big design flaw.
OH i mean the regular ONE , lol. Yea this thing is a monster.
hahahaahahaa
Ehhh everyone’s mocking people saying HTC is dead and that we want micro SD card slots. Surprise! HTC is dying slowly and they added SD card slots. What now?
But this is kinds cool.
I guess the big thing here, now that the phone does have memory card slot, is pricing. This phone needs to be cheaper than the Note 3 if it wants to succeed.
Yeah, especially if it’s lacking specs. Make it cheaper.
And people wonder why htc is losing money.
This should have come out back when the galaxy mega came out.
SAMSUNG BETTER STEP THERE MOTHA FUCKIN SCREEN GAME UP NEXT YEAR!!!
And remember back when 4.3 used to be super big. I remember reading the comments back then and people were like *nerdy voice* “I will not go any bigger than this” lol
Galaxy Mega.. uh?
Any bigger, and it will be a damn tablet. 5,5 to 5,7 is appropriate.
Screen size is just as important as overall size. I still long for a day that a 6.5″ screen phone will have only 6.7″ diagonal overall size.
This phone seems pretty beastly… I’m willing to grab it, They made it a smidge bigger than I would have preferred but this will still be arguably the best device out this year.
Epic fail. And I bet it will cost as much as the note 3. I really am disappointed in htc right now.
I bet it will be more expensive than the Note 3. At least at launch. BIG FAIL if that happens tho.
More like a galaxy note 2 contender.
Barely.
Too bad it doesn’t come with snapdragon 800… I guess I’ll be waiting for the Butterfly 2 instead.
And it looks like The Samsung Galaxy Note 3 continues to carry the crown. HTC is always dropping the ball by being cheap on a solid device that could have given Sammy a run for it’s money.
This get one big fat MEH.
One Max weight: 217g/7.65oz (5.9″ screen) – Note 3 weight: 168g/5.93oz (5.7″ screen) – Z Ultra weight: 212g/7.48oz (6.4″ screen). Aluminum doesn’t look so good looking from this point of view, uh?
I prefer my phones to have a nice weight to them.
S4 is too light for me, the heavier S3 feels much better in the hand
Yes, but your logic works only until you reach the “too heavy” point. If you think tho, the S4 is not too light once inside a case. Can you imagine putting the Max inside a case? Would turn it into a weapon of mass destruction.
is English your first language?
No, Portuguese is. Besides that I also speak English, Spanish and intermediate level French. How many languages do you speak if I may ask?
I speak English, a little Spanish, and decent French.
why did you edit your first post, now my reply makes no sense… atleast make an “edit-” sign, if you’re going to do that…
I edited it because there was a typo in it. (?)
you changed the whole post bro… lol
lol at downvoting a legitimate question
let me get the hell away from u nutjobs before it rubs off on me
This is an android site, not an English grammar class.
http://paulramirez.files.wordpress.com/2012/11/grammar-lady.gif?w=640
yea ummm I wasnt criticizing Fel Pe’s grammar… I didnt understand his post before he edited it at all. So I thought he misunderstood what I was saying in my post.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8f/Grammar_Nazi_Icon_Text.svg
I love the “power flip case” though… I’m sure Samsung is taking note!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vRTOsHwzkq4
It is cool indeed.
Those are some nice specs, like the expandable storage. Only thing is why didn’t tiger do this in their regular htc one. Also, no stylus or anything kind of a bummer.
The Chinese variant has a removable back plate with expandable storage.
i have htc one. i dont see no point of getting a bigger version. i have nexus 7 2013
If you have the ONE and the N7 then there’s no point to get a phablet. Unless, of course, you’re ready to realize that buying and carrying 2 devices is worse than buying and carrying just one.
well i say this, if businesses this country wasn’t so greedy and bent on making the almighty dollar and give back to the customers, carriers would get the ASUS padphone and let it go for at least 400 to 500 on contract and even that would be too much because the tablet portion is nothing but a shell, screen, memory and battery, but heck, thats the ultimate all in one package, cellphone/tablet/mobile movement all at one decent price as long as you stay within your service plan, but who am i kidding, this is cooperate america, love the country but hate the greed
The problem is not the companies that don’t do what you said. The problem is the consumers that don’t realize that all we need is one super powerful personal mobile device and, besides that, just big screens and keyboards everywhere we need so we would connect our mobile devices to and use them as a professional desktop PC. The companies love to sell a smartphone, a tablet, a laptop and a desktop PC. They profit with all of those. But the more powerful the mobile devices get, the less need we have for having so many devices.
it really not the customers, i mean hey, how many padphones have asus introduced, like 3, and not one came to us state side. not one. if that thing would have made it state side, i promise one commercial on t.v. and with a decent price, that thing would start to strip profit from every oem, i promise, a lot of companies that rely on tablet and phone shares would start to suffer. its almost a fact, that is why that thing would not some state side, at least not at a good price, you have to order off the website at a price point that is not attractive for what is being offered
True. But we are on phandroid.com so we are technology enlightened consumers (fancy uh?). The average consumer just buys whatever they see more ads on TV and that’s the problem. Slowly we will get there tho.
hahahaha, yep, heck we need to have this convo on every mobile tech website, get people wondering lol
Yes, specially those about that evil fruit. LOL
When you get a phone like the ONE they should throw in a tablet at a discount price.
Would still be more expensive and less practical.
probably. Was just trying to think of an incentive that would get me to get a new tablet. I have a T-Mobile G-Slate still, off contract.
The N7 really is a great device. The best for the buck as of now. The new nexus 10 is coming soon and might be amazing too. My fav tablet size is 7″, that’s why I like phablets so much. A phablet, however, cannot replace a 9″ and up inches screen tablets properly most likely.
I might look into a Nexus 10, always wanted a nexus but never had the opportunity, but i think i might be better off with a Nexus 7 as well.
I had the nexus 10 and 7. The times I used them the most was at night laying in bed. The 10 was just too heavy and hard to handle, specially after 10min or so of use. The 7 wasn’t. If you hold a smaller device closer to your face then u don’t need a super big screen. I guess it all depends how u see yourself using the tablet the most.
I was in the same boat. However, I have a Nexus 7 1st Gen. I can see this phone as a replacement.
The Nexus 7 1st Gen doesn’t have any type of TV Out that’s not restricted to certain apps.
i see the htc one max only really dwarfs the note 3 because of them dam cap buttons. they need to remove crap and make the phone just screen and speakers. heck if they woulda did that with the htc one, that phone would have had the nice 4.7 inch screen, good sound and been about a half inch shorter in size, talk about a true cell phone
I would go deeper: I want stereo speakers, one at the top and one at the bottom (or on each side landscape mode). 6″ screen size with no logos or buttons at all on the face of the phone. Just pure screen and minimal bezels. (I’d assume that a phone like that would be around the size of a GS4 but with massive screen).
nah the s4 and the one are almost the same hieght, if htc did lose the cap buttons and went all screen they still wouldnt touch a six inch screen, the only way would possible would be to add like dual speakers on the side or quad speakers located at all four points on the side for good sound and put the mic at the bottom of the phone and just fill the whole screen leaving a small strip at the top for the foward facing camera
Whats the problem with doing that? People refer so much to the screen size of the phone when in reality what matters is the overall size of the phone. The bigger the screen the better, as long as the overall size of the phone is not too big.
thats the thing, nothing is wrong with that, but for some reason, the customers no how to design a phone, better than the business who are actually designing them
Well, we always think about whats best for us. The companies always think whats best (and possible to make) for them. If it was so simple then they would be doing that by now but the technology and the market are not quite there yet. Unfortunately.
i so swear that the tech is there, its just a design factor, htc could have removed the cap buttons, filled the screen, and took the dual speakers, placed them on all four points of the phone, that just wasnt a thought at the time, i almost certain that was possible
Yes, I do like to believe that’s already possible too. The first company that makes that will have an huge advantage, we just have to wait to see whos that gonna be.
Theres nothing wrong with the capacitive buttons, Id rather have that than onscreen buttons that may or may not work.
Capacitive buttons may or may not work as well. Of course, we want onscreen buttons that always work.
Of course.
On screen buttons are better because you can customize them and get your search button back. =.D
Yup, plus when you don’t need the buttons (movies , games) you can enjoy a bigger screen.
I prefer the capacitive buttons of my Note 2 and 3 to the onscreen buttons of my Tab 7.7. Although this is probably more to do with the layout and that its easy to hit other on screen buttons and icons instead.
I do like the capacitive buttons. It would take a while for me to get used to to onscreen ones (I had a galaxy nexus back them and hated them). But I think that for an “ideal” cellphone I would only have a massive screen and no buttons or logos or anything else on the front face of the phone. It’s all about having the biggest screen size possible but keeping the overall size of the phone still small enough to be used as an smartphone (phablet)
I agree, just leaving enough room for the ff camera, sensors, speaker and enough bezel for strength and to avoid touching the screen would be great.
I think a 6″ screen could nearly fit in the current note 3 body doing this…. the length could even be lessened.
I could never go to something like the Sony ZU, the Note 3 size is just about perfect for me.
Yup, I agree completely. We could have a Note 3 phone size with a 6″ screen. That would be very close, if not, to the ideal phone size with the biggest possible screen. I really enjoy the size of the Note 3, anything bigger than it would be somewhat problematic. Maybe the Note 4 will have a 6″ screen and keep the same overall size. We just have to wait a year to find out =/ LOL
Dude there is nothing wrong with them, but when u want a desirable screen size and those speakers like the one have, the buttons adds extra size, when that size coulda been extra screen, I have the one, and I love it, the whole reason behind that comment was, I see how much bigger the max is over the note, and the buttons is the reason
Well just a little more screen, lol. I understand the want, its just that im pleased with the screen over the screen on the ONE S
heck, i would be too coming from a one s, better quality and size, im coming from a x+ so im still with the 4.7 screen, better quality tho
The Front Facing speakers are awesome tho.
Im waiting for the ignorant “The copied the fingerprint scanner from Apple” comment.
They took too long to come out. Was hearing about it for months. Ended up staying withI Samsung and going with the note 3
Ditto, I would have considered it to replace my Note 2 but not with these specs, length and weight. Ended up getting the Note 3 (N9005) a week ago and its awesome!
shill you are
This phone is dead before it’s even released.
wanna elaborate on that and actually contribute something meaningful or does your limited vocabulary hinder you. Perhaps you are a paid student?
Is this the last card of HTC? It doesn’t look promising.
paid student…
too bad Great phone i would i have bought it if it had 13mp camera and
s800 processor HTC as always you guys at HTC each phone you make
something better and you forget to do the rest better. i buy one day
when you guys decide to put a big camera at lease 13mp and this year
specs just as s800 processor and it needs a stylus. HTC needs to stop
with the old last year specs and they need to stop with the ultra pixel
garbage .
Boomsound is a big plus to this phone, but with internal storage being 16 or 32 gigs, my guess is most places will only have the 16g in stock… And that’s not enough for me. Games are getting bigger (both mine and the ones I DL for the kids). It’s not as easy as it used to be to off load these to the SD Card.
While I admire a number of things about this phone’s design I really do feel disappointed that they did not end up going with the S800 processor. For many people this doesn’t matter but I’m kind of a stickler for specs, so what’s on paper really does matter to me. At this point the Z Ultra is the top contender for me. I currently have a Note 2 and want to try a different manufacturer for awhile. I’ve come to realize that I don’t use all the S-Pen “bells and whistles” for the most part, and I tend to load up AOSP ROMs on my devices with Apex Launcher anyways. For me it the OEM custom firmwares are not relevant, so I am simply looking for the best hardware specs out there. And while the Note 3 currently holds that title in most areas (CPU, RAM) I am really intrigued by the larger screen offered by the Z Ultra in the end.
Just take a look at the worlds top 5 smartphones– http://www.gizmobic.com/top-5-smartphones-world-best-phones-specs/
Comment your views too! :)