Recently I had the pleasure to get some hands-on with the new HTC Sensation 4G coming to T-Mobile. We have already done a full review of the Sensation by our good man Chris Burns here. I’m sure another look and some additional views and input regarding the phone would be nice to hear, especially for any of you that are debating on if this will be your next device or not. Let me help you decide, so far I love it.
Since we already reviewed this phone this is more of an unboxing as well as some more initial thoughts and impressions for all you readers. The phone started selling early at Walmart and was quickly shutdown, so for those still waiting it should be available to order in Walmart stores starting today June 12th, and at T-Mobile stores on the 15th. If you have not driven around town and found one already then this post should help you make up your mind if you should or not. I’ll have some up close pictures below as well as some thoughts and comparisons
To start things off right I’ll have to get right down to the hardware side of things. The Sensation 4G features the brand new Qualcomm Snapdragon 1.2 Ghz dual-core processor, its the second dual-core device on T-Mobile with the first being the G2x with a Tegra 2 CPU, but this phone has the new Qualcomm chip and graphics. It also comes with a brilliant 4.3″ qHD display with a high resolution of 960×540, it has an 8 MP shooter on the rear and a front facing VGA for video chat, imbedded inside is 1GB of memory along with the optional MicroSD slot. This device can shoot full 1080p and the camera is amazing from my initial tests, it comes in with Android 2.3 but covered in the new HTC Sense UI 3.0 that brings a new unlock screen and other features.
I know a lot of reviews for many phones with the Sensation included have said that it feels really good in the hand, the reason they all say that is because it really is true. This device has one of the better in-hand feels compared to many I have tested in the past. I have the MyTouch 4G, the G2x, the Droid X2, the Revolution and a few others all on my desk and the Sensation 4G feels the best in my opinion. The hardware is what we have come to expect from HTC, it’s top notch and made to a higher standard than some phones. This is obviously user preference as some love the lightweight but almost cheap feeling of the Samsung Galaxy S line, and some will love the slightly heavier yet expensive and top quality feeling the Sensation 4G has. I personally really like the build quality, it just feels and seems well made in every aspect.
The high-res qHD display looks brilliant like I mentioned above, just being able to browse more on websites or see more in your twitter feed due to the higher resolution makes it super nice. There is much less scrolling on webpages as well as things like the settings tab on your phone all because there is just that much more content on the screen. While I’m talking about the display I did want to mention that using the device outside wasn’t as good as I thought it would be. Other screens like that on the LG G2x handles direct and indirect sunlight much better than the qHD display on the Sensation 4G but that is the only area where the LG display was better, every other aspect the Sensation is ahead in my book.
Without getting into things too deep as I plan to review the device much more over the coming days I’ll go ahead and post up the video as well as a few more photos for you all to enjoy. Overall the Sensation 4G feels blazing fast, the dual-core 1.2 Ghz processor speeds things right along. So far I’ve not experienced lag of any sort even while the market was restoring a huge list of applications. Sense 3.0 is a welcomed improvement to the Sense UI, the unlock screen is extremely convenient and makes those quick turn on just to text someone moments even easier. Check out the video and images below and before I leave, will you be buying the HTC Sensation 4G? Tell us below in the comments.
HTC Sensation 4G hands-on and unboxing
THAT PHONE IS GREAT.