HTC Sensation XE Pro Reviews

A capable, fast smartphone with above-average headphones at a good price

We think the Sensation XE is, as a package, HTC's most impressive handset yet, but unless you're a serious music nut it's hard to justify the extra outlay over the similar specced, identically sized and now significantly cheaper Sensation. Admittedly the processor boost future-proofs the XE somewhat for those with high-performance gaming and similarly hungry operations in mind, but it's not a drastic enough improvement to warrant full marks.

The HTC Sensation XE is a terrifically high powered handset with a speedy processor, lush screen, HTC’s best camera and now it’s best ever sound too.

The Sensation XE is a great phone, but it is no more or less great than the original Sensation. Sure, it has some spec bumps, but these are minor and cancelled out by our concerns about the display and camera, which haven't aged well over the last five months. The Beats Audio software isn't complete marketing vapor, but it's still inherently gimmicky and adds nothing in the XE's favor: you could achieve a better result on the original Sensation simply by downloading a third-party music player that lets you play with the EQ settings yourself. The only thing which might sway us to by the Sensation XE over its predecessor is the packaged YourBeats headphones, coupled with the red styling on the phone. But for us to opt for the XE, it'd have to by priced similarly to the original Sensation, such that we're not paying much extra for these headphones. They're only good if they're a bargain -- otherwise we'd prefer to take matters into our own hands and spend $80 to $100 on some Etymotics, which would be even better.

HTC have a flagship they want to keep you interested in. Easier said than done. Six months after the launch of the original, the HTC Sensation XE is raising the bar. But HTC are trying to keep a fine balance. They wouldn't want to push the envelope and make the original Sensation obsolete. The bar shouldn't be set too high either before the next flagship is due.

The Sensation performed admirably in our review as we mentioned in the opening lines of this review - it's a capable, value for money high-end smartphone that comes with a perfect balance between features and performance. With the exception of its underwhelming battery performance, we would readily recommend it to anyone needing a large touchscreen dual-core smartphone that has all the features you'll ever need. The same can definitely be said of the Sensation XE, which comes with an even more powerful processor, higher battery life and audio perks like free urBeats in-ears and Beats Audio software. However, like the recently reviewed Sony Ericsson Arc S, the Sensation XE isn't what we would call a great upgrade from the original Sensation. More accurately, it's just a HTC Sensation with added frills to help sustain its value proposition since the benchmark results and its battery performance deviate only slightly from its original form. However, if you are looking to get the Sensation, skip it and go straight for the newer Sensation XE. Priced at just S$30 more (with an SRP of S$868), you definitely get more bang for buck (plus, it saves you the effort and cash spent on sourcing out for a capable pair of in-ear headphones). While its bass-crazy sound profile might not be for everyone, it can be easily disabled as shown above. The Sensation XE still remains a capable smartphone at heart especially if you consider the powerful hardware and software that's available (the attractive and smart HTC Sense 3.0 UI) on it. However, if you are looking for a lighter phone with a better battery life, your best bet will be the Samsung Galaxy S II, followed by the Motorola Atrix or the upcoming iPhone 4S.

The HTC Sensation XE is certainly a great handset, and one that I'd happily use myself on a daily basis. Whilst I don't personally place much value on the Beats Audio aspect of the XE, I do appreciate the slightly larger battery and slightly faster processor. However, if you're a bit of a music buff, and like the sound and styling of Beats Audio headphones, then this handset could be right up your street. Don't expect too much in the way of Beats Audio customization in the Sensation XE, though, as there's only a light smattering of things to be found in this device, with the biggest difference probably being the subtle red accents dotted about its exterior. That said, as an all round package the Sensation XE is a really nice handset, and the processor and battery upgrades make it worth a look over the standard Sensation. However, it's probably also worth taking a look at the Sensation XL, which has a larger screen and newer camera, as well as offering the Beats Audio bells and whistles. You'll find a gallery of photos shot with the HTC Sensation XE's 8 megapixel camera on the following pages.

The HTC Sensation XE is a powerful phone with a powerful brand attached to it - Dr. Dre's Beats. However, for the most part it's just like the original Sensation. It has a faster processor, but this isn't hugely apparent in normal usage. Build quality is great, it's fast and has a large, sharp screen, but the quality of the S-LCD panel isn't great and the Beats red bits don't mesh entirely well with the design. It's certainly a decent phone that can more-than do justice to Android, but when the original Sensation is now available for about £100 less, you can get better audio quality by spending the difference on a great pair of earphones, instead of the just-good Beats bundled pair here.

The HTC Sensation XE, the first Beats handset, perhaps should be something more than just an upgrade. But that's a position it can never really escape from. It feels like the Sensation released back in May 2011, but then that was a fantastic phone. With HTC Sense 3.5 on other HTC devices and Android 4.0 just about to emerge (at the time of writing), the HTC Sensation XE might initially leave you slightly on the back foot. Whether the Beats side of things really works for you will come down to how you like to consume your media. If you want things your way, you lose the ability to turn on the software enhancement. Device-wide support is something HTC need to address. But in our time with the Sensation it hasn't failed to deliver. It's done everything we wanted it to and it has been stable and fast throughout and the battery hasn't critically failed us either. Pull it out in the pub and it still draws admiring glances, as do those very capable headphones in the box, which come with almost limitless street cred. If you're looking to buy a Sensation, get the XE if you get the choice. If you're feeling jealous as an existing Sensation owner, buy yourself some decent headphones and relax.

Current HTC Sensation owners may feel a tad disappointed with the announcement of the HTC Sensation XE. While this is largely the same smartphone, the boost in processing speed and battery life alone is enough to justify its existence, and the Beats Audio software and headphones only sweeten the deal.

We say kudos to HTC for trying to diversify the Android lineup branching into specialized smartphones like the audio-oriented Sensation XE, an upgrade to one already excellent flagship. However, we are not impressed by the minor improvements. As there is nothing new in the audio-centric hardware or the music player, the only improvements are the great in-ear headphones bundled with the phone, and the Beats Audio mode, which some will not use. Considering the price difference between the XE and the original Sensation, you buy the headphones full price. So should you buy the Sensation XE? It depends on what you are looking for. If you want the trendy Beats branding, then yes. However, if the music quality is what you seek, the XE doesn't do anything unique - you can get any phone and pair it with high quality headphones of your choice. If you want a high-end HTC phone, but don't care about the earbuds quality, or have some other expensive set lying around, you can get the standard HTC Sensation for less than the XE.

The HTC Sensation XE comes extremely close to getting five out of five, but is docked half a star because of the battery that we feel spoils the experience somewhat. But other than that, we really can't recommend this handset highly enough. It's future-proof, sleek and has some amazing additions such as Beats Audio, which really push it into the premier league and beyond. In fact, it leaves us wondering if HTC will now discontinue the HTC Sensation itself, because the XE really puts it in its place and - aside from price - we really can't see any reason why you'd now go for the original over this. Competition will come in the form of the Samsung Galaxy S2 primarily, if we're looking outside HTC's camp, but we really think they're on a par. Although the S2 has better battery life, the Beats Audio of the Sensation XE counteracts that advantage. Ultimately, it'll come down to price and personal preference, but if we were to find one of these under the tree come Christmas morning (and we have been good this year), we'd feel very happy indeed.