HTC One SV Pro Reviews

4G LTE support and a gorgeous design make the HTC One SV the smartphone to beat on Boost.

I don't think Cricket customers can do much better than the HTC One SV right now. Sure, it costs a hefty $349.99, but everything about it works well. The biggest complaint I can point out is that call quality and volume are only "average" and not "excellent." That's hardly something to cry about. Nearly every other feature of the SV functions well. HTC did a great job with the hardware, and the screen and battery life are both quite good. The Sense 4.0 user interface is sometimes a bit fussy, but it offers more personalization that most other Android skins do. With the good camera and video camera, excellent media options, and solid network performance, the SV is a winner for Cricket.

The HTC One SV packs a curious personality, that's for sure. The handset combines good looks (especially in the red color scheme), superb build quality, rich set of features, and adequate performance all in one - those are qualities which HTC smartphones are well known for. Even an Android power user should be able to live with the handset on a daily basis without having much to complain about. As far as the phone's disadvantages go, we must note that they are highly atypical for an HTC device in this particular price range. We are still scratching our heads over the display's WVGA resolution - after all, it was HTC, which first started offering phones with the higher-res qHD screens back when WVGA was still considered the standard in 2011. The still camera could have offered much better performance, too - it is not up to par with what the camcorder has to offer. And our remark has nothing to do with the relatively low megapixel count it has on tap - there are plenty of fine 5MP snappers out there.

There are always going to be compromises in the mid-range. The HTC One SV makes some to be more affordable which we can live with: it’s powerful enough for daily activities and the screen resolution, although lacking the wow factor, is enough for most things. Naturally 4G is appealing, but this phone does start to look rather expensive when you attach the tariff to it, as EE’s pricing is currently rather aggressive. The real question is whether it’s the fastest network performance you’re after, or the best device, as you may well be able to pick up a better HTC phone, without 4G, elsewhere.

Our overall impression is mostly positive: the HTC One SV is pretty complete package. A middle-class smartphone with up-to-date hardware, LTE support, and a nice design. We appreciate the integrated MicroSD card reader and the replaceable battery, but don't like the fact that the phone ships with an older Android version (4.0.4). The HTC Sense UI is visually pleasing, although the virtual keyboard is way too crowded. The talk quality, the main camera with 5 megapixels for simple snapshots, and the warranty period (24 months) are all welcome features. One of our main points of criticism is the 4.3-inch display, which only supports a low resolution of 480 x 800 pixels - although the display measurements are all quite good. We would expect at least support for the qHD standard (540 x 960 pixels). The mono speaker is also pretty average: the Beats Audio logo promises better sound quality. The performance of the Qualcomm dual-core SoC offers decent performance; the low power consumption leads to long battery life. For an LTE smartphone with card reader, replaceable battery, and decent overall quality, 430 Euro (~$590) is money well spent. On the other hand, Long Term Evolution (LTE) is not that common in Germany yet and therefore pretty exotic. The Google Nexus 4 is a very price competitive high-end phone at 300 Euro - but does not feature a card reader or a replaceable battery.

The HTC One SV is a mid-range Android phone that has a comfortable design, 4G capabilities and reasonably good battery life. However, the low resolution screen and mediocre camera make it overpriced. A good but far from great smartphone.

There's no questioning the $349.99 HTC One SV's bold styling, thin and compact design, and premium construction. I also find the phone easy and enjoyable to use thanks to a snappy processor and HTC's software enhancements gingerly placed over Android ICS. The camera app and imaging system show lots of promise too, with the copious settings, extra features, and fast shot-to-shot times. That's why I found the phone's blocky image quality such a letdown. The same is true of the One SV's low-res display, which is not what I've come to expect from HTC. For example, both the Droid DNA and HTC One X+ sport excellent high-resolution screens. For its current $279.99 price after discounts and rebates, the HTC One SV is a pretty good deal, especially considering you don't need to sign a binding service contract. If you have $100 extra, I'd say springing for the $379.99 (also after rebates) Samsung Galaxy S3 would make a lot of sense, since it offers a much better screen and camera. Still, if you can live with its quirks, the lovely HTC One SV is hard to pass up.

We can't help but think the HTC One SV has been rushed out to capitalise on the 4G rollout which is picking up speed in Europe and this phone is looking to cash in on those desperate to have the latest technology. That's not to say the One SV is a bad handset – if HTC had priced it closer to the One V instead of the One S then it would be a very different proposition, unfortunately it's not and that's the main issue we have. It's good to see another proper mid-range handset enter the 4G fray, but the Taiwanese firm has got its sums wrong on this occasion and ultimately that's going to make the HTC One SV a difficult one to shift.

You can certainly see HTC’s strategy: make a neatly styled, midrange device that balances battery life with the usefulness of 4G, and help push LTE connectivity out of the premium tier. Unfortunately, some of the company’s decisions – or, perhaps, the corners cut in order to meet the target price – take their toll on the One SV proposition overall. We could live with the last-gen processor, and even the WVGA display only really proved glaringly disappointing when viewing media, but the lackluster camera is a serious blip. HTC first debuted its ImageChip technology with research suggesting mobile photography was one of the key factors buyers weighed in picking a new phone; unfortunately, that’s where the One SV falls most short. Couple that – in the UK at least – with some expensive tariff pricing from EE that puts an altogether more appealing handset within easy reach, and the HTC One SV loses more of its shine. It’s not a bad device, but it demands too many compromises from cutting-edge users tempted by 4G, and can’t compete on price with more affordable HSPA+ phones on other networks.

The HTC One SV is a well-built midrange LTE smartphone for Cricket's new 4G network.

The One SV is a great phone for what it is - a mid-range device designed for LTE connectivity. The phone makes performance sacrifices for affordability, which helps open LTE up for a wider audience. Unfortunately, the One SV doesn't do enough to try and make up for the battery drain of LTE. Only packing an 1800mAh battery in the device makes the faster network speed feel like a poor compromise. There's no question that a higher-specced device, like the iPhone 5, HTC One XL or 4G Galaxy S3 offers better performance than the One SV. But if budget constraints mean these handsets aren't actually an option, the One SV is a decent option.

Not bad, HTC, not bad. The smarthpone that you've crafted may be a bit rough around the edges, but it is still a very solid Android offering, and the presence of LTE connectivity is, of course, more than welcome. Whoever picks the HTC One SV up will be pleased by the excellent performance driving it and delighted by its outstanding appearance. Yet let us not forget that the HTC One SV belongs to the mid-range category, although one might assume it is a high-end handset prior to actually using it. In other words, there are some compromises that an One SV owner should learn to live with, among which are the relatively low-res display and the not-so-amazing 5-megapixel camera.