Size Matter HTC One Max Review

The HTC One has been a very popular Android phone, mainly due to the fact that it has a stunning display, an industrious build and features some top specifications. So when HTC released the One Max handset it would be logical to think that bigger is better, or is it? Does size matter?

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By comparing the One Max with the original HTC One handset, as well as other popular devices, we can find out whether HTC have been able to improve on its successful smartphone.

Display

 

There is no arguing that with a 5.9-inch screen, a weight of 7.65 ounzes and measuring 6.47 x 3.24 x 0.40-inches, the HTC One Max is one of the biggest phones out there. Even when compared next to the Nokia Lumia 1520, it’s large. But does it make a difference?
Well the original HTC One and the One Max have the same LCD 3 scrren and 1080p resolution. Where as the One is smaller and therefore squeeze in 469 pixels per inch, the One Max stretches the resolution over a bigger screen and achieves 373 pixels per inch. This is by no means a negative though, as you still get rich and clear colours on the display, which are better than the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 ‘phablet’.

See also: Can HTC Cell Phone Top The One?

Where this large sized handset and larger screen starts to be a problem is when you come to operate it one-handed. That is where the Galaxy Note 3 scores an extra point. With a smaller display of 5.7-inches and overall slightly smaller measurements, it is better proportioned and therefore easier to physically operate.
What HTC has failed to do with the One Max, is to provide users with enough to do that makes full use of the huge display. The Galaxy Note 3 has great practical use, with its built-in stylus for drawing amd writing. The One Max just makes everything look bigger.

Hardware, Software and Bloatware

 

The One Max is identical to the HTC One when it comes to hardware. It comes with a quad-core 1.7GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 600 chip and 2GB of RAM. Although this is plenty of power, it doesn’t match the Galaxy Note 3, which has the more up-to-date Snapdragon 800 and 3GB of RAM.
The software is pretty similar too, with the One Max running Android 4.3 or Jelly Bean, as well as HTC’s Sense 5.5, which adds extra features on top of Android,
The Sprint version of the One Max also comes with quite a lot of bloatware, mainly Sprint-branded apps as well as some pre-installed third-party apps like eBay, Lookout and NextRadio to mention a few.

Design

 

At a quick glance the One and One Max look identical but under closer inspection you can see that the One Max is lacking the premium body that made the original One so attractive. Despite having an aluminium front and back ,the One Max has chunky plastic edges which are no so appealing.
It does have a microSD card slot which will give you an extra 64GB of storage. It offers a slightly bigger battery than that of the Galaxy Note 3 but it is worth noting that the 3,300mAh battery is fixed and cannot be removed.

It comes with a fingerprint sensor but don’t get too excited. The sensor is located on the back of the handset, right below the camera sensor. If you don’t want blurry photos, avoid sticky fingers when using the fingerprint sensor.
The fingerprint sensor can be used to unlock the phone but not in one step. First you need to click a button on the side and then move your finger back and forth over the sensor. It can’t be used as a password replacement like on the iPhone 5S, and makes you wonder why HTC included it anyway.

Round-Up

So in conclusion, the HTC One Max is a good phone but that’s possibly because it is so similar to its predecessor the HTC One. The larger size doesn’t really add anything and instead results in a handset that is slighty too large to handle and a reduced quality camera due to the pixels being forced to stretch over the huge screen.
If size matters to you then maybe this is the phone for you, otherwise just stick to the HTC One.

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