- Conclusion Get the lowdown
- Features How they compare
- Performance Real world benchmarks
- Differences Technical showdown
- Reviews Word on the street
- Competition Others to consider
- Discussion Answers and opinions
Compare with...
- LG Nexus 4
- Apple iPhone 5
- HTC One X
- Samsung Galaxy S III mini
- HTC 8X
Rated 80% by by TrustedReviews (Nov, 2011)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.
Rated 80% by by TrustedReviews (May, 2012)At just 7.8mm thick, it's the thinnest phone HTC has ever produced and it holds a candle to the best of them in this regard.
Conclusion Which is better for you?
Features Key features of the HTC Sensation XE compared to the HTC One S
GHz1.5
Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich 3.5G
Rated 80% by by TrustedReviews (Nov, 2011)The screen is 4.3in across, it has an 8-megapixel main camera and a fast dual-core processor.
1.5 GHz
Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich 3.5G
Rated 81% by by The Verge (Apr, 2012)That’s no knock on the One X, which ticks all the boxes for a legitimate Galaxy Nexus competitor, but the 7.8mm thick One S offers a much more mainstream form factor and price point, while also being the thinnest smartphone that HTC has ever made.
screen size
4.3"
4.3"
Sensation XE by Harkanwar-Anand (Mar, 2012)You see I'm coming from a Blackberry Torch 2 so my eyes ache for a big screen, better browsing and a better graphical experience to say the least.
One S by GSM Arena (Apr, 2012)While it's still not as good as a hardware one, it's the next best thing - the 4.3" screen has enough real estate for big, well-spaced keys, which are easy to hit.
screen resolution
Sensation XE by GSM Arena (Sep, 2011)The resolved details in the Sensation XE videos is above average for a FullHD shooter, but noise reduction leaves something to be desired (it's extra destructive in the shades).
One S by GSM Arena (Apr, 2012)One S videos retain a very good level of detail, though they have a noticeable yellow tint under artificial light.
memory
| 0 GB | 1 GB | 1 GB |
processor
Sensation XE by GSM Arena (Sep, 2011)The HTC Sensation XE has a 1.5GHz dual-core Snapdragon chipset with Adreno 220 graphics beating in its chest.
One S by The Verge (Apr, 2012)It almost sounds like the perfect premise for a device that's all style and no substance, but that's not the case with the One S. Sure, on closer inspection that Pentile display can drive you to distraction, but I'm learning to forgive that downside for the rich upside on offer from the dual-core Snapdragon S4, ImageSense camera suite, and Ice Cream Sandwich OS.
camera resolution
| 0 MP | 8 MP | 8 MP |
Sensation XE by TrustedReviews (Nov, 2011)The 8-megapixel sensor can also capture video at full 1080p resolution, and with touch focus throughout shooting supported, it's a pretty versatile portable video device.
One S by c|net (Apr, 2012)Equipped with dedicated image processor, I can vouch for this phone's impressive 8-megapixel camera.
Performance Real world tests of HTC Sensation XE vs HTC One S
cpu speed
Sensation XE by GSM Arena (Sep, 2011)The CPU frequency boost makes sure the performance keeps up with the competition, while the Beats audio tweaks add an extra bit of sexy to the already successful mix.
One S by H.-KThe z560e has the older Snapdragon S3 processor and is overclocked at 1.7 Ghz as compared to the S4 processor in the z520e.
talk time
549 min
582 min
Sensation XE by GSM Arena (Sep, 2011)The Li-Ion unit is quoted at a little over 12 days of standby and over 9 hours of talk time in 2G (about 7 in 3G).
One S by H.-KThe phone by itself is awesome.... and I am not seeing any significant performance difference, but battery life sucks.
Differences What are the advantages of each
Advantages compared to the One S
| Has expandable storage | microSD, microSDHC | vs | None |
|---|---|---|---|
| Use storage cards to increase your phone's capacity for apps and data | |||
| Has a removable battery | Yes | vs | No |
| Somewhat common; Old batteries can be replaced inexpensively | |||
| More highly reviewed by consumers | 81.03% | vs | 76.8% |
| Around 10% more highly reviewed by consumers | |||
Advantages compared to the Sensation XE
| Screen uses OLED technology | Yes | vs | No |
|---|---|---|---|
| About half of phones are OLED; OLED screens are typically higher contrast and use less power | |||
| Significantly smaller | 65 x 131 x 8 mm | vs | 65 x 126 x 11 mm |
| Around 30% smaller | |||
| Significantly lighter | 119 g | vs | 151 g |
| More than 20% lighter | |||
| Store more stuff | 16 GB | vs | 4 GB |
| 4x more storage capacity; free yourself from memory cards | |||
| Quite a bit thinner | 8 mm | vs | 11 mm |
| More than 30% thinner | |||
| Marginally newer | Apr, 2012 | vs | Oct, 2011 |
| Release date 6 months later | |||
Reviews Word on the street
HTC Sensation XE | HTC One S | ||
 |  
|
| |
|---|---|---|---|
 | Rated by 22 users at amazon.com Rated 100% by by Shoxter--JMM (Dec, 2011) Rated 100% by by Argen (Mar, 2012) | Rated by 53 users at amazon.com Rated 100% by by SGT-Bybee--Jace (Nov, 2012) Rated 100% by by Steve-H. (Jul, 2012) | |
screen
HTC Sensation XE | Rated 80% by by TrustedReviews (Nov, 2011)The Sensation XE's capacitive touchscreen is responsive, and feels great on your finger thanks to the hard glass surface layer.
HTC Sensation XE | by GSM Arena (Sep, 2011)Deep blacks are not the Sensation XE's strength and while the brightness levels are OK, the contrast ratios aren’t that impressive.
HTC Sensation XE | Rated 80% by by TrustedReviews (Nov, 2011)The HTC Sensation XE's large screen should make it a great portable video playback buddy.
type
HTC Sensation XE | by GSM Arena (Sep, 2011)The HTC Sensation XE has the latest Android 2.3 Gingerbread web browser, plenty of processing power and a large, high-res screen.
HTC Sensation XE | Rated 80% by by TrustedReviews (Nov, 2011)The Sensation XE's operating system is fast but, as ever with Android, there are occasional momentary pauses between actions - most notably when returning to the home screen from an app or the main apps menu.
HTC Sensation XE | by GSM Arena (Sep, 2011)The HTC Sensation XE is a shiny new release that lets you catch up on the latest from HTC Android lineup.
operating system
HTC Sensation XE | by GSM Arena (Sep, 2011)The HTC Sensation XE also comes with HTC Places, an app developed in cooperation with TomTom (provider of the software) and Route66 (providing the maps).
HTC Sensation XE | Rated 80% by by TrustedReviews (Nov, 2011)The billboard feature of the Sensation XE that sets it apart from other high-end Android phones is Beats audio.
HTC Sensation XE | by GSM Arena (Sep, 2011)Yes, the Sensation XE does well to create a stir at the Android top and put HTC back on the radar of power users.
type
HTC One S | by GSM Arena (Apr, 2012)One of the few phones that can pull attention away from the One S is its bigger brother - the One X. Some would prefer the 4.7" 720p Super IPS LCD screen (with a full set of subpixels) and the extra storage room.
HTC One S | by GSM Arena (Apr, 2012)The HTC One S has a 4.3" Super AMOLED screen with qHD resolution.
HTC One S | by GSM Arena (Apr, 2012)Okay, some things about the HTC One S aren't quite perfect - we would have preferred a Super AMOLED Plus screen, non-expandable memory would be a deal breaker for some (though most people should be fine with 16GB of storage) and the problem with framing videos seems like an annoying oversight.
usability
HTC Sensation XE | Rated 100% by by pbmumbles (May, 2012)It is very fast, the interface is both flexible and easy to use, and being the international version it has all of the features enabled.
HTC One S | Rated 81% by by The Verge (Apr, 2012)4.3-inch phones have been growing in usability ever since HTC introduced the first of them in 2009 and the One S keeps that trajectory going.
Competition What else you should consider
 | 1 | LG Nexus 4 Rated the best by consumers |
 | 2 | Apple iPhone 5 Most built-in storage |
 | 3 | HTC One X OK standby time |
 | 5 | HTC 8X Sharpest screen |
 | 7 | LG Optimus L9 Better than usual battery capacity |
 | 8 | HTC Desire X 5-way tie: Has expandable storage |
