HTC is diving into Windows Phone 8, and the HTC 8X -- also known as the Windows Phone 8X by HTC -- is the Taiwanese company's first major effort. It's not a bad showing on paper, with this pumped-up smart phone offering a 4.3-inch display, NFC and a dual-core processor. But with the mobile competition proving more fierce than ever, is there any reason to choose the 8X over its rivals?
I've been hands-on with HTC's new toy ahead of its official release, so read on for my first impressions and be sure to check out the hands-on pictures above. We've got a gorgeous first-take video too, so point your peepers at the play button above these words. If you're interested in this phone then bookmark this page, as we'll be updating it soon with a full review and a star rating.
Design
The 8X deserves a slap on its smooth back for straying from HTC's regular design ethos. While I was expecting HTC's high-end Windows Phone 8 device to look similar to the Android-powered One X, this phone has a squarish, solid build that -- apparently -- is inspired by the Windows Phone live tiles that occupy its home screen.
That's what HTC says anyway, though to be honest, the 8X puts me very much in mind of Nokia's Lumia phones.
With a rounded back and gently curved corners, the 8X has a monolithic, minimalist look that's rather appealing. The glossy black bezel that's raised slightly from the rest of the phone is particularly attractive, though again this is something you'll find on Nokia's Lumia range. While the model I saw was painted a regal purple, you'll mainly see this phone rocking blue, yellow and black in Europe.
I found the 8X comfortable to hold and light as well. In fact, I'd go as far as to say that this handset's style is its most appealing quality -- though once we get stuck into the 8X's hardware, you'll find that's damning with faint praise.
The brightly coloured, curved design is among this handset's strong points.
Screen and hardware
This phone has a 4.3-inch display that boasts a 720p resolution. That means your photos, hi-def videos and web pages should all look great, though when I played with the 8X I wasn't allowed to dive beyond the Windows Phone 8 home screen to test these features.
I thought the screen here looked bright and appealing, though not notably more spangly than the display on, say, the Samsung Galaxy S3or the Nokia Lumia 920.
Under the bonnet there's a 1.2GHz dual-core processor powering the 8X. On paper that processor isn't too potent compared with the quad-core chips lurking within top-of-the-line Android smart phones, but much of the 8X's performance will come down to how demanding the Windows Phone 8 operating system proves to be.
If the software isn't putting much strain on the processor, that dual-core chip could make the 8X more than capable in the performance stakes. I had hoped to see a quad-core chip though. As HTC was the first manufacturer to get a quad-core Android phone on sale, I wondered if it could repeat the trick for Microsoft's operating system.
You get 16GB of storage space but there's no microSD card slot to boost that, and no removable battery. Near-field communication (NFC) technology is on board and could one day come in handy for making mobile payments.
The camera is of the 8-megapixel variety and boasts an F2.0 aperture lens. The front-facing camera has an unusually high 2.1-megapixel resolution, so your unfortunately-angled Skype calls will be transmitted in a higher resolution than ever before. It's technically possible to do 1080p video recording with both cameras. Wait for the full review for our judgement, when we'll be testing picture quality.
Both front and back cameras are capable of 1080p video recording.
Software
The HTC 8X will be powered by Windows Phone 8, the upcoming version of Microsoft's mobile operating system. HTC wouldn't let me get to grips with all the new features this platform offers, probably because Microsoft hasn't put the final sheen on the software yet.
The most interesting change is to the home screen, which now plays host to a resizable, customisable grid of widget tiles. Nokia's turn-by-turn and offline maps will also be built into the operating system -- even on non-Nokia phones.
HTC's partnership with Beats Audio means you'll get some noise processing tech built into this phone. This subtly alters the sound of your music, though fans of the audacious Beats brand take note -- HTC told me that unlike some Android phones, there will be no Beats earphones in the box. Instead, you'll get HTC's own-brand buds.
This annoyingly pops up every time your earphones are plugged in.
When you plug in a pair of headphones, a little notification at the top of the 8X's screen lets you know that Beats Audio has been activated. That could get annoying over time, but you may be able to switch it off from the settings menu.
Outlook
There's a lot to like about the 8X's look and I think style-conscious smart phone fans could fall for these bold colours and elegant curves. My concern with this mobile is that while it's a solid offering, it doesn't seem to offer much over the competition.
Android and iOS devices like the Galaxy S3 and the iPhone 5 are absolutely crammed with exotic features, and even Windows Phone devotees may find Nokia's 4.5-inch Lumia 920 (which has some interesting camera tricks up its sleeve) more appealing.
Microsoft and its partners have a mountain to climb if they want to make Windows Phone 8 a success, and based on this first effort, I'm not seeing too much fire in HTC's eyes. Let me know what you think in the comments below or on our Facebook wall. Stay tuned for the full review.
