HTC 8X Video Review

HTC 8X Video Review

We will update this section with our video review of the HTC 8X later. For now, enjoy the written review and be sure to check with GottaBeMobile.com for the video review this week.

HTC 8X Design

The HTC 8X borrows its straight lines and subtly rounded corners from the minimalistic Metro UI on the phone. In fact, according to Microsoft and HTC designers, the 8X is inspired by Windows Phone’s Live Tiles. The phone will come in a variety of bright colors as well as black, and there are theming options inside the OS to give the Live Tiles a matching color to the hardware.

On the front, there is a large piece of glass that sits on top the unibody plastic body and curves slightly at the edges to meet the body, giving it a nice finish. Unlike the Nokia Lumia 800 where the screen curves out, the screen here is flat and the edges slope down a little to meet with the unibody frame. A large 4.3-inch 720p HD display dominates the front of the device and to the top you have an ultra-wide angle lens for the front-facing camera.

A nice touch is that the speaker grill sits in an island of glass, similar to Apple’s iPhone design. And the grill’s color matches the paint color of the phone. Sitting in the grill, but to the right, is an LED notification light.

On the bottom, you have capacitive touch Windows Phone navigation keys for back, home, and search.

On the back, you have a flat center back and edges that taper making it nice to hold. The design is similar to what HTC employed on the HTC Vivid, which was available on AT&T’s 4G LTE network.

The back is coated in a soft-touch material and the unibody construction means that you do not have access to the battery or expandable storage, similar to the One X.

An 8-megapixel camera with LED flash sits on the top and you have the rear loud speakers towards the bottom.

On the upper left spine, you have a micro SIM card tray, which is accessible via a removal tool found in the box.

On the top edge, you have a button for power and a headphone jack.

On the left spine, you have the volume rocker at the top and at the bottom you have a dual-stage camera shutter button.

On the bottom center, you have a port for a micro USB connection, though it seems like the connector appears to be in the reverse direction of many other devices.

Overall, the clean lines and beautiful soft-touch color of the HTC 8X make for a stunning design that’s simple and elegant, and the subtle tapering edges creates an ergonomic feel.