HTC decided to enter the phablet category with a huge device with strong specs and a fingerprint reader. It is not the first phablet of the market but it’s the first device (after Motorola Atrix and iPhone) with a fingerprint reader. But I think HTC was in a hurry and wanted to launch the first Android smartphone with fingerprint reader before Samsung or LG. That’s why the company selected older technologies in some specs like the chipset or the camera which is still the same as HTC One. Is this phone better than Samsung Galaxy Note 3, Samsung Galaxy Round or ZTE Grand Memo? That’s what we are going to check.
SCREEN
The screen is big and impressive. HTC has proved that it can built great screens. HTC One Max has a 5.9 inches screen with 373 pixels per inch. Samsung Galaxy Note 3 has some more pixels per inch as it has a smaller screen (5.7 inches). Of course we can find smaller screens with many more pixels per inch as the HTC One (469PPI) or Sony Xperia Z (441PPI). Every screen above the 300 pixels is ok. So HTC One Max has a great screen with impressive contrast and great viewing angles. So you have a great screen. And a big one too. The only problem is when you see the screen on the sun, it’s not the worst but not the best either. So keep cloudy.
CAMERA
HTC has invented a technology called ultrapixel that will let more light on the night photos and make them perfect. Almost. The ultrapixel technology is good but the 4MP camera is not. When you zoom in you loose all the details and this camera, even if the night photos are better, cannot be compared to the 13MP cameras of Samsung Galaxy Note 3, Galaxy Round or Grand Memo and of course not with Sony Xperia Z Ultra. The front camera is 2.1MP and it’s ok. When there are devices with 5MP front cameras, we cannot be impressed with a 2.1MP camera. HTC Zoe and the software add ons are good but we have already used them in HTC One, One Mini and we need something new. HTC One Max is a premium device, it should have the best of the best, not just the same again.
PROCESSOR
The quad core processor is fast, it’s a bit older but it’s ok. We don’t like to note “ok” to premium devices. Premium devices should have notes like “incredible, fastest, best”. This is not the case for HTC One Max. And the processor is not the only factor. The RAM memory of this device is 2GB when Samsung Galaxy Note 3 has 3GB of RAM and a newer processor technology. And yes Note 3 is faster and this is HTC’s fault as HTC One Max is newer. There are a lot of faster devices but HTC One Max is not underpowered. The resolution on the screen is the same as HTC One and the software is also the same so no problem here.
BATTERY
HTC One Max has one of the biggest batteries of the market. Not the biggest that belongs to Huawei Ascend Mate (4050mAh) but a big one. The battery of this device is 3300mAh and is slightly bigger than the battery of Samsung Galaxy Note 3 (3200mAh) and much bigger than Samsung Galaxy Round (2800mAh). There are also some battery customizations that will help you save more power. The only problem is that the battery is not replaceable.
SOFTWARE
HTC One Max comes with the latest Android version, the 4.3 Android version. Moreover HTC has a lot of software add ons like HTC Blinkfeed that brings all the latest news and social news on your screen or HTC Zoe that will let you create moving images. These are good but not new and cheaper phones have these apps so what’s the new here? The novelty is Fingerprint technology that will help you unlock the device without typing numbers. This is cool. Unlike the Apple’s technology, what you should do here is to slide your finger on the screen to unlock the phone and it is fast and accurate. You can also assign an app to each stored fingerprint, like the middle finger for the camera and the index to the camera. That is smart and it works unless you are really in a hurry and swype that fast, the phone will have no time to read your fingerprint.
SIZE & DESIGN
HTC had no hard times in their laboratory. They took HTC One and starting pushing until the phone got bigger. Then they added the fingerprint reader and launched the device. That’s why the device is identical to HTC One. It’s the same family as HTC One and One mini. The device is big and heavy. Samsung Galaxy Note 3 is slimmer and lighter and the 0.2 inches difference is not an explanation. HTC One Max weights 217g and is 10.3mm thin, more than the 8.3mm and the 168g of Samsung Galaxy Note 3. Even Sony Xperia Z Ultra with the huge screen of 6.4 inches is slimmer (6.5mm) and lighter 212g.Choosing more metal over plastic is a choice HTC made but when you hold the devices on your hands, you will understand the difference.
VERDICT – should I buy this device?
If you need a phablet, now you have an extra option, the HTC One Max. Is this a good option? If you are an HTC fan yes. If not no. There are better devices in that size, Samsung Galaxy Note 3 is the best, Samsung Galaxy Round comes second at the 5.7 inches and then even ZTE Grand Memo is better.
The 0.2 inches plus of HTC One Max is just a marketing tip to hide the disadvantages of that device. HTC One Max is the only 5.9 inches device and yes it’s the best 5.9 inches device.
But compared to the phablet category, HTC need to do a hard job to make us buy that device as it has older technology, software that we have already seen and a camera that is not as good as the competition. But it is big, with a great screen and a fingerprint technology. That is something.
COMPARISON CHART
| Spec | HTC One MaxRound | Compared to: | with spec: | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Width | 10.3 | Huawei Ascend P6 | 6.2 | 34% |
| Weight | 217 | HTC Desire C | 100 | 0% |
| Screen PPI | 373 | HTC One | 469 | 80% |
| Camera MP | 4 | Nokia Lumia 1020 | 41 | 10% |
| 2nd Camera | 2.1 | Huawei Ascend P6 | 5 | 42% |
| Processor | 4 * 1.7 | Samsung Galaxy Note 3 | 8 * 1.9 | 45% |
| RAM MB | 2000 | Samsung Galaxy Note 3 | 3000 | 67% |
| Battery mAh | 3300 | Huawei Ascend Mate | 4050 | 81% |
| Android | 4.3 | Google Nexus 4 | 4.3 | 100% |
| Release Date | 2013-10 | - | Today | 100% |
| Our view | 65% | - | 100% | 65% |
| AVC rating method | Rated: 10/15/13 | Best price | Total Rating | 55.1% |