HTC has announced last night its latest line up of Windows Phone 8 devices – HTC Windows Phone 8X and Windows Phone 8S. In the event which was held together with Microsoft, these new devices are considered signature devices for the new Windows Phone 8 platform where both parties are working closely together. Obviously such announcement won’t go too easy on Nokia which has been aggressively pushing Windows Phone all the way with its Lumia range.
When Windows Phone was first announced in 2010, HTC introduces a wide variety of models that is almost too similar with its Android models such as the HTC Desire and Desire HD. For Windows Phone 7.5, they have introduced HTC Titan and HTC Radar which looked slightly refreshed.
This year, HTC went with a totally new design which they worked from ground up. As a result, this year’s Windows Phone 8 looked nothing like other HTC smart phones that we’ve seen. The new 8X and 8S comes with a unibody like plastic shell with a choice of vibrant colours, an approach which is seen as taking a leaf out of Lumia’s design book.
HTC Windows Phone 8X
Similar to the HTC One series naming convention, the 8X is HTC’s flagship device for the Windows Phone platform. Like its rivals, it features a dual-core 1.5GHz Qualcomm S4 Processor, 1GB of RAM and 16GB of storage which is non expandable. Over at the front it has a 4.3″ Super LCD2 display that does HD 720p resolution and it is toughen with Gorilla Glass 2.
The differentiator of the 8X is its beats audio enhancement which comes with a exclusive built-in amp for both head phone jack and speaker. Next is the camera where it features the same 8MP found on the HTC One X which comes with backlit sensor, f/2.0 aperture, 28mm lens and dedicated HTC Imagechip. The front of the camera is a key highlight as well with a wide angle 2.1MP camera with f/2.0 aperture that does full 1080p video.
The 8X comes with a built-in 1,800mAh battery and it weighs 130grams which a thickness of 10.12mm. NFC connectivity also comes as standard as well but there’s no wireless charging which is found on the Lumia 920. In total, there are 4 colours to choose from – blue, black, yellow and red.
For more info on the 8X, head over to their product page.
HTC Windows Phone 8S
Next is the Windows Phone 8S which is the affordable alternative to the 8X. It has a smaller 4″ Super LCD display that does 800×480 with Gorilla Glass and it is powered with a 1.0GHz dual-core Qualcomm S4 processor. The RAM is less as well at 512MB and it comes with 16GB of storage which is expandable with microSD. In terms of design, it comes with a dual-tone look which is somewhat similar to the Sony Xperia NXT and it comes in a wide variety of colours as well.
It also comes with beats audio enhancement but without the amps that’s found on the 8X. Over at the back it has a 5MP camera that does 720p HD videos and it lacks a front facing camera for video calls. Powering the 8S is a 1,700mAh battery and NFC is unfortunately not included. Overall the 8S is 10.28mm thick and weighs 113grams. Both 8X and 8S are using micro SIM as standard.
Full product details over at Windows Phone 8S page.
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HTC Windows Phone 8X
HTC Windows Phone 8S
