Review: Virgin Mobile’s HTC One V Counts In My Book

Virgin Mobile has been upping the ante a bit on hardware lately. We’ve already checked out the Galaxy S II, and now I want to take a look at another high-end handset, the HTC One V. The One line is HTC’s flagship brand, much as the Galaxy is on Samsung. However, unlike the S II, the One V is more than a simple rebranding of an existing handset, but a specific alteration to the Virgin model. This is a bit of a change for HTC, which previously repurposed handsets like the Wildfire S and EVO 3D. Does this uniqueness help or hurt the One V?

First Impressions

Back when I reviewed the Wildfire S last year, I remarked that it reminded me quite a bit of the original, European HTC Hero. All the phone lacked was the neat little “chin”. The HTC One V brings the chin back, and I have to say that I kind of love it. The tiny bend to the phone gives me a clear place to rest my hands where they’re not on the capacitive buttons.

Speaking of, HTC continues to ignore Google’s desire to go button free by including a back, home, and task switching button. Personally, I’d have rather a menu button and had the task switching effect trigger via holding home, like on most handsets.

The actual body of the HTC One V is fairly satisfying. HTC One V’s body appears to be carbon-fiber and feels much better than the S II’s cheap, plastic finish, and it even feels more polished than the larger screen EVO 3D. The phone’s body has a satisfying heft that doesn’t overwhelm. I’d say it’s quite a bit like holding an iPhone 4.

Like the iPhone, the One V doesn’t allow access to the battery. At a mere 1500 mAh, don’t expect to be wowed by the battery life. Especially considering the kick ass screen the battery has to power, which I’ll talk more about later. There’s a removable plastic cover on the back of the chin for adding MicroSD cards, but it’s a pain in the butt to get off. If you swap memory cards again, you may want to look elsewhere.

The Software

You’ll be happy to hear that the One V is running Android 4.0.3 (Ice Cream Sandwich). What may not please you is finding out that it will not be updating to Android 4.1 (Jelly Bean). I expect much hacking. While I do get that the One V is not as powerful as the latest and greatest phone from well, anywhere, there’s no reason the hardware on this shouldn’t be able to run Jelly Bean.

No FAIR! No FAIR!
[Source: Thinkstock Photo via CNN]

There are a surprising number of pre-loaded apps on the HTC One V:

• Adobe Reader
• AirG
• DropBox
• Facebook
• Flash Player
• FriendStream by HTC
• Google+
• Polaris Office
• TuneIn Radio
• Youtube

Sure, most are useful, but it’s a bit of a departure from what I’m used to with Sprint/Virgin.

Performance

The One V may not have the same sort of horse power as the Galaxy S II or the iPhone 4S, but there’s no real way for the user to tell. Indeed, the 1 GHZ Qualcomm MSM8255 Snapdragon coupled with a dedicated GPU for the graphics makes for a smooth ride.

The superstar of the phone is the screen. Every phone in the One line has a stunning screen, and the One V doesn’t disappoint. Yes, the phone’s screen is only 3.7″, but with a 252 ppi, this makes it the densest screen on Virgin next to the iPhone 4S (330 ppi on a 3.5″ display). I personally find the viewing angles and outdoor visibility on the V to be superior to the iPhone screen.

While call quality on the One V is just dandy, I regret that during the time that I was testing Virgin Mobile’s network in Houston seemed to be undergoing some kind of chaos. As such, I was getting poor speeds, none fit for printing here. While not a 4G device, the speeds attained by the One V weren’t much in the way of being 2.5 G even. It was easier to just use WiFi and be done with it.

Battery life was unimpressive, which happens when you put a powerful screen and chip inside a device with a sealed 1500 mAh battery. Daily use was reminiscent of the days of my Palm Pre. I’m not saying the One V can’t be a daily driver, but be prepared to keep one eye on the meter.

The rear camera is only 5 MP, but sports many of the high-end features from the rest of the HTC One line. Snappy and responsive shutter speeds make this a snapshot taker’s delight. The front camera is 720p and fine for the casual Skyper. Just be sure you’re on WiFi.

The One V also includes Beats Audio, something that seems more and more common. I confess to not really noticing a difference. However, if you have already sprung for a Beats headset, you can get the full benefit with this handset.

Hackability

I keep finding myself worked up over the fact that the One V won’t supportAndroid 4.1. It makes no sense.  Fortunately, enough people agree for there to be a quite healthy modding scene for the V. While not as lively as the S II, there are plenty of ROMs for the One V, including a working CM10 mod. As a bonus, those strip Sense away, giving you pure Android on great hardware.

The Strengths

The One V is a strong performer in terms of quality and features, but with the exception of that screen, nothing stands out. An iPhone 4S has the cachet that comes with being an iPhone and the Samsung Galaxy S II is a bit more of a known quantity for buyers as well, with the bonus of having 4G. What the One V does have going for it though is price. Hold on to your hats and give us a second to get back to that.

The Weaknesses

Knowing that you can’t upgrade your phone without hacking it kind of sucks, but it’s something many Android fans are used to. More annoying is the lack of a removable battery, which is something we’re seeing more and more of these days. With lack of 4G, you’re not going to speed along the information superhighway on the One V, but that’s not something everyone needs.

Pricing & Availability

While it may place third to the other flagship Virgin handsets, it is also hundreds of dollars cheaper. Right now, the One V is $99, on sale from $150. The S II and iPhone are  $329 (on sale, regular $369.99) and $449, respectively. The next two phones, the LG Optimus Elite and Kyocera Rise, are passable phones, but the One V kicks their tushes and is worth the negligible difference in price.

Wrap Up

HTC’s One line is largely comprised of what most would consider superphones. The One V’s greatest crime is not being super, but just being smart. For most of us, that’s enough. If you want the best value in terms of up-front costs on a pre-pay network and don’t require 4G, there’s just One choice.