Review HTC One SV Smartphone

The first major difference compared to the HTC One S is that the HTC One SV is constructed using a polycarbonate shell. The One S sports a premium aluminum unibody chassis. We like the overall form factor of the new phone and find the way the surfaces feel to the touch quite pleasing. The back cover is slightly rough which makes it easy to hold. An advantage over the unibody design is the fact that there is a removable cover on the back, which is easy to take off using a finger nail near the Micro USB port. Once the cover is removed, the battery can be replaced - something that's not possible with a lot of the current crop of smartphones.

We like the design. The phone is compact and features a gently curved back which fits perfectly into the hand. The phone is also quite resilient and sturdy when subjected to pressure. HTC offers the phone in different colors - of course that's largely a matter of taste. The color of our review model is called "Pyrenees Blue" - but there is also gray, red, black, and white models. 

The One SV measures 128 x 66.9 x 9.2 millimeter (5.04 x 2.63 x 0.36 inches) and weighs in at 122 grams (4.3 ounces) which is appropriate for the class. The HTC One S is a bit slimmer at 7.8 millimeter (0.31 inches), but not really any lighter. The Apple iPhone 5 is both slimmer (7.6 millimeter / 0.30 ) and lighter (112 grams /  3.95 ounces). When we compared the phones directly, we couldn't really detect a difference.

The HTC One SV comes with 8 GB of integrated storage. HTC actually mentions different capacities, but at the moment only one capacity is offered. After the initial configuration, 4.67 GB of space is user accessible (58 percent of the total capacity) which is not a whole lot. It's easy to expand the storage using the internal card reader, which - according to the manufacturer - handles MicroSD cards up to 32 GB (SDHC). We had no issues when we used a 64 GB MicroSDXC card instead. This is definitely an advantage the One SV has over unibody smartphones without a card reader.

Just like other phones in the One series, HTC offers free storage using the cloud storage provider Dropbox. In this case, the offer includes 23 GB for two years, which is activated when the application is used for the first time. Both new and existing Dropbox users are eligible for this service.

There are no surprises as far as the device connectivity itself is concerned. There is a standard stereo headphone jack and a Micro USB port on the bottom, which is used both for charging the phone and for data transfer. We checked HTC's product page but couldn't find any reference to a USB adapter (MHL to HDMI) to hook up an external display.

The communication features are extensive and without a doubt rarely seen in this price bracket. HTC includes mostly state-of-the-art components - usually reserved for high-end.

The WLAN module supports 802.11a/b/g/n and both the 2.4 and 5 GHz frequency bands (dual-band). The phone also supports Bluetooth 4.0 (aptX) and NFC (Near Field Communication). The NFC module is integrated in the removable cover of the smartphone and connects via two internal contacts to the chassis.

The One SV supports HSPA/WCDMA (900, 1900, and 2100 MHz) and also the faster LTE (Long Term Evolution) protocol. In Europe, the 800, 1800, and 2600 MHz frequency bands are supported. Of course one major disadvantage is the substantial costs for LTE connections, and for that reason, HTC also offers a model of the phone without LTE for 30 Euro (~$40) less.

For location specific tasks and services, the smartphone includes a GPS module. We used the (free) Google app "GPS Test" to check the performance. After starting the app, the first initial connection happened within a few seconds. The accuracy is also very good. While we didn't experience any issues while outside, we did notice a pretty rapid deterioration of both accuracy and signal reception while inside (hallways, garage etc.).

The display itself shows clearly where HTC intends to position this phone in their portfolio. The 4.3-inch SLCD2 display features a resolution of 480 x 800 pixels (3:5 aspect ratio). The One SV is therefore positioned under the HTC One S but above the (less expensive) HTC Desire X. Compared to the HTC One S, which features the same screen size, the resolution is unfortunately lower, which means that the One SV fails to support the HD standard screen more expennsive devices offer. The pixel density of 216 DPI is appropriate for the class and leaves some room to spare. The Corning Gorilla Glass protects the display well, although both reflections and finger prints are an issue. HTC doesn't offer higher resolution displays for this phone.

We use the tool Gossen Mavo Monitor to examine the display more closely. The LED-backlit screen is admirably bright. We measured an average of 388 cd/m² which is brighter than the HTC One S. Brightness distribution is also very good at 90 percent. High-end phones, like the Apple iPhone 5, Gooble Nexus 4, or HTC One X feature even brighter screens.

Outdoors, the usual issues with most smartphones become apparent. A highly reflective display meets insufficient brightness. The HTC One SV is not really an exception in this aspect. As long as the sky is overcast, the content is clearly visible. Brighter conditions and finger prints cause problems, however. Sometimes, adjusting one's position slightly takes care of the annoying reflections. A matte screen protector can also bring some improvement.

HTC uses an SLCD2 panel (liquid crystal) sourced from Sharp. Very shallow viewing angles don't pose a problem. Even at almost 180 degrees, the content is still readable. We didn't notice any color shifts or inversions.

HTC uses a Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Plus SoC (model MSM8930) to power the One SV. The dual-core SoC is member of the Krait family and is- according to the spec sheet - capable of clock speeds of up to 1.2 GHz. We use the tool CPU Spy to check the clock speeds during idle and at load. When reading a text document, the chip operates at a low 384 MHz around 89 percent of the time, which saves power. Under load, the SoC frequency hovers between 1.13 and 1.18 GHz. Additional hardware components include the integrated Adreno 305 graphics unit, a single channel memory controller for LPDDR2 RAM (1 GB), and the LTE module. The 3G module uses a  Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Plus MSM8230.

For our first benchmark test we use GeekBench 2. The HTC One SV scores 1305 points - right in the middle of the pack on our comparison database. The HTC One S does much worse in this test (minus 47 percent). The comparable Sony Xperia T does a bit better and ends up with an advantage of 19 percent. The top models from Google, Apple and Asus do even better. The performance difference between the phones is less apparent when running SmartBench 2012 (productivity index). The HTC One SV runs neck and neck with the One S. The Google Nexus 4 also performs at the same level.

The One SV does really well when subjected to the Linpack multi-thread calculation. Only the Apple iPhone 5 and the Asus Padfone 2 are quite a bit faster. Other middle-class phones with the Android OS are up to 60 percent slower (Motorola RAZRi).

The HTC One SV has a mono speaker on the bottom part at the back of the phone, which emits sound through a series of small openings in the cover. A logo from Beats Audio is located above this mesh structure. The overall sound of the speaker is not very impressive, as mids, lows, and bass are pretty much nonexistent.

Beats Audio only offers "sound optimization" when headphones or speakers are connected via the 3.5 millimeter jack. The quality is good. Bass is much more noticeable now and the maximum volume is louder. The optimization is simply an equalizer setting, which can be enabled and disabled in the system settings.

During idle, the phone consumes between 0.3 and 1.1 watts. Most other comparable smartphones require a bit more - the HTC One S, for example, needs up to 1.8 watts. The Apple iPhone 5 and the Google Nexus 4 consume 1.4 watts. Under maximum load, the power consumption of the HTC One SV peaks at 4.2 watts. Here, things look a bit different. The HTC One S and the Apple iPhone 5 require less (3.2 and 2.9 watts, respectively), the Google Nexus 4 more (6.5 watts).

Considering the class of the phone and its power consumption, the replaceable lithium ion battery features a comparatively high capacity of 1800 mAh (6.84 Wh). The phone can be charged using the modular USB power adapter or via a USB connection to the PC (the second method usually takes a bit longer).

Our overall impression is mostly positive. The HTC One SV is pretty complete package. A middle-class smartphone with up-to-date hardware, LTE support, and a nice design. We appreciate the integrated MicroSD card reader and the replaceable battery, but don't like the fact that the phone ships with an older Android version (4.0.4). The HTC Sense UI is visually pleasing, although the virtual keyboard is way too crowded.

The voice quality, the 5MP main camera for simple snapshots, and the warranty period (24 months) are all welcome features. One of our main points of criticism is the 4.3-inch display, which only supports a low resolution of 480 x 800 pixels, but the display measurements are all quite good. We would expect at least support for the qHD standard (540 x 960 pixels). The mono speaker is also pretty average. The Beats Audio logo promises better sound quality. The performance of the Qualcomm  dual-core SoC offers decent performance. The low power consumption leads to long battery life.

For an LTE smartphone with card reader, replaceable battery, and decent overall quality, 430 Euro (~$590) is money well spent. On the other hand, Long Term Evolution (LTE) is not that common in Germany yet and unnecessary for this market. The Google Nexus 4 is another option available at a very good price of 300 Euro, but does not feature a card reader or a replaceable battery.