HTC Sensation to be firm's first dual-core Android smartphone
Android 2.3 device comes with streaming service, but still no NFC
HTC has unveiled its first dual-core Android smartphone as the firm tries to continue enticing business users with high-performance devices.
The HTC Sensation comes with a number of enhancements and will take over from the Desire HD as the firm's flagship smartphone.
Key features include a 4.3in Super LCD screen with an improved resolution of 540 x 960. The display will also have a 16:9 ratio, giving it a more slender look than the Desire HD, which has the same sized screen.
A Qualcomm MSM 8260 1.2GHz dual-core processor together with 768MB of RAM will power the handset. There will be 1GB of internal storage included, but HTC plans on shipping the device with an 8GB micro-SD card.
Rounding off the hardware is an 8-megapixel camera on the rear that features autofocus and a dual LED flash. The device is capable of recording in 1080p and comes with a basic video editing tool and an ‘instant capture' photo feature. There will also be a front-facing VGA camera.
The Sensation will come pre-loaded with the Android 2.3 Gingerbread operating system, together with the latest HTC Sense 3.0 user interface.
This version of Sense has the the biggest set of user facing enhancements to date, Graham Wheeler, director of commercialisation product management, told journalists at a pre-briefing in London, yesterday.
The most obvious feature is the addition of a customisable lock screen which is somewhat similar to a regular homescreen.
Users can choose to place photos, messages, weather or stock updates in the lock screen's skin, and launch frequently used apps such as email or the camera without having to swipe the device to unlock the screen.
HTC Sensation to be firm's first dual-core Android smartphone
Android 2.3 device comes with streaming service, but still no NFC
Widgets have also been given a 3D effect, although the device does not support full 3D. The seven homescreens, meanwhile, are still present and now rotate in a full carousel so that users can continue scrolling through panels without having to swipe backwards.
Other new software features include a revamped messaging thread, which now displays content in an instant messaging format much like the iPhone 4. The handset will also come with a Swype-like feature allowing users to input text by gliding their fingers over letters.
Fabian Nappenbach, EMEA director of product marketing at HTC, confirmed that the Sense 3.0 interface will come on all future HTC dual-core devices and that the firm is looking into which devices can currently support its features.
The Sensation will also be the first smartphone to ship with the manufacturer's own video streaming service, HTC Watch. Users will be able to buy and rent films and view them on up to five devices. Wheeler noted that HTC is in talks with networks to implement carrier billing.
An area where HTC has struggled is battery performance, but the manufacturer is keen to address this by adding a bigger 1520mAh battery. However, it remains to be seen just how much this will improve battery life.
The device will not include any NFC capabilities, Nappenbach saying that HTC is waiting for a "broad demand in the technology" before implementing it.
The HTC Sensation is set to be available from Vodafone in the second quarter, although pricing is yet to be confirmed.
"The Sensation is a tier above the Desire family, but the device is expected to ship at the same price the Desire HD did at launch," Nappenbach added.