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[papi92]

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First off let me start off by saying Thank you to Verizon Wireless for sending me this phone. I know it had to be hard to send an ANDROID based site a different OS. That being said I have felt this experience with the HTC 8X has allowed me to open my mind to a different type of phone down the road.

Specs
-1.5 ghz Dual Core Snapdragon S4 processor
- Windows 8 Modern UI
-1 gb of ram
-16 gb of internal storage
-Verizon LTE
- 1800 mAh battery
-8 megapixel back camera with auto focus, LED flash, BSI sensor (for better low-light captures) ,F2.0 aperture and 28mm lens, 1080p video recording, and a Dedicated HTC ImageChip
- ultra-wide-angle 2.1 megapixel front camera, 1080p front camera video recording, F2.0 aperture, and a Dedicated HTC ImageChip
- Beats Audio
-NFC
-720 HD screen at 4.3 inches
-Qi charging built in

The UI
First off again let me start off by saying for the last 5 years I have owned nothing but Android devices so this part of the phone is what mattered the most to me. I wanted to know if I could fall in love again with an OS. That being said I did not fall in love with Windows 8. The UI overall is very fast and fluid. Applications open quickly and I had no problem learning how to navigate around the homescreen and getting to the application drawer. After that though I was long lost. The Application Store really needs to be revamped. When I searched something like forum runner or forum viewer I was brought to an area where there was 10 applications that had nothing to do with forums and cost $10 a piece. Now, I do not blame the 8X as a phone for where Microsoft fails but as a whole the Store needs to be revamped. Also, one of my largest problems with the 8X was how notifications are handled. When browsing in other applications or just on a call if you receive a notification a small bar goes across the top of the screen for around 5-10 seconds. If you choose to click on the bar you will be redirected to the application and viewing the information quickly. Now, here's the problem. If you choose to ignore this notification it goes away. PERIOD. Their is no pulling down on the notification bar to view missed tasks. You have to go back to the homescreen and hope the application has live tile support because if it doesn't then you will never find it. Also, live tiles are not what I thought they would be. They are simple a number on most tiles that says how many things you have missed. No information. It is not a widget so I want to point that out. Now, moving on as I don't want to rant about this. Windows 8 on the 8X does not come with a free navigation application. No Google maps and thank the lord no IOS maps. The Lumia 920 does though as it is provided by Nokia. I personally download an application called gmaps from the store. It wasn't as polished as most applications but for being free I couldn't complain. Other Map applications sold for $30+. Once again, that did not make me happy as a user. The biggest selling factor for me what simply the ease of use and the email server. The email server received my gmail emails quicker then my gmail account on my Android phone. Microsoft seemed to learn from RIM. A great business phone needs a fast email server. The good thing about Windows 8 though was it is easy to navigate around the stock system and overall everything was snappy. It was very simple to use and the little bit of customization will help it sell over IOS. I really believe if Microsoft fixes the live tiles to include more information and bring a notification center/ pull down bar then this UI will be on par with Android and IOS. Also, they need more applications in the store before those game crazy users will come.

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Camera
One word can only describe the camera of the HTC 8X and that is beautiful. I have tested the DNA and the One X+ and neither can compare. I won't put up photos just because they won't do it justice. The camera takes vibrant pictures when the lighting is bright or dark. HTC really put everything they had into the camera and it shows. Videos were clear and you can not find any stutters in the video when transferring it around devices. Until you pick up this device and use the camera you can't understand the amazing quality of photos. It is the first smart phone that actually replaced my camera when I went to different shows.

Battery life
Battery life was average. It was really hard to tell how much I was using through out a day because there are no battery stats. The devices tells you how long it's been off the charger but as an Android Professional I know this means nothing. We only care about display time. That being said I am comfortable in saying I averaged about 3-4 hours of display time with this device. The 4.3 inch HD display really didn't seem to suck juice.

Connectivity and Signal Strength

The signal on the 8X was on par with other Qualcomm phones. I had no issues picking up signal in dead spots but it wasn't as good as the king of signal the Droid Maxx HD. ( Droid HD MAXX?) I received LTE in all over the expected places while finding some new areas.


Conclusion
Windows is back in the mobile world and HTC is coming full force. The 8X is a great phone for the everyday user and the business man of the world. That being said if you are a power hunger user who loves the newest applications and the greatest music/movie store at your finger tips then move on. The 8X is really a wonderful phone and I am happy to see Windows coming back into relevance. The UI may not be their yet but it has come miles from Windows 7.5??. I was very pleased with the 8X and was even thinking about making it my personal device until I decided to pick up a DNA and compare the two. Verizon really does have a gem on their hands and if they continue with this trend of high end smartphones from every corner of the mobile OS world then I see big problems coming my way. That being said I am still going to be an Android user for the time being. I would give the 8X a 7/10 overall just because it is missing huge parts of what makes a Smart Phone SMART but is by far one of the top 3 devices for a business user. I really hope Windows will fix the issues I had and I hope Verizon will carry the next generation of Windows 8 phones.

[papi92]

Well, I will answer questions in the morning. I need to go turn on my DNA and cuddle it.

[papi92]

Okay I am up. Lol

Sent from my HTC6435LVW using Tapatalk 2

[trikotret]

Thanks Papi for the review. I was considering trying out windows just cuz its different. Can you check if the phone supports group mms like the OG razr? I read some other forum that verizon blocked the mms and all the messages go into different threads

[papi92]

See it was hit or miss for me for group messaging lol that's all I know

Sent from my HTC6435LVW using Tapatalk 2

[trikotret]

See it was hit or miss for me for group messaging lol that's all I know

Sent from my HTC6435LVW using Tapatalk 2

Oh well. Let me stick with my android

[papi92]

See it was a great experience and I am hopeful for the future. Its a great alternative to Android if your willing to lose some features lol

Sent from my HTC6435LVW using Tapatalk 2