HTC One Series Is Serious About Audio

Another feature offers more contrast for photos and enables the camera to capture multiple photos from one instance, and with different exposure levels. The One X camera software will layer the images together to create a single photo.

The One X includes Video Pic, which can capture pictures while recording video in HD and can capture a still image from previously recorded video. HTC believes this feature will help users who can't decide whether they want still pics or live footage.

Finally, the One X has a 1,800-mAh battery, which will be boosted by the 30 percent increase in battery efficiency from the S4 CPU. AT&T said this lets users create and edit homemade videos without lag. AT&T will begin selling the One X in April, but did not disclose an exact date or price for the hardware.

The One S offers Qualcomm's S4 1.5GHz dual-core processor and is HTC's thinnest phone to date at 7.9 millimeters.

The device trades the One X' 4.7-inch display for a Gorilla Glass-bound 4.3-inch screen. Beats Audio is also featured in the One S, which T-Mobile is pairing with Google Music. HTC's Sense 4 and ImageSense camera technology are also key parts of the One S.

The HTC One S comes in an ultra-matte black ceramic metal surface, the result of a microarc oxidation (MAO) process, developed for satellites, and an anodized process that renders a light-to-dark "gradient fade."

On the lowest end of the One series scale, the One V includes a 3.7-inch display and is powered by a 1GHz single-core processor and a 5-megapixel shutter.

Tony Cripps, principal analyst at Ovum, commented on HTC's One series in a statement sent to eWEEK: 

"Following a mildly disappointing 2011, these devices form the vanguard of HTC's new strategy for greater brand coherence and a simpler value proposition. HTC's strategy to streamline its branding and to offer fewer, better-differentiated products is a reaction to both market forces and engineering necessity."

The market should indicate early on in 2012 whether or not HTC's streamlined strategy, something Motorola is also adopting this year, will pay off.