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Snappy Beats

The 8Mp camera is similar to the one on the XE and one of HTC’s best. As well as autofocus (which is a little unreliable and slow) and a dual LED flash, this one includes a BSI sensor to help improve shots in low light, though it’s effect was negligible in practise.

Sample Shots

HTC Sensation XL Android smartphone

Click for a full-resolution image

HTC Sensation XL Android smartphone

Click for a full-resolution image

There’s a basic editing suite on board and it has 720p HD video recording rather than the XE’s 1080p. The front camera for video calling offers a step up though, from VGA to 1.3Mp. Unlike the XE, there’s no microSD card slot, so you’re limited to the 16GB it comes with, so don't get too carried away with the video recording. The 1600mAh battery is big, but doesn’t deliver a better than average performance – you’ll get about a day’s worth of heavy use out of it.

HTC Sensation XL Android smartphone

Thinks big, but

Verdict

The HTC Sensation XL has a mammoth screen, and it has the best of Android and HTC’s Sense UI, but in terms of display resolution, processing speed, video recording and memory expansion, its Beats-packing cousin the XE is the better handset. ®

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Customer Success Testimonial: Recovery is Everything

75%
HTC Sensation XL Android smartphone

HTC Sensation XL

HTC’s biggest Beats Audio handset includes a 4.7in screen and 8Mp camera.
Price: £450 RRP

Sensation XL?

Having checked the specifications, it has EXACTLY the same Chipset/Processor as the DHD's MSM8255; same RAM amount -768MB and the same Camera - probably the same sensor (but I can't find the part no. anywhere).

Sensation XL, nope its a Desire HD XL with a factory overclocked processor; Front facing Camera... oh and a beastier screen. All available (with the exception of the latter two) with a nice looking optimised custom Sense 3.5 ROM (or better yet vanilla CyanogenMod 7 if that's your thing.)

HTC should have done better and loaded this thing with a bit more power.

2
0

Why so large

I'm looking to replace my HTC Desire in a couple of months and have been looking around - however all the phones I see with a decent bit of oomph (the official measure of a phone's power!) are huge.

When I got the Desire I thought it was a bit big and I prefer the size of my mother-in-law's Wildfire. Most of the phones I see now are 0.5 - 1 cm wider and/or taller.

Looks like I'll have to put up with the wife's "I told you so's" and get a bloody iPhone!

Thanks for nothing HTC/Samsung/Motorola.

2
0
Anonymous Coward

Nonsense

Ditch HTC-nonsense, supply an open bootloader, and start to publish the source to device-specific code on release-day and I'll consider the product.

2
0

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