Gadgetory

you might say this comparison is unnecessary after all most people don't need help deciding whether to buy a smartphone or a refrigerator door right but it's not that simple HTC's one is one of the most visible most highly reviewed smartphones of 2013 and so it would follow in the mind of the mythical average consumer that something called the one max might be better maybe much better right well no but also yes sort of let's just get down to it I'm Michael Fisher this is PocketNow and this is HTC one max versus HTC one now folks if you're looking for a deep dive on the one Max alone allow us to point you to our social feeds where you'll find pocket now is full one max review also posted here on our YouTube channel page and at pocketnow.com this video is not a review but a comparison and spoiler alert it's a testament to the old adage that bigger doesn't always equal better take the hardware here there's precious little that's different under the hood so we don't need to dwell on the spec comparison the phones are similarly outfitted and while we don't particularly like benchmarks they do bear that out so do app launch times which are very nearly identical so the obvious distinction here is size yes the max is bigger in every dimension it's so big that it's comical while the one fits nicely in one hand the max has trouble staying put in - it's just massive but that's evident just by looking at it there's no surprises there the real difference here and the real surprise is in build quality physically the one max is not a souped-up one it's an inflated one mini instead the beautiful chamfers and edge-to-edge metal build of the one is gone on the max replaced by a plastic band that's nowhere near as attractive yes this makes room for a removable back cover on the max and microSD expansion a very big deal to people who've been loud demanding this feature four years and yes we've finally gotten our side-mounted unlock button because HTC is not insane but the trade-off in build quality doesn't seem worth it the max is bigger than the one but it feels cheaper there are some compelling things you can only do on a larger device though and the one max is size plays to its advantage in a few areas its 5.9 inch display has a lower pixel density but it's also over an inch larger on the diagonal than the older phones and it's just as crisp and vibrant as ever also though the speaker components are the same between the devices the larger size of the One Maxx allows for much louder sound and that more than makes up for the lack of Beats Audio on the max which we've never considered a terribly compelling differentiator both of our test units are running Android 4.3 but only the one max has been loaded with the new version of HTC Sense 5.5 and HTC informs us that almost everything that currently makes the one max special from its blinkfeed enhancements to its improved gallery experience - it's fun new Zowie features is eventually gonna trickle down to the one anyway the only major asset that won't make the leap is the fingerprint scanner due to that special hardware that's required and it's probably a good thing it won't make it to the one the bottom line is that unless you absolutely can't wait to try out the new jiff making feature of the new Zowie sweet there's nothing in the software that would lead us to advise you to buy the one max over the one that trend continues in terms of the camera where HTC has not only recycled the same 4 megapixel sensor from the one but it's also removed optical image stabilization from the assembly on the newer device if this blows your mind you're not alone and the company had no comment on the matter when we asked them about the decision in the real world the difference isn't as striking as we expected though and the max even turns out better shots than the one in some conditions in particular low-light photography is almost a draw which we didn't expect so HTC does deserve some credit here for a rabbit out of its hat performance isn't quite as impressive on the front-facing camera side where the max produced more washed out results than the one but then it also includes support for dual capture as well so dump all that into a pot and you come out roughly equal though we still prefer the one camera for stills in terms of video there's also precious little difference here the software stabilization on the max makes for a somewhat janky warped feeling compared to the ones Hardware Oh is but both cameras deliver a pretty noisy picture with many overexposed areas and doors speaking of noise the one does a much better job of capturing quality audio than the max does probably owing to the so called HDR microphones HTC has been forced to stop using mines to a Nokia injunction neither of these devices would be our first choice for capturing videos and considering what else is available on the market but nothing when all this is taken together we think the one edges out the max just by a hair sure is if indeed that does apply in this situation on one of these devices HTC One versus a 3d audio capture is if indeed that does apply in this situation on one of these devices HTC One versus HTC One max pocket now doc the difference is much more striking when it comes to voice calls where once again the HTC One delivers the superior experience using a T's network callers said we sounded crisper and clearer on our Google Play edition one than on the Macs though each device did excellently in suppressing background noise about the only area the max outperforms its predecessor in this category is in terms of battery life where it mops the floor with the one and any other conventionally sized smartphone that's because the max is power pack is massive an excellent value add for the kind of folks who watch movies on their phone all day long so if you're that kind of person the max will do you much better than the one in our full review we were obligated to score the HTC One max based on how well it filled the gap it aspired to fill no matter how weird we thought that nish was here we have no such constraints despite being eight months older beyond middle-age in phone years the HTC One is a more attractive more practical and depending on your region probably a more affordable device unless you really need a giant screen and boombox speaker performance there's no compelling reason to buy the One Maxx over the one so one of the tech presses unofficial favorite Android flagship phones remains safe from its would-be usurper got something to say about that I bet you do leave a comment down below let us know what your thoughts are on the HTC One Maxx and don't be afraid to toss us a like if you did enjoy this video otherwise visit us at pocketnow.com for a lot more video editorial content news and more and follow us on social media once again so you don't miss future coverage on the HTC One Maxx and every other smartphone and tablet we can get our hands on until next time this is Michael Fisher with PocketNow thank you so much for watching and we'll see you soon you