My first impressions - HTC One V

[jibby]

I jump from phone to phone quite a bit. I trade, buy, and sell my mobile devices more frequently than I get a hair cut. I guess to some it may be considered a problem...haha

While primarily I stick to Android, I don't really have an issue with other operating systems. From Symbian to iOS, I have used and enjoy different aspects from almost all mobile OS's.

When the iPhone was released on Virgin Mobile I picked one up, and justified the price with my low monthly payment of $30.00. I chose to go with the 4S because I needed the battery life and camera quality that was present in this device. Fortunately my logics kicked in and I returned it a few days later, and picked up the One V.

I got my hands on the HTC One V yesterday. I picked it up from my local best buy for 199.99. The packaging is typical Virgin Mobile, and the phone comes with a data cable, wall adapter, and manuals.

The phone powers on quickly thanks to "Fast-Boot", usually 5-8 seconds.

Sense 4.0 on here runs very well. Yes, there are a few lags here and there.. but it really isnt anything too bad. Afterall the phone is only two hundred bucks. One of my favorite features of Sense 4.0 is the camera application. It's been review many times on the web, and it works just as nicely as it did on my One S. Slow-Motion recording is alot of fun!

The camera is the best you can buy on Virgin Mobile, aside from the 4S. It's quick, and it captures absolutely beautiful/vivid colors.

The phone also feels really nice in hand. I don't feel it needs a case for daily use, unlike many other devices. It feels sturdy, seams line up flush, and there is no flex or creaking. The matte black is very nice, and give the phone a very "mature" appearence.

I love the chin, it gives it a unique identifier while being useful. It helps keep the screen from touching surfaces while placed face down.


Only thing I really miss is a front facing camera, other than that I am VERY please with this phone and see myself using it for a while here..

If anyone has questions, feel free to ask!

 

[eumesch]

Jibby, how's the battery life?

 

[jibby]

First run down of the battery was actually pretty horrid, but I am not really too worried yet. It's my first day using the phone so its being used way more than usual to plug in my normal settings. My first 100%-1% drain took just over 6 hours.

The screen was on for a huge portion of this time, and obviously lots of data was syncing over a weak 3G signal in my office. It will take about a week to get into the normal swing of things.

I normally laugh when people tell me to turn the brightness levels way down to conserve battery, but this screen is SO bright on auto brightness.. I notice that I can turn it down to probably about 15% brightness, and that is still awfully bright in the office. Maybe that will help with future charges.

I'm an obsessive user more than I am a heavy user. My phone sits on my desk in front of me, so I am constantly turning on every few minutes.. almost out of habit. I am only syncing one gmail account, google play music, and HTC Weather. Facebook sync is off.

On the plus side- the phone seems to charge pretty rapidly under two hours for a full charge.

 

[lilrob1213]

Hey how does the camera hold up under low light situations? and can you wake the screen with the volume rocker buttons or just the power/unlock button?

 

[jibby]

There is a quite a bit more "noise" in low light photos.

You can only wake the phone with the top power button. But I find this button very tactile and easy to find.

Also, I'm sure there are apps to enable a volume rocker wake up, no?

Sent from my HTC One V using Android Central Forums

 

[rweeks]

How is the signal strength? After reading the signal strength of the Evo V is barely better than the ov, I have just about ruled it out.

 

[jibby]

I am actually finding myself with less bars in more places than when I had the evo v for a short while.

Ive usually got about 3 or 4 bars out of 6. It really delends on your coverage I guess.

Sent from my HTC One V using Android Central Forums

 

[jibby]

As of this morning I am already getting significantly better battery life. With still pretty heavy use I have only ran the batter down to 85% in 3 hours.. by this time yesterday I was at 50% haha!

Sent from my HTC One V using Android Central Forums

 

[eumesch]

Thanks Jibby. Any problem accessing Google Play? British bloggers have been reporting some problems.

 

[jibby]

I have had zero problems accessing Google play.

Sent from my A200 using Android Central Forums

 

[lilrob1213]

Thanks for the answers