MWC 2012: HTC One X Hands-on

One phone to rule them all, the One X is HTC's new Andoid flagship smartphone. It's been a long time since I've seen such a clean and fresh design coming from an HTC device.

I have tried to decided which phone should be by next smartphone for the rest of the year. I was tempted by Sony's Xperia S at first, but then I saw the HTC One X and I was sold.

HTC designers have finally created a device that breathes style. Announced yesterday, this is the top-tier device in the HTC One series, which also includes the One S and One V smartphones.

It comes with a hyper-vibrant 4.7-inch IPS LCD2 capacitive touchscreen with HD (720 x 1280 pixels) resolution and Corning Gorilla Glass coating. 

On the inside, the phone is equipped with a quad-core Tegra 3 processor clocked at 1.5 GHz, 32 GB onboard memory and 1GB of RAM.

Check out the fallery below for more HTC One X photos.

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MWC 2012: ZTE Orbit Hands-on

Chinese handset maker ZTE is going for other markets this year. The company plans to sell more of its products in North America and Europe, but does it has what it takes?

After checking with the company's booth here at Mobile World Congress I would say that ZTE is still a long way from other Chinese handset makers such as Huawei.

The new ZTE Orbit is a low-end smartphone that runs Microsoft latest Windows Phone Tango operating system. 

Nokia and Microsoft announced they have expanded the availability of Windows Phone platform to low-end configurations, which means that it will work on devices with only 256MB of RAM.

ZTE Orbit has more, as the phone comes with 512MB of RAM, 1Ghz single core processor, 5-megapixel rear camera, 4GB of internal memory and 4-inch WVGA capacitive touchscreen (800 x 480 pixels).

Check out the gallery below for more photos of the ZTE Orbit.

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MWC 2012: Samsung Galaxy mini 2 Hands-on

The 2012 Mobile World Congress is the place where Samsung took the wraps off some of its low to mid-end Android smarphones that were officially announced during the last month.

For those of you who only saw the Galaxy mini 2 in press shots, you didn't miss a thing; on the contrary. 

I was pretty disappointed by the phone's look, which is only saved by the funky back cover.

Other than that, the phone looks and feels cheap. Even if it is indeed a cheap phone this is no reason to make look like one. 

Anyway, I would recommend those thinking of buying one to take it for a spin before spending their money on it.

Check out the gallery below for more photos of the Samsung Galaxy mini 2.

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MWC 2012: Fujitsu Arrows Resists to Falling Iron Balls

Japanese handsets are built to last. This has been mandatory in Japan for ages. No serious Japanese company would manufacture a mobile phone that is not waterproof, dustproof and scratch-resistant.

However, Fujitsu took this a little further and showed us that their Arrows smartphone, dubbed world's slimmest Android smartphone (6.7mm), can withstand... falling iron balls.

The phone's 4.0-inch WVGA AMOLED capacitive touchscreen features Corning Gorilla Glass which makes it highly resistant to scratching and accidental drops. 

This type of hardened glass with high rigidity aims to preserve the display from even the most dangerous situations.

That, or you may be the unlucky one to have your screen broken the first time you accidentally drop your phone. 

It is also worth mentioning that the phone's battery cover is coated with peel-resistant and scratch-resistant "ultra tough guard."

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MWC 2012: Sony Xperia S Hands-on

It's been almost two months since Sony launched its first branded smartphones, Xperia S and Xperia ion. The Japanese company promised to bring the Xperia S on the European market in Q1, but no exact release dates had been disclosed so far.

While most UK-based retailers confirm an early March availability, Sony announced yesterday that Xperia S is now available for purchase in Barcelona and will be rolled out in other countries beginning next week.

From our experience with the phone, we can truly say that this is indeed a masterpiece when it comes to design. However, just like last year, Sony still has a lot to work on the phones' software. 

We took one of the samples for a spin and after running a game, the Xperia S software crashed. This is exactly what happened to us with an Xperia neo last year.

Other than that the Xperia S doesn't seem to have any flaws in its design. It's definitely one of best looking Android smartphones showcased at the 2012 MWC.

Here's our hands-on video (crash included).

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MWC 2012: LG Optimus Vu Hands-on

When Samsung announced the Galaxy Note smartphone last year, everyone thought it was too big of a device to be successful. 

And yet, this year's Mobile World Congress motto was go big or stay home. Everyone here at the MWC is carrying a Galaxy Note, be they members of the media or just visitors.

It looks like LG is trying to copycat Samsung Galaxy Note's popularity with a new device that, just like the Galaxy Note, is going big. The LG Optimus Vu is a large smartphone with a 5.0-inch XGA capacitive touchscreen that features an unusual 4:3 aspect ratio.

Unfortunately, this makes it a failure rather than a success. A 4:3 AR works for a tablet, but for LG Optimus Vu is a total dissaster. 

Unlike the Galaxy Note, which features a 5.3-inch display and can be handled pretty well after you get used to it, the Optimus Vu is way too wide for an average-sized hand.

Check out the gallery below for more photos.

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