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Many people were disappointed when HTC presented its line-up at the Mobile World Congress last February. The major missing factor was a flagship device with a dual-core processor. Already back then some people suggested that HTC was not willing to share the spotlight with its competitors and would come up with such a device at a later moment. By now that time has come and HTC presented the Sensation. The device was welcomed with rave reviews but it still needs to prove itself in practice.


HTC has a reputation to uphold when it comes to the naming of its Android devices. When after the Hero, Legend, and Desire you call your latest product Sensation you must be very confident that it can compete with the best in the business. In the Android field the HTC Sensation mingles in a battle of giants with the Samsung i9100 Galaxy S2 and the LG P990 Optimus 2X Speed. All three devices have a sturdy display but even more important; a dual-core processor. On top of that the Sensation packs a qHD-display and an 8.0 megapixel camera.

UN Boxing

The packaging HTC uses has had the same form factor for quite some time. In the case of the Sensation they have made a slight change by going for a black box instead of a white one. Out of the little box comes a drawer where the device lies on top. Below we find the necessary accessories. The Sensation comes with a 1520 mAh battery and an 8 GB microSD memory card. Also in the box are a headset with integrated remote control, a microUSB cable with adapter for the power socket, and a quickstart guide. The headset has 3.5 mm audio-jack.

Appearance

Whereas Samsung chose to give the Galaxy S2 an appearance as minimal and thin as possible HTC went for more curves and more body with the Sensation. There is no sharp edge or corner in sight on the device. The back is rounded off on all sides. With the Sensation HTC once again mentions the aluminium unibody design. To a certain degree this is true. In the case of the Legend and the Desire S this unibody means that there is only a very small battery cover that can be removed. But in the case of the Sensation you can take the entire back cover off and be left with just the display and intestines of the device.

The front of the phone is almost completely covered by a big slab of very tough Gorilla Glass. This plate of glass lies a little bit flush within the device but you hardly notice this when using the phone. The left side of the device houses the volume rocker and the USB connection. On top of the phone sits the power/lock-button and the headset jack.

Despite its hefty characteristics the phone does look reasonably slim en sophisticated. At least not as bulky as the Desire HD. The device is very well put together and there is clearly no cheap plastic feel. Beeps and creaks are not to be found and the weight adds to the solid feel. A real mope could argue that it is possible to press the screen further into the cover, but to do this you will have to use quite a bit of force. Because of the rounded edges and the fact that there is not much room next to the screen, the Sensation is comfortable to hold in one hand and easily controlled.

In order to unlock the back cover you must press a small button with your nail on the bottom of the device. The cover contains connections for antennas of the phone and for the most part is made of metal with a dark brown colour. On the back are a grey and a black surface with a rubber finish for some badly needed grip.

Battery life