HTC One Maxx Review: Specs Of Giant Android Smartphone Incl. 5.9” Display, Snapdragon Quad-Core Processor, 2 GB RAM, Up To 32 GB Internal Storage, 4 MP Camera; A Downgrade or Upgrade From Predecessor?

HTC One Maxx review: HTC’s giant smartphone sports a Snapdragon 600 quad-core processor, 5.9-inch Super LCD3 capacitive touchscreen, 16 GB or 32 GB internal storage (expandable up to 64 GB), 2 GB RAM, and a 4 MP camera, all running on Android v4.3 Jelly Bean OS.

The bigger the screen, the better the smartphone—this is the mantra of many handset manufacturers today. Recently, many companies have been producing smartphones that seem too large for a size of a phone, and a bit small for a tablet, thus the creation of the term “phablet.” Samsung has the Galaxy Mega, a 6.3-inch giant with a low screen resolution but a cheaper price tag than the Galaxy S4. The South Korean company also released the Samsung Galaxy Note 3, a phablet with a stylus and high-quality specs. Sony, on the other hand, released the 6.4-inch Xperia Z Ultra, a premium phone with a premium screen. Now, HTC has released its own phablet to compete against the giants: the One Maxx.

However, many critics are saying that the One Maxx isn’t really much of an upgrade, but rather just a giant version of the HTC One.

Measuring 6.48 x 3.25 x 0.41 inches and weighing 217 grams, the One Maxx has a considerably thin body with a metallic finish. Meanwhile, its 5.9-inch Super LCD3 capacitive touchscreen has an impressive resolution of 1080 x 1920 pixels and a pixel density of 373 ppi.

The best thing about this smartphone is undeniably the monster display coupled with stellar built-in stereo speakers—perfect for watching films.

Performance-wise, the One Maxx is a bit out-dated. Compared to smartphones with Snapdragon 800 processors under the hood, the One Maxx seems to run less fluid. This is quite a disappointment considering the possibilities of using it for games. Still, if you’re not really an intense user, then you won’t mind its response time.

The biggest disappointment of this handset is the sad 4 MP camera with an LED flash, 1/3'' sensor size, and a 2688 x 1520-pixel resolution. Sadly, however, HTC failed to include an optical stabilizer for better shots. It also has a 2.1 MP camera in the front for video chat. Still, if you’re a fan of camera phones, then you need to scratch this off your list.

Overall, the HTC One Maxx is neither an upgrade nor downgrade from its predecessor. It is only more of a bigger version of the HTC One.