Last month, after weeks of rumors and conjectures, HTC officially announced the One max. The massive 5.9-inch phablet was expected to arrive in select markets a month later, and on cue the Taiwanese company today launched the phablet in India. The premium handset carries a price tag of Rs 56,490, which is close to the price it was listed on certain Indian e-commerce websites.
The One max is built using the same aluminum design with chamfered edges, but unlike the One, it has a removable back panel. A unique feature on the phablet is the iPhone 5s-like fingerprint scanner at the back, which can be used to unlock the device as well as launch certain apps. It is only the third device after the Motorola Atrix and Apple iPhone 5s to feature a fingerprint scanner.
Other features included are HTC’s trademark 4-megapixel UltraPixel camera with f/2.0 aperture, 28mm lens, 2-megapixel front-facing camera, BoomSound stereo speakers but without Beats Audio and a 3,300mAh battery, which the company claims is good enough for 25 hours of talktime and up to 585 hours on standby mode. In terms of storage space, the phablet has 16GB of internal storage that can be expanded using a microSD card. HTC is also offering 50GB of free Google Drive space, in addition to the default 15GB.
Connectivity options include 3G and LTE support, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0, and on the software front it runs on Android 4.3 Jelly Bean wrapped with HTC’s Sense 5.5.
Priced at Rs 56,490, it will compete against other ultra-premium phablets like Samsung’s Galaxy Note 3, which is slightly smaller in size but has received raving reviews for its performance, design and features. As you wait for the device to hit the stores.
