Since originally publishing this review, we've taken delivery of the AT&T-branded model of the One X which has three major hardware differences: LTE support, a dual-core Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 processor like the One S (the global One X has a quad-core Tegra 3), and a storage downgrade from 32GB to 16GB. Physically, the two versions appear identical — the AT&T model is technically about a fifth of a millimeter thicker, but it's completely imperceptible unless you're holding the two right next to one another. The AT&T branding is appropriately understated; it's a silver logo above the display that replaces the "HTC" logo on the global model, so the net increase in branding (so to speak) is zero.
In the hand, the AT&T model benefits from the same design elements as the original — the curves make it feel even thinner than it actually is, and the large display helps push the surface area-to-thickness ratio in the right direction. I'd expected that HTC would probably include a higher-capacity battery in this version to accommodate the LTE radio (and the thicker shell would seem to back that up), but that's not the case; both are rated at 1,800mAh.
And is battery life a concern without a higher capacity? Absolutely not. In fact, short of Motorola's outrageous Droid Razr MAXX, this is the longest-lasting smartphone I've seen in recent months. With two and a half hours of hotspot use in LTE coverage, about 40 minutes of heavy-duty benchmarking, and a 40-minute phone call, I still managed some seven hours and 14 minutes before it gave up the ghost. With less abuse — something more akin to my average usage pattern — I was able to go a full day and into the next morning before getting a low-battery warning (note, though, that this was while connected to a 3G MicroCell most of the time, so LTE was disengaged and the HSPA radio was likely in a relatively low power state). At any rate, Snapdragon S4 seems to be a battery champion, which is something we'd also observed in our One S review. Sure, there could be some software tweaking involved and the Tegra 3 model simply isn't as optimized yet, but the benefits of Nvidia's so-called "companion core" — intended to reduce drain when the phone is in an idle state - are definitely called into question.
What's funny is that HTC and AT&T have both been coy about the fact that this phone isn't using Tegra 3, probably because the term "quad-core" is considered a major marketing advantage this year. That's really unfortunate, because everything I've tested so far indicates that Snapdragon S4 is a superior processor for most users. The hardest-core gamers will probably prefer Tegra 3's advanced capabilities and exclusive titles, but S4 uses a more advanced architecture, sips power less aggressively, and offers a UI experience every bit as smooth as Nvidia's chip. I'd even suggest that it seems to run a bit cooler, which makes sense — it's built on a 28nm process, whereas Tegra 3 (in its current form) is a 40nm part.
On the software side, AT&T's One X is filled with the usual expected assortment of carrier crapware. None of it can be uninstalled, but most of it can be disabled. Unfortunately, that's not universally true (which goes against Android design chief Matias Duarte's claim at Android 4.0's launch): two examples include Internet — HTC's name for the default browser, which you'll want to replace with Chrome for Android — and something called AT&T Ready2Go, a tool for configuring your phone's email accounts and settings through a web portal on AT&T's site. Notably, stock Dropbox integration has been removed in this model (a prominent talking point at the One series' global announcement earlier this year), though you can still get the same level of functionality by downloading Dropbox's app from the Google Play store. HTC tells us these customers will still be eligible for the free 25GB upgrade promotion, too.
This phone is a battery champion
But the software buffoonery doesn't end there. In an effort to enforce Wi-Fi offloading, AT&T's "attwifi" Wi-Fi SSID can't be removed, so the phone will connect to the carrier's hotspots whenever Wi-Fi is turned on and you're in range. On a slower HSPA phone that might not be a big deal, but on the One X, it is: not only is AT&T LTE faster than its Wi-Fi hotspots (sometimes by an order of magnitude), but if you're walking around an urban area and passing by Starbucks or FedEx Office locations, your data service will keep dropping and reconnecting as you transition from cellular to Wi-Fi and back to cellular. If you're in the middle of browsing or listening to streaming radio, it's a pretty serious monkey wrench. And one final insult: AT&T has for some reason requested that the name of the carrier you're currently connected to (normally AT&T) be displayed in the status bar whenever there aren't any notifications, which is an annoying and useless design element — "AT&T" is constantly appearing and disappearing as you get emails, texts, and so on. An easy fix is to use a weather app that keeps the current temperature in the status bar, but obviously, you shouldn't need to do that.
Fortunately, the software issues aren't even close to pushing us away from a recommendation. Put simply, this is the best Android phone you can buy on AT&T right now and perhaps the best end-to-end Android phone you can currently buy on any carrier in the United States — it's lightning fast, LTE generally works like a charm, and it's one of the more attractive smartphones ever to hit the market. I'd still prefer stock Android, but the Snapdragon S4's speed minimizes Sense 4's hassles — and odds are very good we'll start seeing excellent third-party ROMs within a few weeks anyway.
Update: we've also reviewed the One X+, which provides a modest spec bump to the One X. Be sure and check out our review before you decide which AT&T phone to buy.
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