HTC One X shows HTC ditched battery life, chose thin instead
HTC reckons that you want thin smart phones rather than long-lasting batteries.
Which would you prefer: a phone so gossamer-thin it practically disappears when you slip it in your pocket, or a phone with more stamina than Charlie Sheen double-dropping viagra? HTC reckons you want thin rather than long-lasting.
The company behind the popular HTC One X, HTC One V and HTC One S reckons a slimline casing is more of a priority for phone fans than a lengthy battery life. One of HTC's chief strategy wonks said that after asking customers, the company ditched battery-boosting plans to concentrate on thinner phones instead.
There's something insanely seductive about a thin gadget -- ultrabooks and OLED TVs make our heads reel as giddy as a schoolgirl. But let's face it: how much thinner can phones get? They need to have some weight in our hands and in our pockets.
And lest we forget, the extremely thin HTC One X had a minor problem with flexing.
I reckon HTC is misjudging what customers want. Here at CNET, we've noticed a growing discontentment among our readers with phone battery life. Many of you lament that your phone barely lasts a day of solid use, and with dual-core and quad-core powerhouses hitting shop shelves, phones are only getting more energy-suckingly powerful.
More powerful phones don't necessarily mean worse battery life, as it's all about the software and hardware working together in the most efficient way. That means only using power when it's needed, and wringing the last drops of juice from a battery.
Which would you prefer: a svelte smart phone or boffo battery life -- or somewhere in between? Tell me your thoughts in the comments or on our Facebook page.