05 November, 2011

HTC Sensation XE Philippines Price, Specs, Release Date, Photos



Posted: 05 Nov 2011 05:49 AM PDT
As it is, HTC Sensation is already an amazing handset. I own one and I can honestly say that it's one of the best smartphones ever created by HTC -- if not by the whole of humanity (no drama there, believe me).


If HTC Sensation is already outstanding, then what can be said about HTC Sensation Extreme Edition aka HTC Sensation XE?


HTC Sensation XE brings the Taiwanese company's current flagship handset to a whole new level with an improved dual-core processor and a bigger battery, delivering enhanced performance and longer uptime on top of the key specifications and features of the original Sensation, which include Full HD 1080p recording, 8 MegaPixel autofocus camera with dual LED flash, and HTC Sense experience among others. But really, what makes this super-charged Android Gingerbread handset really special is its music playback capabilities.


HTC Sensation XE is practically the first product of HTC's recent investment into Beats by Dr. Dre, a company which makes some of the best earphones in the world today. As such, HTC Sensation XE is the first handset to come with Beats Audio experience - a combination of software and hardware audio enhancements that allow users to hear music the way the artist intended! When paired with the exclusive Beats by Dr. Dre in-ear headphones, the handset automatically switches to Beats by Dr. Dre sound profile, delivering audio tracks tuned specifically for the award-winning headphones.

Coming Soon To the Philippines!

I've just received word from TP's very reliable source and industry insider that HTC Sensation XE is already set to be launched in the Philippines on November 11, 2011 -- that's next week! According to our valued source, HTC Sensation XE will come as a free bundled handset with Smart Unlimited Data Plan 2000 and will don a premium price tag of Php 32,000 with Prepaid Kit.

While we're awaiting further updates, check out HTC Sensation XE's complete technical specs:

TechPinas Smartphone Technical Specs Table (TSTST)
Name HTC Sensation XE
Type Slate Form Factor (Full Touchscreen)
Price Category High-End
Dimensions126.1 x 65.4 x 11.3 mm
Weight 151 grams
Available Colors Black with Red Accents
Operating System Android 2.3.4 Gingerbread
Display 4.3 inches (~256 ppi pixel density), 540 x 960 pixels, S-LCD capacitive touchscreen, 16M colors
Processor 1.5 GHz dual-core processor, Adreno 220 GPU, Qualcomm MSM 8260 Snapdragon
Camera 8 MegaPixels, 3264x2448 pixels, autofocus, dual-LED flash, check quality
Video Capture Full HD 1080p 30 frames per second
Audio and Video Playback MP3/AAC+/WAV/WMA player
- XviD/MP4/H.263/H.264/WMV player
Ports microUSB 2.0, 3.5 mm audio jack
Connectivity Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, DLNA, Wi-Fi hotspot, Bluetooth v3.0 with A2DP, 3G HSDPA, 14.4 Mbps; HSUPA, 5.76 Mbps
Network 2G Network GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900, 3G Network HSDPA 900 / 2100 HSDPA 900 / 1700 / 2100
Memory 4 GB (1 GB user available), 768 MB RAM, expandable via microSD, supports up to 32GB, ships with 8GB card in most territories
Sensors Accelerometer, Digital Compass, Proximity
Battery 1730 mAh
Uptime Standby of up to 540 hours on 2G Standby of up to 310 hours on 3G Talk time of up to 9 hours 16 minutes on 2G Talk time of up to 7 hours 20 minutes on 3G
Value-Added Features Beats Audio, Beats by Dr. Dre Headphones, HTC Sense 3.0, SNS Integration, Google Services Suite
Announcement November 2011 in the Philippines
Availability November 2011
Price Php 32,000 without contract

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Posted: 05 Nov 2011 01:54 AM PDT
Since TechPinas now has both Samsung Galaxy Mini and Samsung Galaxy Y in our hideout, I figured I'd pit them against each other in a design and specs comparison battle just to show which one offers more bang for the buck!

(This makes sense, I think. Afterall, Galaxy Mini and Galaxy Y could very well be the best-selling Samsung phones in the Philippines right now, apart from Samsung Corby 2 -- or at least that's what sales ladies in cellphone shops would usually tell me when I do my rounds in malls.)


Let's start with the design:

Samsung Galaxy Mini and Samsung Galaxy Y, respectively.



Design-wise, Samsung Galaxy Mini can be described as a 'Samsung Corby 2 doppelganger' while Samsung Galaxy Y looks like a shrunk Samsung Galaxy Ace with a metallic back panel. Now, I don't know about you but I think Galaxy Y pretty much slays Galaxy Mini in this department. Galaxy Mini looks and feels if a bit more plasticky while Galaxy Y's metallic accents and overall refined design give it a more sophisticated look and durable feel.

Now, on to the specs (No other way to do it than via TechPinas traditional specs comparison table. Here in TP, we stick to facts.):

TP Specs Comparison Table: Samsung Galaxy Mini vs. Samsung Galaxy Y
Detail/Feature Samsung Galaxy Mini Samsung Galaxy Y

Availability and Price in Philippines

Now out in the Philippines
Price upon release - Php 10,000
Current Price in Malls - Php 6,850

Now out in the Philippines
Current Price in Malls - Php 5,990

Dimensions/
Weight

110.4 x 60.8 x 12.1 mm
105 g

104 x 58 x 11.5 mm
97.5 grams

Screen/
Features

3.14 inches (~127 ppi pixel density)
240 x 320 pixels,
TFT capacitive touchscreen, 256K colors
- Accelerometer sensor for UI auto-rotate
- Proximity sensor for auto turn-off
- Multi-touch input method
- Touch-Sensitive Controls
- TouchWiz User Interface

3 inches (~133 ppi pixel density)
240 x 320 pixels,
TFT, capacitive touchscreen, 256K colors
- Accelerometer sensor for UI auto-rotate
- Proximity sensor for auto turn-off
- Multi-touch input method
- Touch-Sensitive Controls
- TouchWiz User Interface
Operating System Upon Release
Android OS, v2.2 (Froyo)

Android OS, v2.3 (Gingerbread)

CPU

600 MHz processor

832 MHz processor
Internal storage
160 MB, expandable via microSD, supports up to 32GB, ships with 2GB SDcard

160 MB, expandable via microSD, supports up to 32GB, ships with 2GB SDcard

Wifi

Yes, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, DLNA, Wi-Fi hotspot

Yes, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, DLNA, Wi-Fi hotspot

3G

Yes, HSDPA, 7.2 Mbps

Yes, HSDPA, 7.2 Mbps

MicroSD

Yes, Supports up to 32GB

Yes, Supports up to 32GB

Camera

3.15 MegaPixels, 2048x1536 pixels, no flash
Video capture: Yes, QVGA 15 frames per second
Secondary camera: No

2 MegaPixels, 1600x1200 pixels, no flash
Video capture: QVGA 15 frames per second
Secondary camera: No

Accelerometer

Yes

Yes

Digital Compass

Yes

No

EDGE

Yes

Yes

GPRS

Yes

Yes

Bluetooth

Yes, v2.1 with A2DP

Yes, v3.0 with A2DP

Built-in MicroUSB Port

Yes, v2.0

Yes, v2.0

Audio Jack

Yes, 3.5mm

Yes, 3.5mm

HDMI Port

No

No

Stereo FM Radio

Yes

Yes

Games and Apps

Yes, via Android Market

Yes, via Android Market

Java

Yes, via Java MIDP emulator

Yes, via Java MIDP emulator

Default Browser - Flash support

No (possible via SkyFire Browser)

No (possible via SkyFire Browser)

Battery Type

Li-Ion 1200 mAh

Li-Ion 1200 mAh

Specs-wise, Samsung Galaxy Mini has a slightly bigger screen and a higher resolution camera compared to Galaxy Y. Nonetheless, Samsung Galaxy Y has faster processor, a more updated operating system, and a screen with higher pixel density. Other specifications are largely the same.

Price-wise, as of writing, Samsung Galaxy Mini is more expensive than Samsung Galaxy Y by around a thousand bucks. In malls, Samsung Galaxy Y Smart Netphone Edition sells for Php 5,990 while you can get Samsung Galaxy Mini for Php 6,850.

So which phone do I prefer? Well, I actually think both phones are good enough for entry-level users. I'd imagine students will have a hard time choosing between these two. But 'pound-for-pound' (that is, all features considered), I think Samsung Galaxy Y is just a tad better.