HTC One S review: A slim micro-arc-oxidation ceramic-finish flagship from the original One trio.
The slim sibling of the One X.
HTC One S was the slim, light member of the original 2012 One trio — distinguished by a striking micro-arc-oxidation ceramic finish and a fast Snapdragon S4. Overshadowed by the One X, it was nonetheless a beautifully built compact flagship.
01Display
64/10064/100 — right at the average for flagship phones of 2012.
02Camera
56/10056/100 trails the 58-point cohort average for flagship phones of 2012.
03Performance
56/10056/100 puts it above the 53-point average for flagship phones of 2012.
04Battery
54/10054/100 trails the 60-point cohort average for flagship phones of 2012.
05Build
72/100At 72/100 this is one of the strongest build showings among flagship phones of 2012 — 11 points above the cohort average.
06Value
58/100At 58/100 this is one of the strongest value showings among flagship phones of 2012 — 10 points above the cohort average.
- Striking ceramic micro-arc-oxidation finish.
- Just 7.8 mm thin, 120 g light.
- Fast Snapdragon S4 dual-core.
- ImageSense camera.
- qHD on AMOLED (PenTile).
- No microSD or removable battery.
- Small 1,650 mAh cell.
- Overshadowed by the One X.
How this review is built: every section score, spec row and comparison on this page comes from SpecEagle's tracked catalogue — scores weight measured specs against the 82-phone cohort of flagship devices released around the same time. We don't publish invented lab anecdotes. Spot an error? .