Take a look at a few sketches of the One before the company came up with the final direction for the smartphone.
Roger Cheng
Roger Cheng (he/him/his) was the executive editor in charge of CNET News, managing everything from daily breaking news to in-depth investigative packages. Prior to this, he was on the telecommunications beat and wrote for Dow Jones Newswires and The Wall Street Journal for nearly a decade and got his start writing and laying out pages at a local paper in Southern California. He's a devoted Trojan alum and thinks sleep is the perfect -- if unattainable -- hobby for a parent.
An early look at the front and rear design of the One. Even early on, HTC wanted to put dual front speakers on the device with a "laser micro drill."
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HTC One from all angles
The sketches include a look at the phone at various angles, as well as the rear case, which is cut completely out of aluminum.
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The One's 'Diamond Cut' edge
A look at the side profile of the device, with "diamond cut" edges that are reminiscent of the iPhone 5's own chamfered edges.
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The One's camera placement
HTC went through many iterations and ideas on where to put the camera before finally deciding to place it near the top in the center.
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The One's swooping angles
HTC went through a lot of options for the top profile of the One before deciding on a rear case that swoops up as it gets closer to the center. One option included a perfectly flat back.
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The HTC One has a soft curve
HTC looked at how its customers held its phone, and opted for the "soft curve," which it believed would be easier to use.
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The Aluminum unibody construction
HTC boasts that the One features a "zero-gap construction" process that allows the phone to appear as if it's carved out of one sheet of metal. It actually takes more than 200 minutes to cut out and process the front and rear parts of the phone.
