BARCELONA, Spain--When HTC announced its HTC One family of phones, it saved the HTC One V, the runt of the litter, for last. It may be less high-powered than its cohort, comprised of the HTC One X and One S, but it promises to be a good choice in its own right for the budget set.
HTC has always placed a special emphasis on design, producing handsets of all price points that look and feel premium, even if they're not too costly. The One V is certainly a child of this mindset. Smaller than the others with its 3.7-inch screen, it has a classy finish, the latest Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich operating system, and a 5-megapixel camera that can shoot 720p HD video and process multimedia on the same image chip as in the other two One phones.
In addition, it shares the blazing-fast shutter speeds of the One phones and the integration with Beats Audio, which gives audio a boost. Sense 4.0 continues to offer useful functionality, especially in some new offerings that organize music and apps you might use while driving.
When it comes to looks, the HTC One V isn't my personal favorite, but I can't say it offends me either.
I like the polished aluminum look, but that chin bump hearkens back to days of the HTC Legend design that I personally don't need to revisit. Still, it's a look that could grow on a person if they weren't drawn to it immediately.
More important to me is the functionality, and based on what I've seen so far of Sense 4.0 and Ice Cream Sandwich, the One V could compete successfully in the lower-priced category, whatever the price turns out to be.
There's no regional release date or pricing detail just yet, but HTC did say that it's coming out after the One X and One S, which are slated for a loose time frame of "within 60 days."
For a closer look, check out the photo gallery and video above. Just keep in mind that we were asked not to turn on the screen for videos and photos. Unfortunately, you'll have to take my word for it that the One V runs Ice Cream Sandwich.