With 8X and 8S, HTC steals Nokia's thunder
If you're a tech news junkie, it's probably hard to hear or see anything but the words iPhone 5聽right now, but believe it or not, other smartphones do exist, and a few are even being demoed and released in the run-up to the iPhone 5 launch. Cases in point are Windows Phone 8X and Windows Phone 8S, a pair of handsets manufactured by HTC and powered by Microsoft's Windows Phone 8.听
Both the 8X and 8S were unveiled today by Microsoft and HTC brass. Expect a November launch date, and a wide range of carrier options, including Verizon, AT&T, and T-Mobile. Of the two phones, the 8X is the higher-end of the pair, with a 4.3-inch HD display and a 1.5-GHz, dual-core Snapdragon chip.听
The 8S, on the other hand, is a little smaller in shape and display 鈥� it gets a 4-inch display instead of a 4.3-inch display 鈥� and a聽1-GHz, dual-core Qualcomm S4 chip. So how do the devices handle? Well, over at PC Mag, Alex Colon and Sascha Segan took the 8X and 8S for a quick spin, and they like what they saw 鈥� especially the sharp and vibrant looks of the phones.听
"The HTC Windows Phone 8X is made of polycarbonate and comes in blue, red, or yellow," they . "If you dig the more traditional smartphone look it comes in black too, but these bright colors are really where it's at." The 8S, they continue, cuts a few corners to save cost,聽but turns in a "solid" performance 鈥� "just as responsive as the 8X" in early tests.
Where all this leaves Nokia is a little unclear. After all, Nokia and Microsoft partnered to much fanfare last year 鈥� but now HTC seems to be stealing a little bit of Nokia's thunder. As Brian Bennett of CNET , the 8S and 8X look very, very much like the Nokia Lumia line.听
"When HTC representatives first uncovered its new products, literally removing a cloth that covered them for dramatic effect, I briefly thought I was in the wrong meeting," Bennett writes. "That's because the HTC Windows Phone 8X could easily be a doppelganger for Nokia's Lumia handsets, either the聽Lumia 900聽or upcoming聽Lumia 920. Honestly, if I squinted my eyes I could almost make out Nokia's logo above the device's 4.3-inch screen instead of HTC's."
All of which has made Nokia a little cantankerous. In a statement to the Verge, Nokia marketing chief聽Chris Weber attempted to frame the Lumia line as the true Windows Phone 8 device.听
"While others may choose to tactically re-brand their products, Nokia is driving an industry-leading smartphone franchise 鈥� that we call Lumia -- exclusively around Windows Phone," Weber wrote. "With Lumia, we are creating truly differentiated experiences like PureView imaging, location and navigation, wireless charging and Nokia Music. And we鈥檙e just getting started!"
