The aptly named HTC Sensation fights its corner this week, in a dual with LG's smartest device to date: the Optimus 2X. But which of these hugely powerful devices will come out on top
Taiwanese firm HTC's stock has gone from strength to strength since the company outed the first Android powered device back in 2008. Since then developments have been swift and the name HTC has become synonymous with premium Android hardware.
The latest device to come from the collective genius of Taoyuan is the HTC Sensation, a smartphone which stands with the very best on the market, but how does this new device fare against LG's flagship Optimus 2X, the device which brought dual-core architecture to market first?
Display
The HTC Sensation features a 4.3-inch, Gorilla Glass fronted, Super-LCD screen capable of stunning performance. You can expect excellent responsiveness and a thoroughly immersive experience when viewing media, though S-LCD displays aren't quite up there with the best AMOLED's when it comes to depth of colour and contrast.
The LG Optimus 2X comes with a 4-inch IPS TFT display which, again, will provide you with an excellent, responsive experience but won't win any awards. Blacks are a bit diluted and colours can often appear slightly too synthetic, but overall you can expect a sharp, bright screen which is enjoyable to use.
Winner - Draw
Power
In terms of power neither of these devices is a shrinking violet. Both feature very powerful dual-core processors, making multi-tasking and labour intensive tasks a piece of cake.
LG's Optimus 2X packs an nVidia Tegra 2 chipset with the dual-core CPU clocked at 1GHz and a GeForce GPU to handle all your visual and gaming needs. Quite honestly, considering the Optimus 2X was the first to market, it's an impressive device which offers (or at least offered) unparalleled speed. We only wish LG had cranked up the RAM though, because 512MB seems a bit paltry in a beast like the Optimus 2X.
HTC has made no such mistakes with the Sensation though. The device is powered by a whopping 1.2GHz dual-core processor with Adreno 220 GPU (Qualcomm's 8260 Snapdragon chipset) and 768MB RAM, which will see any task done and dusted in a flash. Even with HTC's extra eye-candy you can expect eye-wateringly fast performance!
Winner - HTC Sensation
Camera
These two devices both feature what has become the standard among top-tier smartphones: 8-megapixel optics.
In the Sensation, HTC has squeezed in a dual-LED flash, auto-focus, geo-tagging and face-detection so you'll never be left wanting if you're a casual snapper.
Another great feature that you can look forward to in the HTC Sensation is full 1080p video capture, with stereo sound! As well as the great primary optics you also get a VGA front-facing camera for video conferencing.
The Optimus 2X packs in most of the same features as HTC's Sensation but only features a single LED flash, so you may notice your low-light shots are a little lacking at times. If it's a consolation you do get smile detection, so if the subject of your interest on cracks a grin on the odd occasion you can be ready!
1080p video capture is included in the Optimus 2X but only at 24FPS (compared to the 30FPS of the Sensation) but LG assures us that a change is in the offing which will bring the video capture capability more in-line with the current crop of competitors.
Another positive feature of the Optimus 2X is the 1.3-megapixel secondary camera, which will allow you to video-chat with your friends in pleasing quality.
Operating System
It's an all-Android slugging match this time around but there are differences to consider nonetheless.
In its rush to get the Optimus 2X to the market first, LG opted to run the device on Android 2.2 (Froyo) which is already a way behind the newest iteration of the software.
It isn't a deal-breaker (especially given that LG is currently labouring over a 2.3 update) but if you're looking for the best and the brightest you may be disinclined to settle for software that lacks all the speed and security fixes of the newest roll-out.
HTC has predictably imbued its Sensation with version 2.3 of Google's Android OS and all the improvements are very welcome. As well as all of that Gingerbread goodness you also get version 3.0 of HTC's excellent Sense UI overlay, which brings social networking to the fore and also adds other eye-candy to the mix.
We won't fully see the benefit of dual-core CPU's until the next version of Android drops though, so if you're looking for huge day-to-day performance increases you'll have to hold your horses for a little while longer.
Winner - HTC Sensation
Build
The Optimus 2X is a great achievement for LG. The device feels premium, and the inclusion of high-quality materials lends more much needed class to the proceedings. In the hand the device feels much smaller than its 123.9x63.2x10.9mm and at 139g it won't feel like you're lugging around a brick all day.
HTC's Sensation is pretty damned good too (as ever). The device is constructed out of top quality materials with the same level of attention to detail that has made HTC what it is today. The Sensation measures a not unreasonable 126.1x65.4x11.3mm and tips the scale at 148g and by and large it's a comfortable device to handle.
Winner - Draw
So not only is HTC's Sensation hot off the production line but hot in practice too. The device ably shows what a couple more months development can do for your résumé in this well fought victory over LG's Optimus 2X.
The telling factor in the real world will be pricing though and as long as LG can keep the premium of owing its pocket rocket down, it will no doubt see the device punching above its weight in competing with devices such as the Sensation and even Samsung's behemoth Galaxy S II which goes on sale next month.
Overall though, if you're looking for the best HTC smartphone around, you'll be hard pressed to beat the Sensation.
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