Why you can trust TechRadar We spend hours testing every product or service we review, so you can be sure you’re buying the best. Find out more about how we test.
We've been so excited about the power of the HTC Sensation ever since we heard rumblings that the company was making a dual-core handset - and we've not been let down.
What's annoying though is we weren't blown away, and that's mostly because there was nothing wrong with the speed of Sense before on the likes of the Desire HD or the first Desire.
Sure, we get new fancy animations and 3D graphics, but it's not the step change that we saw from the Galaxy S to the Galaxy S2, which is a compliment in a way to HTC.
We liked
This section of our HTC reviews is always well-stocked, and that's the case again here - we really like the HTC Sensation and it ticks all our boxes for the most part.
Be it the constantly impressive contact integration, the ability to download movies and books (although we need a wider selection for the former) and the sheer level of customisation means that the Sensation is a great phone for the general user.
The internet browsing speed is impressive over Wi-Fi, and the qHD screen is really impressive for video in the correct conditions.
The design is nice and stylish too, plus the power of the camera is clear to see for anyone that likes to dabble in a spot of Full HD video and share it on a larger screen.
We disliked
The big worry for the HTC Sensation is whether the battery life can hold up, and right now we don't think it can based on our review sample running out of juice by the evening without fail.
The screen quality is good, but not market-leading; if you're comparing it to something like the Samsung Galaxy S2's Super AMOLED Plus offering you'll notice a massive difference in quality at times.
The back cover to hot-swap the microSD card is very hard to get off, and the Sensation as a package is pretty chunky compared to the competition.
Verdict
Whether it's just that we're getting spoilt by the quality of the HTC range or that the brand simply can't innovate at the electric pace it managed when it made Android smartphones good enough for the masses, the HTC Sensation doesn't get our pulses racing like other models in its range have.
HTC Watch needs to a larger range of movies and TV shows before we can even begin to assess whether it's going to take off or not - and the price seems a little high at this early stage.
We love the Sense UI still, and the 'Unlock Ring' is a cool addition to the party - we still want the notifications to be more interactive, but overall it's still a neat idea.
The design of the phone is different and, in our eyes, pretty premium with the metallic feel and steel grill - the weight feels solid in the hand and the screen size is impressive and sharp.
It's still not one of HTC's best, but one we'd definitely recommend over a number of other phones in the marketplace and if you're an HTC fan or just looking to get one of the cutting-edge dual core devices, we suggest you seriously think about the HTC Sensation.
Thanks to Vodafone, which is initially exclusively stocking the HTC Sensation, for supplying our review unit.
