HTC Sensation XE Unboxing

The HTC Sensation XE is the first smartphone that combines the products and technology of HTC and Beats Audio. The first obvious integration is with the design. The HTC Sensation XE is probably the best looking HTC phone out there today with the black and gray body with red accents. To take this further HTC and Beats created and installed custom sound settings that gets automatically activated when you connect Beats headphones to the phone. To make the package even more compelling, HTC bundled iBeats earphones with the smartphone. Add to that the wealth of apps you can get from the Android Market and you have a pretty solid smartphone.

HTC Sensation XE Spec Sheet

• Dual-core 1.5GHz Scorpion CPU
• 768MB RAM
• 4GB Internal Storage (Expandable via micro-SD up to 32GB)
• 4.3-inches S-LCD Capacitive Touchscreen, 540×960 pixels (~256 PPI)
• HSDPA, 14.4 Mbps; HSUPA, 5.76 Mbps
• Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n
• Camera: 8MP (3264×2448 pixels), Autofocus, Dual-LED flash
• Video: 1080, 30 FPS
• OS: Android Gingerbread 2.3.4
• Battery: Li-Ion 1730 mAh

We currently have a unit with us and we wanted to kick things off by sharing with you guys our unboxing and initial impressions. Check it out below!

Packaging

If there’s one thing that Beats Audio was able to pass on to HTC, it’s their branding expertise. Everything, from the packaging to the actual phone itself screams Beats Audio and that’s not necessarily a bad thing. I personally like how they designed the box. You have a sleeve printed with the glossy shot of the phone at the front and the product details at the back. Remove the box from the sleeve by pulling it out and you get a simple and elegant black box with the HTC logo.

To open just flip the cover of the black box upwards. You’ll immediately be greeted by the HTC Sensation XE covered in plastic as well as the iBeats earphones elegantly placed at the sides of the phone.

The iBeats earphones is a genuine product from Beats Audio. It sells for around Php6,000 locally. Note that the sound signature is heavy on the bass side. Here’s a close-up of the iBeats:

Underneath this are all the other accessories which include an iBeats pouch, iBeats silicone tips (different sizes), micro-USB cable, and the wall charger.

The Sensation XE is probably one of the best packaged products of HTC.

Initial Impressions

One thing I really loved about about this is how they integrated the Beats branding into the actual handset. They put red accents in several areas of the phone like the receiver, camera, and even the touch menu buttons at the bottom of the display! The Beats logo is also proudly displayed at the back of the unit. Here are some photos for your appreciation:

Just so you get a better feel of the phone we took this short 1-minute video during the unboxing. Please excuse the bad lighting as we’re still getting used to video unboxing. Anyway, enjoy the video!

In terms of aesthetics the HTC Sensation XE definitely lives up to the Beats brand. The specs aren’t bad as well. You get snappy response when you navigate through your home screen and when you use apps. In terms of the quality of the music you’ll definitely hear massive improvement versus the stock Apple earphones that you use with your iPhone or iPod. The most noticeable upgrade is in the bass which is the signature of the Beats line.

We’ll try to publish a full review soon. 🙂

The HTC Sensation XE is already available in the Philippines. Prices range (depending on where you get it) from Php24,000-Php27,000.