Taipei, Taiwan — HTC said it will upgrade its top-end One X smartphone with a faster processor, longer battery life and more memory.
The new version, to be called the One X+, will feature Android 4.1 Jelly Bean, 4G LTE, a 1.7GHz quad-core processor, 64GB of internal storage and a 2,100 mAh battery. In contrast, the current LTE-equipped One X, available through AT&T, features Android 4.0, dual-core 1.5GHz processor, 16GB of embedded memory and a 1,800mAh battery. Both versions feature a 4.7-inch 720p display.
The HTC One X+ will be available in November outside the U.S. It will also be available in North America at a time to be announced, the company said. In the U.S., the current One X is available with AT&T activation.
With the enhancements, the OneX+ will feature a more powerful CPU than any other smartphone announced to date for U.S. sales. The phone will run 67 percent faster than the One X, HTC said. As a result, the new model will deliver quicker web browsing, fluid gaming and graphics rendering, and faster downloads, the company said. The new battery will provide up to six hours more talk time than its predecessor, whose talk time is listed as 8.5 hours on AT&T’s website.
In a related announcement, HTC said Android 4.1 will roll out beginning in October to the current One X and HTC One S.
In the One X+ model, HTC is also adding other upgrades, including a nearfield communications-based Tap and Go function that lets users make a Bluetooth connection to a Beats-brand tabletop speaker when the devices are tapped together.
A new self-portrait mode on the front camera detects a human face at various angles and applies enhancements to skin and eyes. Also new is a sightseeing mode in which one touch of the power button bypasses the lock screen and launches the camera application. Two new views in the Gallery app display images and videos grouped according to where and when they were taken.
Another new feature is HTC Get Started, a web service that guides users through phone setup and the personalization process from a desktop web browser.
Like its predecessor, the One X+ will feature an 8-megapixel rear camera with 1080p video capture and apply Beats audio technology across music sources, including YouTube, streaming music services and games, not just stored music. The two phones’ Music Hub feature lets users store music, music applications and streaming-music apps in one onscreen location.
The phones also feature HTC ImageSense, a suite of camera and imaging features that include multiple features not previously offered by HTC, including Superfast Capture, which reduces the time to take a picture to 0.7 seconds.
The 0.2-second autofocusing lets users take continuous shots by holding the shutter button. The camera suite also includes an f/2.0 lens and concurrent video/still capture to shoot video and capture a photo at the same time.
The suite also features autoburst, a feature that automatically take a burst of shots of a subject if the subject moves while the user is pressing the shutter button.
