RRP: $699

Specs:
• Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich)
• 4.3 inch bright Super AMOLED qHD screen
• Stylish Gradient Metal unibody casing
• Authentic Beats Audio sound experience
• Low light camera capture – perfect for nights out
• Record video and take stills at the same time
• Listen to tracks through car speakers with the innovative Car Stereo Clip
• 25GB free Dropbox space

Verdict:
For anyone concerned the the flagship One X from HTC was a little too big, the Taiwanese smartphone company has slimmed back for its release of the One S. Sleek, slight and solid, the One S fills the void left by this year’s trend to stuff massive screens into smartphones.

That said, the 4.3-inch screen is far from small. At 4.3-inches, it’s stunning to look at and responsive to use. Despite the fact it only features a quad-core processor, the phone doesn’t feel sluggish, indicating that for the most part, the move to quad-core is unnecessary for the masses at this point.

The body is made of aluminium, and feels luxurious to hold, especially when compared to the plastic back found on other smartphones. The metal body is reenforced by the comfortable weight in the hand, that’s not too heavy and yet not too light either.

The biggest issue with the handset is that in order to slim down so much, HBTC had to make some sacrifices with the battery life. An average user will still get through the bulk of the day comfortably enough, but power users will need to keep a charger in their pocket.

The camera also doesn’t quite match the one on the One X, but still performs pretty well for a smartphone.

Overall, this is a lovely handset. It’s not a phone for the ravenous tech geek, hungry for the best specs, but its stunning design and great functionality will make it a hit in the mid range market, especially with the ladies.

8/10