HTC Sensation XL hands on review

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HTC, hot on the heels of the mighty Titan and Sensation XE has unveiled its flagship handset – and it’s like a cross between the two, a Titan running Android Gingerbread 2.3.4 with Beats Audio, meet the Sensation XL. In the efficiently German naming convention, the XL (formerly code-named Runnymede) means extra large – as you can see from this shot of the 4.7in, 9.9mm slim white beauty, that’s very relevant indeed.

Compared to the Sensation, HTC’s Sensation XL gives you a lot more space – ideal for browsing, as you can see from the number of stories on the lovely-looking website displayed here (ahem). But it doesn’t just mean less scrolling – you’ll also get an improved 1.5GHz processor with 768MB RAM, which means faultless speed (although we worry about the untested battery life, especially as the Sensation XL’s engine is single-core).

The Sensation XL is also pretty supersized in the memory department with 16GB of on-board SSD storage, but sadly no option for expansion.

It also means, like the Sensation XE, you’re getting Beats Audio built in for superior equalised sound, and a nice free pair of urBeats headphones worth £100. There’ll even be a special edition version of HTC’s Sensation XL that includes the over-ear Solo Beats cans, which’ll also keep your ears warm this winter.

The Sense 3.5 skin is fast becoming the norm for HTC handsets, offering quick access to your system settings, notifications, and music player. This version also lets you access devices that you’re wirelessly streaming your music to over Wi-Fi or Bluetooth.

The already impressive camera from the Sensation has been upgraded to an 8MP f/2.2 28mm wide-angle beauty, enhanced for low-light shots. And if you’re into effects there’s a quick access button on the top left, while settings are brought up on screen for camera trickery such as slow motion video and panoramic photos.

If you’re a fan of large screens but don’t want to go down the Windows Phone Mango Titan path, the Sensation XL is the one for you. Get it from late November with pricing dependent on tariffs.

About

Dan is Editor-in-chief of Stuff, working across the magazine and the Stuff.tv website. Our Editor-in-Chief is a regular at tech shows such as CES in Las Vegas, IFA in Berlin and Mobile World Congress in Barcelona as well as at other launches and events. He has been a CES Innovation Awards judge. Dan is completely platform agnostic and very at home using and writing about Windows, macOS, Android and iOS/iPadOS plus lots and lots of gadgets including audio and smart home gear, laptops and smartphones. He's also been interviewed and quoted in a wide variety of places including The Sun, BBC World Service, BBC News Online, BBC Radio 5Live, BBC Radio 4, Sky News Radio and BBC Local Radio.