Let’s get one thing straight first; the new HTC One sounds like an awesome phone. Its got a 4.7 inch 1080p display, a high quality sleek design and is one of the first smartphones to include the quad-core Snapdragon 600 processor, which clocks in at 1.7 GHz. In non-tech-speak, the One is top of the line.
But what’s drawing the most attention from today’s announcement is the phone’s camera, which includes HTC’s newly created UltraPixel technology, and Zoe, a photo and video social media tool that sounds a lot like Vine.
Whenever you hear about the newest iPhone or Android, one of the big marketing points is always the number of megapixels, which is a basic number used to determine the resolution and clarity of a photo. HTC is arguing that megapixels aren’t the only thing that counts. While the One carries a 4 megapixel camera (half the megapixels that the iPhone packs), the phone does come equipped with the above-mentioned UltraPixels, which absorb 300 percent more light than a megapixel, meaning that the One is the clear favorite in low light environments.
As HTC CEO Peter Chou argues though, difference in megapixels is not the defining mark of a camera.
“The megapixel myth is the wrong way to go, so what really matters is to give you much better image quality with great innovative, exciting experience. So that’s where we’re focusing on,” Mr. Chou said to Engadget.
The other camera highlight at the HTC One’s reveal was Zoe, a photo creation and sharing app which lets users create photos using three-second videos. Sound familiar? The similarities to already released apps Vine and Echograph are just another sign that the GIF-video market is already mainstream.
What did we learn from today’s news? That at this point, smartphone cameras have progressed to the point that rebranding efforts often do more good than the actual technology. So forgive us for thinking that Zoe sounds like a wannabe Siri, and UltraPixels just sounds made up. HTC, you may want to get some new PR guys, cause these aren’t really working.
