The challenge
2011 was always going to be the year of large screen phones. Today we are comparing two such phones from HTC and LG. The HTC Sensation XL does not look like the other Sensations that preceded it. It is quite a hefty chunk of smart phone with a 4.7 inch capacitive touchscreen positioned upfront and at the bottom, you get some touch sensitive buttons. Despite its gigantism though, it is wieldy and manages to pack all of its technological muscle into a 9.9 mm frame. With more and more phones plunging into the Android arena, LG is not lagging behind. The LG Optimus EX, which is all set to be released in South Korea seems pretty impressive especially with its different exterior look.It features a 4 inch touchscreen. When you first look at the phone, it reminds you of the old Japanese look of phones, though this one seems to be more classy.
Comparison attributes
Display
The HTC Sensation XL flaunts a massive 4.7 inch LCD display screen. However they have chosen to go with the pixel resolution of 400 by 800 which negates the idea of such a big screen. Watching images and viewing videos is a real treat on the XL. With a 4 inch display, the LG Optimus EX comes with a resolution of 800 by 480. The LCD of this device from LG uses the NOVA technology which is said to make the screen look brighter and on top of that reducing the battery consumption pretty amazingly. Although the screen is not as big as that of HTC, the Optimus EX has a comparable display to the XL.
Winner: HTC Sensation XL simply for its stunning display.
Operating system and UI
The HTC Sensation XL runs on the Android Gingerbread 2.3 operating system though in early 2012, enough upgrades to Ice-cream sandwich may be announced. It features a single core 1.5 GHz snapdragon processor. Like its predecessors, this one also the impresses with a terrific user interface. The Sensation XL is being branded as a music phone by many. It packs the latest beats audio enhancement for better sound experience. Plug in the headphones and you will experience the real beats. Speaking about the Optimus EX, it runs on the Gingerbread V 2.3. It has a full 1 GB of internal RAM and it features a processor of 1.2 GHz with the Tegra 2 platform. The UI looks pretty good but not comparable to the Sensation XL.
Winner: HTC Sensation XL.
Camera
There is an 8 MP camera at the back of the Sensation XL with dual LED flash light. Most controls are on the right. A 1.3 MP camera on the front ensures good video conferencing. The pinch to zoom works really well and that is partly because it is a 4.7 inch screen. The video looks pretty sharp. However, it struggles with 720p running in a browser. It also has supports features like geo-tagging and auto-focusing. The LG Optimus EX has two cameras, the back one being 5 MP and the front one being VGA for video conferencing. It also has the ability to shoot in 1080p HD. The video experience in this phone has really come as a pleasant surprise to many.
Winner: HTC Sensation XL.
Memory
The HTC Sensation packs 16 GB internal storage but does not feature a micro SD slot. It also comes with a RAM of 768 MB. As far as memory is concerned, it should not be much of a worry for the LG Optimus users. It comes with an 8 GB internal memory along with a micro SD slot that is extendable up to 32 GB. The battery for the Optimus EX is 1500 mAh.
Winner: LG Optimus EX.
Connectivity
When it comes to browsing, it can be an immersive experience on the Sensation XL especially with its massive screen and buttery touch. It also supports Wi-Fi hotspot, 3G and HSDPA. It mounts a 2.0 USB port, which is common in most of the modern day smartphones.The LG Optimus EX comes standard with the new Wi-Fi direct support for sharing of media. Also coupled with that are point to point wireless links. It supports the general features like HDMI, GPS and DLNA.
Winner: HTC Sensation XL.
Price
The HTC Sensation XL is priced at a whopping $599 whereas the LG Optimus EX will come in the market at $500.
Winner: LG Optimus EX.
The verdict
Both these phones are going to mark their presence in the market in the near future. However, if you are a lover of large screens and are willing to spend some extra money, then HTC Sensation XL is a better choice.