HTC 8X is not a flagship device.

[Ruined]

Okay, I'm sure I will be flamed for this, but I'm going to go ahead and say it:

The HTC 8X is not a flagship device. It may be the best Verizon has right now, but it is not a flagship piece of hardware. Microsoft and Verizon are calling it flagship hardware because they want WP8 sales to soar on Verizon since they are the biggest US carrier and this is the best they will have at launch.

Before you hit that reply button, read the reasoning:
* Only 16GB of space, and the original design allowed for 8GB even. Even if you put all your music in the cloud for a *next-gen* Windows Phone this is paltry room. I have WP7 HTC Trophy, which is only a fraction of the power, and I have filled up the 16GB with my offline GPS app and games. Games for WP8 will eventually be much bigger than the ones for WP7 due to the additional graphics power offered by WP8 hardware. So then you get into space management which no one is a fan of, and you have to deal with streaming music which doesn't work great in all areas.

* No gyroscope (engadget's review is wrong). Probably not a huge deal, but definitely a flagship differentiator.

* Only a 4.3" screen. While this is definitely *big enough,* it is no longer "flagship" big. Flagships are now 4.5-4.8" in size. Some may actually prefer a smaller screen, but this point is no less valid due to that.

* HTC themselves admit they have a better product in the pipeline, the quad core HTC Zenith. I truly believe this product is ready and was not released because Microsoft was unable to finish optimizing WP8 for quad core in time; Microsoft has said as much, that they optimized launch for dual core.

* Original model did not have wireless charging. Verizon had to add this to make the phone look more high end.

However, Microsoft wants people to buy in droves so they had HTC declare this mid/high-grade phone as a high-end 'flagship' model and give it the 'X' designation so people would buy it thinking they were getting cream of the crop. They needed to do this to ensure Verizon sales once they both learned Nokia was going exclusive AT&T with the 920 again and realized quad core would not be ready for launch!


SO, in conclusion, this is an awesome phone. But it is not a flagship phone. It is a mid to high end model which has a 4.7" flagship quad-core brother that will be released once WP8 is optimized for quad core in 2013. I don't mean to harp on the point, I just feel Microsoft/HTC has been a bit deceiving in the marketing of this device. This is not to say it is a bad device, but they are marketing it as something more than it is. It is the new gen's equivalent of last gen's midrange HTC trophy, not the flagship HTC titan.

 

[tofu.]

cool story, brah

 

[Smg-Uk]

So what your saying is a "flagship phone" needs aload of gimmicks fine go ahead and buy a Lumia 920.

16GB storage is what the best selling iPhone models have along with the new Nexus 4 google phone which I am sure will sell decently.

Gyroscope is hardly used.

Unless you have massive hands then a 4.3" screen is about as big as you can get if you want to use it one handed comfortably this whole bigger screen thing is stupid just like the megapixel race they had on cameras a while back.

Quad Core is not needed.

Wireless charging takes longer than conventional charging and its still not exactly wireless until I can walk around a certain area with my phone actually charging wirelessly then in my eyes at least its a gimmick.

 

[mlm1950]

It may not be a flagship, but it is in the top 5 of WP8 phones.

 

[independentvolume]

If it doesn't have a quad core and a 5" display it's not flagship. Period.

 

[karl11]

Why do we need quad core? 2 is plenty.

 

[independentvolume]

Why do we need quad core? 2 is plenty.

I just want moar cores. Moar!!!!!

 

[Pete C]

I guess the iPhone 5 is not a flagship device because it has a 4" screen then.

 

[jaethos]

5" screen? Eww. I have big hands, but I use my phone one handed and 5" is impossible for that.

 

[Lean4838]

The design and looks alone is more than worthy of flagship.

Super LCD, beats, dedicated amplifier, wide angle front camera, dedicated image chip. What else do you want?

 

[Mystictrust]

The 8X is HTC's best Windows Phone device out so far... therefore, it's their flagship It's the one they focus on and market the most, and until they get a better phone it will remain their flagship phone.

If you're arguing the flagship for Windows Phone (as in, out of every manufacturer), that's fine. But the flagship for HTC's own Windows Phone devices? This is it, this is the most important and best WP device they have... for now. You can't count what they have in the pipeline until it's announced, at the very least.

 

[Ruined]

The design and looks alone is more than worthy of flagship.

Super LCD, beats, dedicated amplifier, wide angle front camera, dedicated image chip. What else do you want?

What else do I want? Storage space to match the rest of the specs. Gyroscope would be nice in case apps come up that use it (I was locked out of using some apps to the fullest with WP7 due to no gyro on my HTC trophy)

But, the limited 16GB of space is by far the biggest deal killer for this phone.

I realize there are other phones that have 16GB of space. As someone mentioned the iPhone5 has 16gb... the *CHEAPEST,* *ENTRY LEVEL* version of the iphone5. There is also a 32gb and 64gb version of the iPhone5. There are not 32-64gb versions of the 8x.

16GB is fine for a casual user and fine for today's apps/games, but you are buying a phone for 2 years on most contracts, not 2 months. Games over the next year will inflate in size as they become more advanced and take advantage of WP8's power. And, if you have a healthy MP3 library or use GPS with downloaded maps, this further makes the storage space increasingly too small. I have thought about it for a while and I would GREATLY regret it if I bought a phone with only 16GB storage.

This could easily have been rectified by HTC by including a MicroSD slot or having a higher capacity model, but that did not happen because this phone was originally the midrange model, with the HTC Zenith being the higher capacity 32/64gb phone to compliment it. However, that phone could not be put out at launch, so Microsoft had to call this model the "flagship" model so that Verizon would have something they could sell at launch as a "flagship" since AT&T locked up the 920.

All the other stuff is less important, but still indicative that it is not a top-end model. An awesome phone, but a power user will likely scoff at this phone's paltry storage space with no expandability. 16GB was great 2 years ago, now not so much - 32GB is really what you would need at a minimum if you expect to keep the phone for 2 years and aren't a fan of constantly deleting stuff/managing space.

 

[TaliZorah]

First off, the 8X is on more than just VZW.

Secondly, The Lumia 920 is just a LITTLE bit better. Option for more memory, a slightly better camera in low-light, and of course Nokia apps.

Thirdly, just because you say "I'm sure I will be flamed for this" doesn't mean you shouldn't. You obviously knew it was a bad idea to post such ignorance here yet you went on with it anyways. That doesn't make it any better.

You should get flamed.

 

[Hypetrak]

Why is it so hard to accept that the 920 is better than the 8x? It doesn't matter if it is just a little better - it is better.

 

[TaliZorah]

Why is it so hard to accept that the 920 is better than the 8x? It doesn't matter if it is just a little better - it is better.

It doesn't make it "flagship" and the 8x "not flagship"

I don't think anybody would argue that it is in fact a little better. But it doesnt draw the line for flagship device lol.

 

[Ruined]

First off, the 8X is on more than just VZW.

But on Verizon, the US' largest carrier, the 8X is the best they have at launch - which is why Microsoft/Verizon/HTC need to insist that the customer isn't paying $199 for a midrange phone and try to get people to buy the phone by overhyping its hardware capabilities; heck Verizon even had to get HTC to add wireless charging on it to make it more attractive, that is not part of HTC's original spec of this phone. If the 920 was on Verizon there may not have been the need for this, as then Verizon would have a true flagship device.

Secondly, The Lumia 920 is just a LITTLE bit better. Option for more memory, a slightly better camera in low-light, and of course Nokia apps.

Double the storage space is not "little." Nor is the combination of a larger screen, slightly better camera and gyroscope. It adds up to a higher end device - a real flagship. I'm not even factoring in the Nokia apps, those are just a bonus. But if all of these things make little difference, by your rationale all Win8 smartphones are flagship phones, eh?

Thirdly, just because you say "I'm sure I will be flamed for this" doesn't mean you shouldn't. You obviously knew it was a bad idea to post such ignorance here yet you went on with it anyways. That doesn't make it any better.

You should get flamed.

No, I just knew that obviously some in this forum would get defensive over a post like this especially since the item just went on pre-order. You can flame away, it doesn't make my points any less valid - the phone is not a flagship phone. HTC should have put 32GB in it or a MicroSD slot and a gyro sensor if they wanted to call it this.

 

[TaliZorah]

Ignorance abundant lol.

 

[Ruined]

Ignorance abundant lol.

What a stunning retort.

 

[Dr_8820]

..but...but....it has an exclusive charging plate...
/s

 

[Lean4838]

Well, I got to admit, I commented out of my emotion there because I just want the 8X!

Thinking on your points, admittedly, there are a lot of things the 8X is missing. For me, the most important thing is the gyroscope.

So there, kudos to you for standing on your opinion. Although I disagree with you calling it a "mid-high end" device. The 820 can be considered a mid-end device, but calling the 8X a mid-end device with its specs is a little out of order I am thinking.

Also, I read somewhere (but forgot the source) that Microsoft approach every OEM out there and asked if they want to name their device as the "Flagship" of the Windows Phone. Only HTC accepted, hence the name Windows Phone 8X. Nokia didn't want to because they wanted to promote the "Lumia" line of products. And so, that is how the 8X became the signature phone of WP8!