HTC Sensation XE review

HTC handset gets rebooted with Ice Cream Sandwich

HTC Sensation XE
The definitive HTC Sensation XE review

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HTC sensation xe ice cream sandwich review

The HTC Sensation XE comes packing a decent 8MP camera and the super bright dual LED flash on the back will help you out in low light situations.

HTC sensation xe ice cream sandwich review

The camera app is pretty much the same as it was before the Sensation XE got its Ice Cream Sandwich update, however HTC has tweaked a couple of small things.

HTC sensation xe ice cream sandwich review

The zoom bar has been moved to the left hand side of the screen and a new effects button has appeared in the top right corner. This has made way for a settings option in the main camera tray, along with flash, scenes and mode keys.

HTC sensation xe ice cream sandwich review

HTC has simplified the settings menu, making it easier to skip between the wide range of settings available within the app – everything from resolution, ISO balance and brightness to face detection, geo-tagging and auto-enhance is included.

Ice Cream Sandwich brings with it a faster shutter speed, so turn off the auto-focus on the Sensation XE and you can snap images faster than you're thumb can cope with. Even with auto-focus on, the shutter is still speedy and you can easily take snaps less than two seconds apart.

There's also a front facing VGA camera which is mainly there for video calls and face unlocking, but is handy if you need to take a quick mug shot.

The Sensation takes good quality photos and easily matches up to the likes of the iPhone 4S and Samsung Galaxy S2.

HTC Sensation XE Ice Cream Sandwich review

Natural light: The happy-chappy crab above was sitting in natural light and the flash was off

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HTC sensation xe ice cream sandwich review

Darkness: The picture of the football was taken in total darkness, using the dual LED flash

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The Sentation XE was able to auto focus on the detail on the football, even though it had little time to do so between the flash coming on and the photo being taken.

HTC offer users a whole range of effects which can be selected before taking a photo, and some can even be applied once a photo has been taken.

HTC sensation xe ice cream sandwich review

Distortion effect: It looks like Mr Crab has just eaten something very sour

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HTC sensation xe ice cream sandwich review

Dots effect: Using this effect we were able to get the funky mosaic style picture above

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HTC sensation xe ice cream sandwich review

Sepia effect: All our favourite classic camera effects are present on the Sensation XE

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HTC sensation xe ice cream sandwich review

Negative effect: Another one of the many effects, negative provides a futuristic result

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Google has included a panorama mode as part of the Ice Cream Sandwich update and this easy to use feature guides you across the landscape and then seamlessly stitches together four images. As long as you take your time and follow the on screen guidance the Sensation XE is capable of producing an impressive picture, as you can see below.

HTC sensation xe ice cream sandwich review

Wide shot: A well stiched together panorama image

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The zoom is digital, as found on most smartphones, so expect the normal pixelation of images the more you increase it. The first image below is a fully zoomed out photo and the second is a zoomed in snap of the main tree.

HTC sensation xe ice cream sandwich review

Nature-ist: A pleasant outdoor scene, fully zoomed out

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HTC sensation xe ice cream sandwich review

Close up: Fully zoomed in on an interesting looking tree

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John McCann
Global Managing Editor

John joined TechRadar over a decade ago as Staff Writer for Phones, and over the years has built up a vast knowledge of the tech industry. He's interviewed CEOs from some of the world's biggest tech firms, visited their HQs and has appeared on live TV and radio, including Sky News, BBC News, BBC World News, Al Jazeera, LBC and BBC Radio 4. Originally specializing in phones, tablets and wearables, John is now TechRadar's resident automotive expert, reviewing the latest and greatest EVs and PHEVs on the market. John also looks after the day-to-day running of the site.