HTC One SV review

Helping Optus grow its 4G network

HTC One SV
Bringing Optus 4G to the masses

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Stuffed inside the One SV is a removable 1800mAh battery. That's the same capacity as found in both the One X and One XL, and as anyone who read our reviews of those handsets will realise, this means that the One SV has some battery life issues.

Of course, this is nothing new for any LTE-enabled phone. Manufacturers are yet to perfect the combination of LTE handset battery life, and while we wait, we're left needing a Micro-USB charging cable strapped to our hip like a lasso on a cowboy.

HTC One SV review

On a slow day, we managed to stretch almost 18 hours from the battery, doing nothing more than the occasional email check and Facebook update.

But on a typical day's usage, the battery was gone by about 5pm. That consisted of regular email, some web browsing, social media, camera usage and a little bit of Fruit Ninja.

What's more, that was outside the LTE network. Connect the phone to 4G, and we were struggling for juice by 3pm.

It's quite the conundrum, really. 4G is super fast and super convenient for browsing, but it's the bane of battery life. You can toggle LTE on and off, but that's far from the most convenient way to do things.

Connectivity

Outside of LTE, the One SV has all the standard connections you would expect from a mid-range handset. Wireless-N Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0 and NFC are all inside, alongside GPS and GLONASS satellite connectivity and a digital compass.

HTC One SV review

A 3.5mm headphone jack and MicroUSB are the only obvious connections on the outside of the device, with a MicroSD card slot on the inside above the battery.

The inclusion of features like Bluetooth 4.0 and NFC hold the phone in good stead for the next two years. Although there are few services currently available to take advantage of them right now, both NFC and Bluetooth 4.0 are expected to take off in a big way over the next few years.

Optus itself has entered an arrangement with Visa to begin offering contactless payments using NFC from this year, so having the feature on board is a welcome addition, even if it won't be used much for a few months.

Having spent the past decade editing some of Australia's leading technology publications, Nick's passion for the latest gadgetry is matched only by his love of watching Australia beat England in the rugby.