Let’s just get this out of the way, the Sensation XE is a carbon copy of the old one and there’s no two ways about that. There are some cosmetic changes like the red speaker grill and the capacitive shortcut buttons which now sport a red backlight. The red motif is continued at the back as well around the camera lens and you have the big Beats Audio logo at the bottom. The phone is available in two colour trims, white and black. The white one looks a bit like a training shoe while the black looks meaner and aggressive.

The XE has packed on a few pounds due to the larger battery and now weighs 151g. All the ports are where you expect them to be, the power and 3.5mm audio jack sit on top while the volume rocker and USB port are on the sides. To insert the SIM and battery, the entire outer chassis snaps off, speaker grill and everything.

The screen also has a lacquer finish which makes the colours pop a little. HTC have gone with the same S-LCD screen with a 960 x 540 pixel resolution so it’s not ‘retina’ sharp but better than say, the S II.

Features:

To get the ultimate mobile audio experience, HTC Sensation XE is just the right mobile for you. It is a beautiful handset with a unique aluminium unibody design. The performance is something to watch out for. It is geared by a 1.5 GHz dual-core processor. Multitasking can be done and browsing is made easy and speedy with this heavy weight processor. Your applications run in no time and you can always switch between different applications.

The internet experience is made richer and possible with multi-window browsing. It has an instant capture camera that does not have to let you wait long for your camera phone to take the picture. You get the ultimate movie watching experience that is unmatched. The extraordinary sound is also unparalleled. The streaks of red add to the exquisiteness. The Sensation XE has upgraded specifications and the Beats audio is an added feature. Featuring also is a 4.3 inch touch screen with qHD resolution. With a large battery, the run time is prolonged and you do not need to recharge it on and off. The top display is absolutely fabulous. All in all it is a good investment of money and a worth buying gadget for all who like to flaunt with style.

The HTC Sensation XE runs Android Gingerbread with the HTC Sense 3.0 user interface laid on top. There is a newer version of Sense, 3.5, but at present it only runs on the Sensation XL, which is the 4.65in alternative to this phone.

We expect most of you are already familiar with Google’s Android OS at this point, but in case you’re not – it tends to be buggier and less easy-to-use than the iPhone iOS or Microsoft’s Windows Phone, but gives you loads of scope for tinkering and customisation. You can fairly easily swap-out the interfaces for core phone features like text messaging, without hacking your phone, and use third-party UIs with the mere install of an app.

HTC Sensation XE Keyboard

HTC Sense’s key features include now-iconic clock widgets, a neat homescreen dock and the ability to launch apps directly from the lock screen. Additions brought by version 3.5, not included here, include minor aesthetic tweaks, new widgets and a new dedicated Facebook chat app. We’ll miss the advanced widgets, but version 3.0 includes the most important custom basics.

Messaging

The Sensation XE offers the usual HTC on-screen QWERTY keyboard, stretched out over the 4.3-inch display to make good use of the screen real estate. This makes it very easy to type, courtesy of larger on-screen keys, and there is a landscape keyboard as well.

SMS and MMS are taken care of in a single inbox and are displayed in a conversation view. Twitter and Google Talk come pre-loaded and work well, though there is no built-in video chat client, despite the forward facing camera.

The 8-megapixel snapper that graced the original HTC Sensation is unchanged here, offering auto-focus, dual-LED flash and

HTC Sensation XE Camera Sample

1,080p video recording. There’s a front-facing camera for video calls too, but its resolution is a fairly pathetic 640