HTC Sensation XL

usability, performance, design, screen, portability

price

70% of the reviews on Amazon.co.uk give this product a positive rating.

design, screen, performance, size

75% of the reviews on Amazon.com give this product a positive rating.

Stylish design, Slim and well built handset, Nice Android interface

Very large but lowish resolution screen, Beats headphones just aren't very good

Bright, clear screen ; Good stills camera ; HTC Sense 3.5 ; Great audio quality with Beats ; Comfortable to use despite its size

Some performance issues ; Lower-specced than its brothers ; More expensive than its brothers ; No microSD card slot ; Terrible video quality

When the HTC Sensation arrived, HTC made it clear that it considered it a high-end flagship product. It packed specs to make the Samsung Galaxy S2 look nervously over its shoulder at number one in our list of the best mobile phones, mixed with that ol'...

Beats Audio ; Sleek Design ; Strong Camera

Charging Port ; Inbuilt Speaker ; Macro Mode

It's difficult not to get excited about the screen size, HTC Sense 3.5 is more refined than ever before, videos look great, Beats Audio and urBeats headphones make for a great music experience

No microSD card slot, screen resolution should be higher, hardware specs limit the overall potential of the device

There is a lot about the HTC Sensation XL that we like. Watching videos and listening to music is an absolute joy. In fact the Android experience is a joy, be it browsing the Internet, flicking through Twitter or a chasing stars on Angry Birds. Many of...

Great camera. ; Good amount of internal storage. ; High end audio performance. ; Beats Audio urBeats headphones included.

No micro SD card slot. ; Not the highest resolution screen. ; Perhaps too big for some.

Beats Audio sound profile and quality headphones; friendly HTC Sense user interface; large screen; solid build quality.

Screen isn't particularly hi-res; average processing speed; too many apps pre-installed; styling won't appeal to everyone.

The HTC Sensation XL is a classy music phone but it struggles to stand out from the increasingly competitive Android pack, despite its huge screen. There's nothing horrible about it, but several areas have room for improvement.

The HTC Sensation XL has a giant 4.7in screen but is also is very slim 9.9mm thick. It also benefits from the HTC's strategic partnership with the Beats By Dr. Dre audio company, promising exceptional audio quality.

In the past HTC had definitive handsets like the Desire or the Hero that were strong enough to hold their own in the marketplace. Over the last year it has taken to diluting its brands: three Sensations in one year is at least one Sensation too many.