Our friends over at Verizon have sent us the Windows Phone 8X By HTC for us to review. This is another Windows Phone 8 device that Verizon offers, and is usually known as the higher end device. Verizon currently offers the Windows Phone 8X, Lumia 922 from Nokia, and the ATIV Odyssey. The Windows Phone 8X is at the higher end of the price range as well, but it features 1.5GHz Dual-Core processor, 8 megapixel back camera, a 4.3-inch display, and much more! Now, let s dive into the full review of the Verizon Wireless Windows Phone 8X By HTC!

In The Box

NJTechReviews unboxed the Verizon Wireless Windows Phone 8X By HTC and you can check it out the video below!

Design

HTC is known for having some great designs for their smartphones and the Windows Phone 8X is no exception. It is available in either Blue or Black from Verizon. I am reviewing the Blue variant of the device and it is gorgeous. The device has a smooth plastic back, but it feels like something much more expensive. It doesn’t show fingerprints either, which is always a plus. The blue color moves from the back to the earpiece on the front as well. The siding does overlap to the front of the device as well, so there is a pop of color on the device. It is thin at just 10.12mm and weighs just 130 grams! Above the display you get the earpiece, a notification light, and a 2.1 megapixel camera. The notification light is built-in to the earpiece as well. Below the screen you have 3(three) touch buttons that are back light. Those buttons being the back, Windows(home), and the search buttons. Your volume rocker and camera shutter button are on the right hand side. Your headphone jack, microphones, and power button are on the top of the device. The bottom of the device is home to another microphone and a micro USB port. On the back you will find the HTC logo, Beats logo, Verizon logo, 4G LTE logo, a speaker, and a 8 megapixel back camera with LED flash. The 8X feels very nice in your hand and is quite stylish as well.

Software

The Windows Phone 8X By HTC is running the latest and greatest operating system from Microsoft. As you may have guessed that is Windows Phone 8! This new version of the operating system brings a boatload of new features like Kids Corner, resizing the live tiles, wallet, and much more! Kids Corner is perfect if you are sharing your phone with a child, you can choose which apps they have access too and what they can do with the phone. You access kids corner by swiping to the right when you are presented with the regular unlock screen. Once you are on the kids corner screen simply swipe up and you child will have a fully customized experience. You can set their name, a photo, which games they can play, which music they can listen to, and much more! The live tiles that make up your home screen can now be resized, you make them small, medium, or have them take up an entire row. It provides a lot for customization for the user and is a very welcomed edition. The reason most people will tell you to go with a Nokia Windows Phone would be for the great applications that you get like Nokia Music or Nokia Drive. So, these will not be found on the Windows Phone 8X. If you are looking for them you can find them on Nokia Lumia 822 For Verizon(Click Here For Our Review). However, HTC has something similar to that of HTC Hub on Android. In this application you can see the weather, stocks, and news. You can customize these for what stocks, what locations, and what news you want. Then in the Windows Phone Store there is a HTC section and these are applications made by HTC for Windows Phone 8. You can get a flashlight, photo enhancer, a converter, and a few others. While these don’t give you the same great experiences found on the Nokia Windows Phone device, not everyone may want those applications. In terms of other pre-loaded applications that come on the 8X, you will get Data Sense, My Verizon Mobile, NFL Mobile, Photo Enhancer, VZ Navigator, and some others. Data Sense is a great application that is currently exclusive to Windows Phone 8 devices on Verizon Wireless. It will let you track the data that you use every month and you can set limits. You can see usage for both cellular and WiFi, this application will definitely come in handy. On an even more in-depth level you can see which apps are using data and how much data they are using. It will even map out nearby WiFi locations for you and the limits will help you to not go over your monthly data plan. The 1.5GHz Dual-Core Processor with 1GB of RAM keep the device moving and I did not experience any lag on the device during my testing. In terms of internal storage you will get 16GB of internal storage, which you are limited to. Those of you who are looking for expandable storage may want to look at the Nokia Lumia 822 for Verizon as it does have a micro SD card slot. An issue with the Windows Phone 8 Ecosystem as a whole would be the lack of applications in the Windows Phone Store. As of know it has around 125,000 applications in the store, but this is small on comparison with other operating systems. Those of you who use applications a lot may be disappointed with the current offerings. However, Microsoft is working with developers to get new and great applications in the store. While it may take some time, rest assured they will eventually be here. I am happy with software experience on the Verizon Windows Phone 8X.

Hardware

We have already explored the design and software of the Windows Phone 8X By HTC, now let’s dive into it’s hardware. As I mentioned before it has a quick 1.5GHz Dual-Core processor with 1GB of RAM. For even more speed you get Verizon’s insanely fast 4G LTE network. Once again you get 16GB of internal storage which you are limited too. To give you better sound and to deliver it the way the artist intended you get Beats Audio. They even put in exclusive amplifiers on the speakers in the device. You get a 1,800mAh embedded and rechargeable Li-ion Polymer battery that will last a full day of use. For those of you who like to use Near Field Communications(NFC), you will not be disappointed. The 8X does have a built-in Near Field Communications(NFC) chip. HTC has done some amazing things with cameras in the past, just yesterday they declared that megapixels don’t matter with launch of the HTC One. However for the 8X it gets a great 8 megapixel camera with LED flash. It has a dedicated HTC ImageChip and a BSI Sensor. The 8 megapixel lens has an aperture of f/2.0 and a 28mm lens. The images are great on the HTC 8X and it records video in 1080pHD. On the front of the device you get a 2.1 megapixel camera that has a ultra-wide-angle lens. This will let you take selfies with all of your friends all at once. The cameras a very good and photos look very vibrant and colorful. Having a dedicated camera shutter button is always a plus. The Windows Phone 8X has a 4.3-inch super LCD 2 display with Gorilla Glass and it has a resolution of 1280 X 720. This display is very nice and is full 720pHD, images look very vibrant and colorful. The hardware on the Windows Phone 8X by HTC is great.

Bottom Line

The Windows Phone 8X By HTC for Verizon is a great smartphone. It features a great design, that is very thin and lightweight. The software experience of Windows Phone 8 is great on the 8x, the HTC app is a nice way to view simple information, there are not that many applications pre-loaded, but you are limited to 16GB of space. I will admit that I missed those great applications that are found on Nokia Windows Phones, but I think most users will be okay with out them. Hopefully the amount of applications in the Windows Phone Store will keep growing by the day. You get a great 8 megapixel camera on the back and a great 2.1 megapixel camera on the front. You get a great 4-inch full 720pHD display! And lastly you get access to Verizon’s 4G LTE network! Those of you are who looking for a more portable Windows Phone device that does have some higher specifications, should definitely look at the Windows Phone 8X By HTC! The Windows Phone 8X By HTC will cost $99.99 with a 2-year contract or $549.99 with no contract. For More Information On The Verizon Wireless Windows Phone 8X By HTC, Please Click Here. We would like to thank Verizon Wireless for providing us with a copy of the “Verizon Wireless Windows Phone 8X By HTC”.