Ladies. Gentlemen. The HTC Butterfly.
HTC has recently announced their latest entry into the Android smartphone arena, the Butterfly. This device separates itself from the multitude of Smartphones out there by having a huge, 1080p full-HD screen with a pixel density of 440ppi, in a device with a gorgeous 5 inch display. We were invited by HTC in a most solemn event: the Butterfly’s unboxing, and we’ve got a quick little article for you all, so you can see just how awesome this bad boy is.
Before we got the the device itself, we were given a quick run-down of what the HTC Butterfly is and why it’s so special. Apart from the startlingly beautiful screen, the Butterfly comes with a few key things HTC loves to emphasize with their devices. That gorgeous screen is kept safe behind tough Gorilla Glass 2, and is host to a huge 2GB of RAM and a powerful Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro processor with a clock speed of 1.5GHz. It also gives users a beautiful 8 Megapixel snapper with HTC’s own dedicated image chip, ad a wide-angle 2.1 Megapixel secondary camera up front. HTC’s partnership with Beats Audio means that the Butterfly comes with a dedicated internal amp to give users unparalleled sound quality. At that point of the program, we were all itching to see the device in the flesh, and HTC did not disappoint.
They had, for us, a brand new Butterfly just waiting to be liberated from its packaging. We wasted no time doing so. The box itself is a simple slide-out affair. Once you open it, that massive 5-inch screen takes up most of the space inside.
There really isn’t much room in that tray for anything else.
Here’s the first look at the phone, with all the plastic trim still on. The unboxed model was the White/Silver Butterfly, and as we all took in the new gadget smell, we had a moment to appreciate pretty the butterfly looked, even in the packaging. There’s something about tearing into the box of a new device that brings you back to being at kid by the Christmas tree.
Removed from the plastic wrapping and flipped over, you really get a very nice sense of how sleek the device is. HTC has taken design queues from their other models, and gave the Butterfly a beautifully curved back, creating the illusion of being thinner than it actually is. This shot also shows the volume rocker and speaker grille-like design on the edge of the device.
Up top, you have the headphone jack, SIM tray and power button. You also get a better sense of that gentle curve that lets it sit so comfortable in your hand.
Once everyone was satisfied with checking out the shell of the device, we powered it up and got a first look at that glorious Full-HD screen. We know there are individual pixels in that screen somewhere. We just couldn’t see them, as nobody had a microscope handy. (My favorite pen is in there for reference) The Butterfly is a pretty beefy device, but somehow, it manages not to look it.
A shot from the bottom, to show the phone’s relative thickness, again with the same pen. You also get to see the internal mic and the door that keeps the charging port sealed. The Butterfly is rated to IPX-5 standards, which means that it can quite handily take a phone call in the rain or under a shower head, if things come to that.
Here’s a shot of the main 8-MP camera on the rear of the device. Apart from taking full HD videos, the butterfly can also take snapshots while recording. It is also able to take burst photos, and slow-motion video. HTC has always made amazing cameras, and the Butterfly doesn’t seem like an exception.
Here’s that amazing main camera in action. The cam takes a fraction of a second to achieve focus, and reproduces colors very vividly. You also have a manual mode to more precisely control your shots, if you so desire.
As we were all admiring the device, another color variant was passed around. The Red/Black version was a real stunner. Everyone immediately gravitated towards the beautiful red variant. The photo doesn’t show it in all its glory, but seen live, the red on the back and sides of this version is a much deeper, richer shade. If you want attention, this is not a bad phone with which to try and get it.
The fronts of the devices aren’t very different at all, save for a white bar just above the screen of the white model.
Here’s the phone in my hand. As I mentioned earlier, it seems far smaller than it actually is, and only people with the smallest hands will have any trouble with the Butterfly.
Overall, everyone at the unveiling was very impressed with the Butterfly. Both externally and on paper, HTC’s first foray into Phablet territory seems like a solid win. We haven’t gotten enough time with the new toy to form a solid opinion on it just yet, but we’ll let you know as soon as we do. Stay tuned for a full-on Gadgets Lab! The HTC Butterfly is available now at the HTC concept Store, and will be available at their dealers starting Monday, the 4th of February 2013 for PHP32,190.