HTC One X + vs BlackBerry Z10

The HTC One X+ is the high-end model in the company’s current Android range and features a distinctive polycarbonate bodyshell, a sizeable 4.7-inch display and an Nvidia quad-core processor.

The BlackBerry Z10 is the first handset running the new BlackBerry 10 operating system and it’s a complete turnaround for BlackBerry, the company formerly known as RIM. It’s a touch-only handset with a 4.2-inch display and a Qualcomm processor.

HTC One X+: Key specs and what’s hot

HTC's One range all feature above average design and build quality. The shapes are very pleasing to the eye and the high-quality matte finish polycarbonate makes the One X + feel comfortable and solid in the hand.

In our view, the One X+ looks best in white because the display panel and the black surround really pops out of the surrounding bodywork nicely.

Power from the Nvidia Tegra 3 AP37 quad-core 1.7GHz processor is excellent and things are well-optimised with the Android Jelly Bean platform and HTC's Sense interface. It’ll handle any game or app you can get hold of and multitasking is a breeze.

The only downside is that the back panel tends to get a little hot during intensive usage.

Another strong point for the One X+ is its storage options. It ships with 64GB of internal storage, although no SDcard-support.

The HTC One X + has an 8-megapixel back-illuminated sensor (BSI) with an f/2.0 aperture to let in plenty of light. It features an LED flash, multi-shot mode and simultaneous 1080p video and still image capture.

The One X+ has a 4.7-inch Super LCD2 touchscreen with a 1280x720 pixel resolution at 312 pixels-per-inch (ppi). It’s sharp, bright and colourful with decent contrast and it’s generally very enjoyable to use for viewing multimedia.

BlackBerry Z10: Key specs and what’s hot

The BlackBerry Z10’s build is pretty good with no squeaking or flex. It’s made of plastic, but has a solid feel and a mixture of matte texture and rubberised coating creates gives it a rather industrial look and feel. It also feels lightweight and balanced without becoming flimsy.

The display is a bit smaller than its rival at 4.2-inches but as a result the resolution and pixel density are both higher at 1280x768 pixels and 355ppi respectively. Colour depth and contrast are also good and visuals look suitably punchy.

While onboard storage is much lower than its opponent at only 16GB, the BlackBerry Z10 does have microSD support for cards up to 64GB, which may be an advantage if you prefer expandable storage (and lots of it).

The processor is a dual-core Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 clocked at 1.5GHz with 2GB of RAM. It performs very well and is properly optimised to the BlackBerry 10 software, so you can expect smooth screen transitions, good multitasking and decent running speeds for apps, games and multimedia.

Direct spec comparison: Shootout