HTC One SV vs Sony Xperia T

We stack HTC’s One SV ‘budget 4G’ smartphone against Sony’s Xperia T.

Form

Sony Xperia T - 129.4x67.3x9.4mm, 139g

HTC One SV - 128x66.9x9.2mm, 122g

The Xperia T is one of the more distinctive-looking smartphones Sony has produced in recent memory with its matte-finish unibody and curved back panel.

It revives the styling of the Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc and combines it with Sony’s Xperia S ‘slab’ design.

The white version shows off the design in a particularly striking fashion as you essentially have the shiny black display sitting on top of the contoured and contrasting unibody, which looks pretty good.

As is usually the case with Sony hardware, the build quality is very good with little in the way of creaking or give to the bodywork.

Likewise the materials have a richness to them which makes the device rewarding to handle. Lastly, that unique curvature also makes it a very comfortable smartphone to hold.

Oddly enough, there are some neat parallels between the Xperia T’s form factor and that of the HTC One SV.

While it’s nowhere near as pronounced the back panel does have a thinner section in the middle and is thicker at either end of the phone, making a slightly curved shape to sit in the hand, though looking at the profile it’s a much straighter handset.

It also keeps HTC’s excellent matte finish as seen on other members of the One range and likewise it also pops better visually with the white-coloured version.

Unlike the Xperia T and its One range stablemates the One SV doesn’t feature a unibody shell and the back panel is removable, however, the fit and finish remains excellent despite this.

The Xperia T has a more angular shape (aside from the curvature down its length) while the One SV has a rounded aesthetic with softly curved corners.

Having handled both phones we can say that, from our point of view, the HTC One SV made a more lasting impression.

Winner – HTC One SV

Display

The HTC One SV has a 4.3-inch Super LCD2 capacitive multitouch display with an 800x480 pixel resolution at 217 pixels-per-inch (ppi).

While it might not be the best display on the market it punches well above its weight and is one of the standout features of the handset.

A layer of resin between the glass and the LCD makes everything a bit punchier and colour and brightness are excellent.

Sony’s Xperia T display is a bit larger at 4.55-inches and sports a higher 1280x720 pixel resolution at 323 ppi. It’s an LCD fitted with Sony’s Mobile Bravia Engine which makes for richer colours, better contrast and an altogether more rewarding image than your standard LCD.

At the same time, the higher pixel density results in a much sharper image than that of the One SV.

Winner – Sony Xperia T

Storage

The Xperia T has 16GB of onboard storage along with microSD capability for cards up to 32GB. HTC’s One SV isn’t as well equipped with 8GB of internal space but fortunately it has the same card support as its opponent.

Naturally, Sony wins this one.

Winner – Sony Xperia T