The comparison between HTC Sensation, Sensation XE and Sensation XL Both phones running Android OS on the different processors, accessories, colour schemes and all sorts of other bits and bobs to choose from, this makes difficult to decide which to go for. Here is some help with decision between the HTC Sensation XL vs HTC Sensation XE vs HTC Sensation.
Form Factor
- 1st: Sensation XL :132.5 x 70.7 x 9.9 mm, 163g
- 2nd: Sensation XE: 126.1 x 65.4 x 11.3mm, 151g
- 3rd: Sensation: 126.1 x 63.2 x 11.3mm, 148g
Both phones look and feel good when you’ve got them in your hand. Each of these sensational series is machined from a solid block of aluminium making them reassuringly heavy and just a bit lush.
The HTC Sensation and Sensation XE are almost identical in measuments and weight, although you get the red Beats branding on the black back of the XE plus a ring of the same colour around the camera lens. So between the two it depending of person's taste really but we prefer the limited edition look of the XE.
On the other hand, the one that beats (pun, partially intended) them both is the HTC Sensation XL. Sensation XL is significantly thinner than the other two, although is slighty heavier than the two.
Display
- 1st: Sensation :4.3-inch, 960x540, Super LCD, 256ppi
- 1st: Sensation XE: 4.3-inch, 960x540, Super LCD, 256ppi
- 3rd: Sensation XL:4.7-inch, 800x480px, LCD, 199ppi
HTC Sensation XL comes with a big screen which is very impressive. 0.4 inches on the diagonal might not seem much on paper but there’s quite a staggering difference. The XL have super-large display in a way which the other two just don’t and the lower resolution and pixel density don’t really come across. XE and Sensation get the benefit of HTC’s Super LCD power, but the XL doesn’t and, as a result, this comes down to what you’d prefer - a bigger hit or a more colourful one.Therefore we have give the two a tie.
Engine Room
- 1st: Sensation XE : 1.5GHz Snapdragon MSM8260-Dual Core
- 2nd: Sensation : 1.2GHz Snapdragon MSM8260- Dual Core
- 3rd: Sensation XL: 1.5GHz Snapdragon MSM8255- Single Core
Now, it’s arguable at the moment as to how much the Android software can really use a second core but if a touch of speed here and there combined with the promise of potential isn’t enough for you, then there’s always the graphics to consider.
The Snapdragon MSM8260 contains an Adreno 220 GPU rather then the Adreno 205 in the HTC Sensation XL. This means that the XL is considerably out-striped on the graphics front. It’ll render HD videos and games more smoothly now but, more importantly, it'll still be good enough towards the end of your contract when developers have moved on to games that have really started to push your hardware to its limits.
Both phones come with 768MB of RAM, therefore based on MSM8260 XE wins follow by Senation and XL is the last one in this category.
Camera
- 1st : Sensation : 8MP rear, 0.3MP front, 1080p video capture
- 1st : Sensation XE : 8MP rear, 0.3MP front, 1080p video capture
- 3rd: Sensation XL: 8MP rear, 1.3MP front, 720p video
If you asked most people they’d prefer Full HD video (atleast 1080p ) recording rather than 1.3Mp webcam resolution. The XL’s rear camera, with its very wide (for a mobile) f/2.2 aperture potential and back-illuminated sensor, both of which combine for better results in low light conditions, sounds like an excellent piece of kit but for quite how much of a difference it makes in terms of image quality, we’ll have to wait for the full HTC Sensation XL review. It's quite possible it will turn out with the best rear-facing camera of the lot. Sensation and XE wins with 8MP rear and 1080p video camture
Connectivity
- 1st: Sensation :Wi-Fi, BT 3.0, DLNA, Wi-Fi tethering, HDMI-out
- 1st: Sensation XE :Wi-Fi, BT 3.0, DLNA, Wi-Fi tethering, HDMI-out
- 3rd: Sensation XL : Wi-Fi, BT 3.0, DLNA, Wi-Fi tethering
Both handsets have the basic connectivities , however you can agree that HDMI-out is quite relevant these days as more and more devices become DLNA certified for you to stream you media to without wires.
Since, TVs tend to sit in our homes for a long time and there are probably more out there without Wi-Fi modules in them than with. So, HTC Sensation XL miss the ability to be able to connect to your TV and get all your HD content on the big screen.
This is a letdown on Sensation XL therefore the Sensation and XE wins on this Category.
Battery Life
- 1st: Sensation XL :1600mAh, up to 710 mins talk time
- 2nd: Sensation XE: 1730mAh, 550 mins talk time
- 3rd: Sensation :1520mAh, up to 500 mins talk time
One of the big advantage the Sensation XL offers is the battery life over the straight HTC Sensation and Sensation XE. This is probably because the XL have a less power-hungry system-on-a-chip as well as having fewer pixels push and possibly to do with the nature of the screen technology as well. However if you main concerned is battery life, therefore HTC Sensation XL is a choice for you
Software
- 1st: Sensation XL :Android 2.3.5 Gingerbread + Sense 3.5 + Beats
- 2nd: Sensation XE :Android 2.3.4 + Sense 3.0 + Beats
- 3rd: Sensation : Android 2.3.3 + Sense 3.0
Both handset running Android and have HTC Sense, But XL runs the latest android (Gingerbread), more advance Sense 3.5 and XL and XE have Beats audio software and hardware is quite a bonus. Although Sense 3.5 has largely identical functionality to 3.0 but it’s a smoother fit and finish. The Beats by Dr Dre tie-in means that your audio is going to sound better on both the XE and XL to the normal Sensation, particularly if you use the Beats branded headphones that come in the box.
Storage
- 1st: Sensation XL :16GB
- 2nd: Sensation XE : 4 GB (1GB user available) + 8/16GB microSD in-box
- 3rd: Sensation : 1GB + microSD
Both the HTC Sensation and Sensation XE have larger storage potential (microSD port) but phone memory is both more useful and easy to manage on Android than anything removable. The problems is that you can’t store every app on microSD and, with just 1GB of internal to play with, it’s not going to take many stubborn developers before you fill up your quota on the two smaller screen devices. For this reasons XL wins.
Others
- 1st: Sensation XL : iBeats/Beats Solo headphones
- 2nd: Sensation XE :iBeats in-ear headphones + 8/16GB microSD
- 3rd: Sensation :4GB microSD (if lucky)
The Beats in-ear headphones in the boxes of both the XE and XL phones is a good one. If you choose to go with the limited edition white HTC Sensation XL which comes with the Beats Solo on-ear headphones as part of the package.
Price
- 1st: Sensation :£385
- 2nd: Sensation XE :£500
- 3rd: Sensation XL :£unknown
Although there is no prices just yet for the HTC Sensation XL, but we dont think it will be cheaper than Sensation XE. When you’re talking about some headphones and a touch more on the CPU clock, that’s quite a price hike.
Conclusion
- 1st HTC Sensation xl
- 2nd: HTC Sensation
- 3rd: HTC Sensation XE
If you’re more about browsing the web than watching videos or playing games, then the XL is probably still the best one to go for, so long as that missing Full HD video recording doesn’t bite too much. XL is stylish, it’s got a nice big screen, it’s super thin and the Beats inside mean your music listening gets a little kick too. XL offer bigger storage and longer battery life.
However if you prefer watcing video and imaging, then Sensation is for you.
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