You’ll find a lot of new smartphones adding more features that take advantage of new technology, but at the same time seem to lack the improvements needed when it comes to battery life, so this is why it’s important to consider this vital detail when looking at a new phone. When it comes to the HTC One X+ we’ve found one of the best reviews that focuses on the battery life for this handset, and this particular review looks at the HTC One X+ battery and compares it to other smartphones for talk time, web browsing, and video playback.

The image below shows how long the HTC One X+ battery life lasts for talk time, but considering a lot of us browse the web and play apps more than we talk, you should also see the full review in GSM Arena’s article. This includes charts for not only the HTC One X+, but also performance stats for the Pantech Burst, Samsung Galaxy Note / 2, Huawei Ascend, LG Optimus, and the Motorola RAZR MAXX.

How the HTC One X+ performed overall – HTC’s One X+ came 4th for talk time with over 13 hours, 4th for web browsing at just under 8 hours, and 4th for video playback with a battery that lasted 8 hours and 11 minutes. It is worth noting that the Motorola RAZR MAXX with ICS came top in two of the tests, although you can see the HTC One X+ compared to some other opponents in our earlier article. Are you looking at the HTC One X+ as your next smartphone?

The One X+ has now been officially released, although you may have trouble picking one up, with some online retailers already displaying sold out messages. That means demand for the improved model is very high indeed, and a good portion of that interest may be due to the fact that it ships with a blazing fast 1.7Ghz Tegra 3 quad-core processor.

The original One X ‘only’ supported a 1.5Ghz quad core chip in comparison and that is only one area of many improvements that HTC has made to their successful smartphone in time for new holiday buyers. The fantastic 4.7-inch super LCD touch screen is still in tact, but now there is added support for Gorilla Glass 2.

The device also comes with a mammoth 64GB of internal storage out of the box, but sadly there is no support for MicroSD card – but then with 64GB, why do you need it? Unlike the HTC One X, the One X+ also ships with Android Jelly Bean, so you won’t have to endure a frustrating carrier wait for the latest version of Android – making this handset very desirable indeed.

So how does it compare with the Galaxy S3 and iPhone 5? Pretty well according to some of the newest reviews that have already been published, with many saying that the display screen on the HTC One X+ is easily the best available in a smartphone right now.

Another major plus for the HTC One X+ over its rivals is the fact that the web browser comes with full Adobe Flash support, something which the Samsung Galaxy S3 and iPhone 5 cannot offer unfortunately. Then again, is Flash still really required in this modern day and age? – We would say yes, since there is still an awful amount of flash content on mobile devices that is a painful experience when trying to access on the iPhone.

The Galaxy Note 2 seems to be winning all of the plaudits at the moment, but would you argue that the HTC One X+ is going to be a contender during the holiday season as well? HTC has taken all of the great features of the One X+ and improved on them in almost an effortless update.

You can view a great visual review over at CNET here comparing all three devices, while we have added some videos below showing the HTC One X+ up close and personal with the Galaxy S3 and iPhone 5. Let us know which smartphone you will be buying in the next few weeks.

The hunt for Android 4.1 has been a regular routine for smartphone users around the globe, especially Samsung Galaxy S3 users wanting the Jelly Bean update on AT&T / Verizon, and it seems that the HTC One X is next for this firmware update, which we hear has seen a release in East Asia. The HTC One X Jelly Bean update will be running at Android version 4.1.2, although the firmware will also arrive in Asia for HTC One S users but the download date hasn’t been set at the time of writing.

HTC phone users will not only gain a lot from the Jelly Bean update, but will also find the new HTC Sense 4+ user interface. This news first broke in the popular XDA developer forums within the last couple of days, which you can see via this forum thread. We also heard that this rollout had been confirmed at a recent press event as well.

Samsung’s Galaxy S3 Jelly Bean update has been the target of US users for many months, and they had to sit back and watch Europe gain Android 4.1 country-by-country. This changed in the last week with Sprint users finding the Galaxy S3 Jelly Bean update being sent OTA, which came after Samsung sent a reassurance to those users in the United States.

Samsung leaves the Galaxy S3 Jelly Bean update to carriers – we explained previously that Samsung offered some reassurance to US users and made it clear things had been handed over to the networks, which means the rollout would be handled by carriers although we’re sure a staggered approached would have been Samsung’s advice. The likelihood is to see the Galaxy S3 Jelly Bean update land on AT&T next, which will be quickly followed by Verizon Wireless.

Samsung’s arrangement for Galaxy S3 Jelly Bean update in US – Sprint users will certainly be happy in the knowledge that they’re the first to receive Jelly Bean on the US Galaxy S3, although the image below is taken from the official Samsung website for the Galaxy S3 Jelly Bean update. You’ll notice it currently states “coming” for all carriers apart from Sprint, although the interesting part is the order Samsung has put these updates in.

It is a long shot but if we find out AT&T is next to receive the Samsung Galaxy S3 Jelly Bean update, then there’s a pretty good chance that Verizon Wireless will be after that carrier, and then T-Mobile followed by U.S. Cellular. How do you feel about the possibility of this rollout order?

Word has spread that T-Mobile will soon be releasing a handset known as the HTC One X+. TmoNews first broke the news and revealed that this handset is the alter ego of the previously rumored HTC Era 42 that some of you may have been keeping an eye on.

AT&T may have got their hands on the HTC One X first in the US, but the HTC One X+ could be equipped with a whopping 1.7Ghz quad-core processor, eclipsing the AT&T model which ‘only’ came with a 1.5Ghz dual-core Snapdragon S4 processor. This is due to T-Mobile not being bound by any 4G LTE limitations that AT&T are and it now means that the T-Mobile will be equipped with a Tegra 3+ processor running on T-Mobile’s HSPA+ network.

We’re not sure about you, but that is a major coup for T-Mobile if this turns out to be true. Not only do they get one of the best Android handsets available right now, but they get the best version with a quad-core processor too. If you ever thought about switching over to T-Mobile, now may be the best time to do so to get your hands on one of these beasts.

The HTC One X+ is meant to be releasing sometime in September, but we imagine more details will leak along the way to that date. Let us know if this interests you and if you have ever thought about switching to T-Mobile.

While giving Samsung a breather, it appears that Apple has now firmly switched their attention to HTC’s latest prospects and unfortunately it looks to be consumers that are going to suffer from this the most. US Customs is now officially ‘investigating’ patent infringements in both devices and according to the International Trade Commission, Apple said said that HTC are in violation of Apple patent #5946647, filed on August 31st 1999 – yes really.

You can even check out the patent and its full details here if you want to see for yourself. HTC has already responded to their devices being withheld, calling it a ‘standard’ procedure and that they’re looking to get both smartphones out to US consumers as soon as possible.

As far as we’re aware, this is the first instance of a Customs agency actually holding on to devices due to patent violation. The HTC One X was due to land on AT&T very soon, but visiting the carrier’s official product page will just result in an out of stock message. It’s a similar case for the HTC EVO 4G LTE on Sprint as there is now an out of stock message on the pre-order page as well.

What are your thoughts on this unusual delay – were you looking to buy one of the devices this month? The EVO 4G LTE was due to be available this Friday, but that definitely isn’t happening now. We’re still amazed that Apple has almost 600,000 patents in the closet quite frankly.

While some of you may not be too happy with that physical home button that features on the Galaxy S III, you’ll probably be very impressed with the list of hardware specs that Samsung announced. The device will feature a Exynos quad-core processor as expected which is clocked at 1.4Ghz per core, but the most pleasing aspect for us is the inclusion of a 2100mAh battery.

For the very first time, Samsung has announced a phone with a battery good enough to meet the quad-core chip’s expectations and with a 2100mAh battery at your disposal, you’ll be able to manage a good amount of 4G data activity as well as graphic intensive games on the go.

Also impressive on the hardware side is an ‘HD’ Super AMOLED display screen which is a mammoth 4.8-inches in size. This easily eclipses the display screens featured on the Galaxy Nexus (4.65-inch) and the HTC One X (4.7), while at the same time it comes mighty close to the Galaxy Note’s screen at 5.3-inch and even closer to the PS Vita which has a 5-inch OLED screen.

One disappointing aspect which probably needs discussing is the camera. There was growing speculation that the Galaxy S III would feature a 12 megapixel camera, but instead we see that the device has actually been fitted with Samsung’s standard 8MP sensor which is similar to the ones used in the Galaxy S2 and the Galaxy Note. Having said that, most of you will probably be pretty happy with the quality of the 8MP sensor anyway.

Once again though, we have a feeling that it will be the battery life that users will appreciate the most when the device releases in Europe at the end of the month and Summer in the US. The quad-core HTC One X only features a 1800mAh battery which is really not good enough, and some of you aren’t really happy with the Galaxy Nexus battery at 1850mAh either. 2100mAh is a considerable step up for Samsung, so it will be interesting to see just how much extra juice it will be able to manage compared to other devices on the market.

Below is a very useful specs chart, courtesy of Droid-Life which compares Galaxy S3 hardware specs with those in the Galaxy Nexus, Galaxy S2 and probably Samsung’s biggest rival so far, the HTC One X. Are you impressed with what the Galaxy S3 can do on paper initially?

If you live in Europe, there’s a possibility that you are already in possession of a One X since the device is now available to buy and comes with that ground-breaking new Tegra 3 quad-core processor, unlike the US version of the device which will ship with a dual-core Snapdragon S4 processor instead.

The fact that the battery is non-removable as well is causing considerable frustration for some users, but it has also become apparent that the device is prone to a battery management fault in which a system apk causes the device to eat up 10 to 20 percent of battery life.

Luckily, there already appears to be an unofficial fix to get the battery life back. The offending apk in question has been identified as NvCPLSvc.apk as noted on the XDA Developers Forums and the fix is actually a simple one providing you have the Android Debug Bridge, which comes packaged with the Android SDK.

All you need to do is move the file mentioned above into the system\app directory, since it is currently in the system/bin directory and is the cause for the loss of battery life. You can read more detailed instructions on how to do this at the XDA Forums here.

Once you have done this step, you should be able to benefit from an increase in battery life – much needed for a device which utilizes 4G LTE data and Tegra 3 powered mobile games. If you already have the International HTC One X, let us know if this has worked for you, and if you notice the battery life increase straight away or not.

For those of you who are thinking of getting one – is the 1800mAh non-removable battery a turn off for you?

We’re pleased to say that it looks like the developers of the popular app are definitely on the ball though. They may have taken their time in bringing the app to the Google Play store after a long period of exclusivity on iOS devices, but in the space of a week, the Android version has already seen two updates, and a third update now will add support for the HTC One X.

The update now officially adds support for Tegra 3 devices, with the HTC One X obviously the pick of the bunch. There are also some new bug fixes as well, and a performance improvement for those of you who are enjoying Instagram on tablet devices such as the Transformer Prime.

What’s interesting though is that Instagram has mentioned on the official Google Play listing, that app will feature better support for Tegra 3 devices. That means that the developers are essentially recommending devices such as the One X, the LG Optimus 4X, the ZTE Era and the Transformer Prime if you want to experience Instagram with optimal performance.

So if you are lucky enough to own a HTC One X in Europe now, let us know if you spot any differences in quality compared to using the app with a dual-core Android device. What will the future bring to Instagram now that Mark Zuckerburg’s Facebook monopoly has taken over? Is this a good move in your opinion or not?

For all those planning to pick up one in the US, you’ll probably be well aware that your version will only ship with a dual-core Snapdragon S4 processor, whereas the International version releasing in Europe comes with a brand spanking new NVIDIA 1.5Ghz Tegra 3 quad-core chip instead.

As you can imagine, some of you are fairly envious of this but as most things in life – there is another option available if you’re willing to pay a high price for it. Some online retailers in the US have already begun offering a price for International One X, giving consumers with cash to splash a way to pick up a quad-core handset and be the envy of all your friends.

There is one major downside to doing this though aside from the high price. If you choose to go down this route, you’ll have to settle for using AT&T’s HSPA+ network instead of their LTE one, obviously. That’s the main reason why the device only comes with a dual-core chip due to the Tegra 3 chip being incompatible with LTE in the first place.

HSPA+ is still more than good enough for most of you, so really this may become a non-issue. It all boils down to whether you want a dual-core chip or a new quad-core chip and we know what we’d rather have. We did explain recently how benchmark tests proved that the S4 Snapdragon chip was well capable in terms of speed, but if you’re looking for a next-gen mobile gaming experience – the Tegra 3 has no equal.

If money is no problem for you and you’re looking to pick up an International version in the US, be prepared to pay around $630 for one unlocked. Retailer DailySteals currently has this price online for the HTC One X via Phandroid, so head to their page and order quick while you still can. It may seem expensive at first, but then again you are getting a quad-core smartphone without the hassle of paying for shipping costs from Europe yourself.

Let us know if you are currently looking around for an International HTC One X. Have you found a cheaper price elsewhere? We’ll update this if we spot a lower price along the way.

Can the minor updated iPhone 4S really compete with an HTC One X or Galaxy S3? We’ll know more when the other two phones are released, but considering there are both launching around May (One X is already in the UK) with a new iPhone arriving between June and September, it might be a bad idea to purchase an iPhone 4S until you’ve discovered the features and price for the new iPhone. Some people also state that the so-called iPhone 5 would be the real update, even though 4S had been the longest wait yet for an iPhone, and considering the minor adjustments we feel they could be right with Apple saving something special for the 6th generation.

What do we know about the new HTC and Samsung phones? If you’re are considering an iPhone 4S vs. the HTC One X and Galaxy S3, then it’s worth looking into the new phones and seeing how they compare with the aging iPhone, which in our opinion shows why an iPhone 5 is needed to be a real challenger. This article details some of the latest specs for both the One X and expected for the Galaxy S3, although they explain in their summary that the devices are “equally good” and rate them as a draw. Those of you that live in the UK can see full details of the HTC One X on Vodafone here, which is available to order right now and the main features are shown in the image below.

We’ve embedded a video below this article that details the latest Samsung Galaxy S3 specs, although you need to understand that these rumors have not been officially confirmed. The video was uploaded to YouTube just a few days ago and claims its source is a “Samsung Employee“. Have a look below and let us know what you think of these specs, and if it’s enough for you to buy the Galaxy S3?

What will the iPhone 5 need in the way of features to compete with the Galaxy S3 and HTC One X? When it comes to those that love the iPhone it will not be hard for Apple to convince users to upgrade, and other phones are likely not to tempt these fans away from Apple, although the new iPhone still needs to stay competitive no matter how strong its user base is. We’ve embedded a couple of videos below listing the latest rumors for the next iPhone, and possibly even a 2013 iPhone with a 3D camera, although we’d also love to hear your wishlist if you intend on getting the next iPhone, so share a comment below.

In summary: It’s certainly clear that while Apple has a dedicated user base there are a lot of nice Android phones launching this year, and the iPhone 5 (not the 4S) will be needed to challenge these devices on a specs level. If you cannot wait for the next iPhone to arrive and need an upgrade sooner, which means you might be considering the iPhone 4S vs. Samsung Galaxy S3, then see this comparison that looks at both devices.