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"Microsoft&amp;#039;s new WIndows Phone 8 operating system has arrived and Taiwanese firm HTC has created the signature Windows Phone 8X to mark the occasion. So, is it a worthy flag-bearer for the new software, or a woeful start? Let&amp;#039;s find out if X marks the spot.   Design Outside of Apple&amp;#039;s iPhone 5, HTC&amp;#039;s Windows Phone 8X really is one of the most beautiful and tactile handsets on the market. Yes, we know, a bold claim. According to HTC, the phone&amp;#039;s appearance takes inspiration from the Live Tiles interface on Windows Phone. This means it has a very defined rectangular form factor with just slightly curved corners. It weighs 130grams (4.59 ounces) and feels very light.  HTC has adopted a process called &amp;#039;component stacking&amp;#039;, which gives the phone a raised &amp;#039;hump&amp;#039; on the back that slopes down at the edges. It is testament to the design that the phone is thick, at 10.1mm (0.4 inches), but does not feel that way. The rubberised rear (purpley blue on our test model, but there are also Graphite Black, Flame Red and Limelight Yellow versions) feels great to touch and this is certainly a phone you are going to want to handle, even fondle... dare we say it.  The Beats Audio technology sits behind a super discreet speaker formed of tiny machined holes at the base of the back, and then the camera and flash sit at the top middle. A 3.5mm headphone jack is on the top, next to on/off/lock switch, which has been recessed to streamline the form, but is a tad hard to press at times. The front facing camera is on the top left, next to the front speaker, and then there are capacitive Back, Home and Search bottoms at the foot of the screen. A micro-USB port is on the bottom for charging and data transfer. There is no microSD on the device, so you are stuck with the 16GB of built-in flash storage, which is a bit limiting in this day and age.  Display Shunning the shift to ever larger and more high resolution smartphone screens, HTC has instead fitted a relatively modest 720p Super LCD 2 display that measures 4.3 inches on the diagonal. The 8X&amp;#039;s non-PenTile display boasts 1280x720 pixels, with an impressive 341 pixels per inch. It is optically laminated to the glass surface for greater sharpness and reflections, and features Gorilla Glass protection against scratches. There are better performing screens out there, but the 8X is certainly no underachiever. The natural colours are rich and vibrant, while the blacks are defined, even in directly sunlight.  Processor/performance/battery life The Windows Phone 8X is powered by a Qualcomm dual-core Snapdragon S4 system-on-a-chip with 1GB of RAM, giving a big bump in performance on Windows Phone 7 devices, which were limited single core processors with 512MB of RAM. Sure, the phone lacks the power of the whopping quad-core chip in the HTC One X, but it&amp;#039;s no slouch either. The majority of tasks are handled easily by the phone, including video playback, gaming and the more complex applications.  Reception on the 8X is solid and calls sound loud and clear over the audio system. Indeed the addition of Beats audio ensures that music sounds amazing, with clear definition between the bass and treble, particularly when used over the headphones.  Mobile devices using Qualcomm&amp;#039;s dual-core Snapdragon S4 are known for strong battery life, and the Windows Phone 8X is no exception. We found that the 8X would last a full day without needing a charge on normal usage, although this of course dips for heavier usage.   Operating system  As the name would suggest, this is the signature (note, not flagship) handset of Microsoft&amp;#039;s new Windows Phone 8 operating system. For a more thorough rundown on the new software please see our review, but we will just say that the latest version offers some welcome improvements across the board. There is full integration of Office, SkyDrive and OneNote, while Nokia Maps have replaced the rather rubbish Bing Maps. However, the lack of depth in the apps is always going to be an issue when compared to iOS and Android. The absence of Instagram is a prime example, as is the dearth of native apps for Google services, such as Google Talk and Gmail.  Camera The 8X features the same 8-megapixel autofocus camera that comes with the HTC One X, and it performs just as well here. Photos are crisp and detailed on the 8X (see below). Colour balance and exposure are pleasingly accurate in a range of conditions, including low light due to fast f/2.0 lens and backside-illuminated sensor. It is also one of the fastest cameras in any Windows Phone to date. Video is captured in HD at 1080p (30 fps) with mono audio.  The shift to Windows Phone has meant that HTC&amp;#039;s own ImageSense system has been lost. This offered options for burst shots, HDR, Panoramas and capturing stills while recording video. Instead, Windows Phone 8 has Lenses, designed to increase the features on offer to users. PhotoStrip takes five photos in sequence to create a wacky set of images, a bit like Photobooth; Photosync shoots wraparound panoramas or 360 degree views; and Bing Vision scans barcodes, QR codes, Microsoft tags, books, CDs and DVDs.  The Photo Enhancer app allows users to choose from 15 different filters on their images, such as &amp;#039;Sepia&amp;#039;, &amp;#039;Bleak&amp;#039; (an alien green filter), &amp;#039;Antique&amp;#039; and &amp;#039;Glimmer&amp;#039;. These can then be saved or distributed on social networks (although this doesn&amp;#039;t make up for the absence of Instagram). A note should also be made to the front facing, 2.1-megapixel camera, which is an impressive piece of kit. HTC has fit the camera with a wider angle, meaning it captures a greater area both in stills and video calls.    The Verdict The Windows Phone 8X is indeed a worthy smartphone to act as the flag-bearer for the new Microsoft phone operating system. It is one of the most beautifully designed phones we have seen in a while, and has the high-end technical specs to compete at the premium end of the market. Whether it is better than the other flagship Windows Phone 8 device, the Nokia Lumia 920, is difficult to say without a full review. Although, the latter phone could benefit from its better camera, larger screen (which can be used while wearing gloves) and the addition of rather nifty wireless charging.  But the elephant in the room for all of these Windows Phone 8 devices is whether the operating system itself is enough to pull people away from Android and iOS. WP8 is a really beautiful and distinct operating system, but it just does not have the app ecosystem at the moment, and you really do feel the loss of Google services and other apps, such as Instagram. Hopefully, Microsoft will put its foot down and make progress on this... and fast.   "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.digitalspy.com/tech/smartphones/news/a435037/htc-windows-phone-8x-review-a-worthy-flagship/>