HTC One review - part 1. Design

I used to think that we were in an era when all smartphones with big screens looked more or less the same. Because if you're honest, what can be changed in the front of the device, if 90 to 95% of its surface is just touch screen? Oh dear, I was so wrong. HTC One is a true masterpiece of art. However, this review will also show some weak points of the newest HTC premium device. Yes there are some shortcomings, but we are not living in an ideal world so you won't ever find a perfect product: it doesn't matter if it's just a smartphone, a computer or even a car. People have different tastes or expectations and this won't ever change. But HTC One can surely satisfy more people then any other device before. Let's start from the beginning.

Size: 137.4 x 68.2 x 9.3mm


Weight: 143g


Display: 4.7 inch, Full HD 1080p, 468 PPI

Design

HTC put in a lot of effort to make this device look amazing - efforts which have been a great success. However, design was never a weak point of HTC devices. As far back as I remember, HTC devices were always one step ahead of the competition when it came to the design and form innovation. So for me, it is not a surprise that HTC One sets a new standard of build quality and design.  

Gaps

However, some users are reporting a wide gap between its plastic and metal surfaces. I don't have any on mine, but as far as I know this problem is not a matter of just few devices. So right after you buy yours, make sure it doesn't have any gaps. Is it something that should stop you from buying HTC One? Surely not. It is normal in every production process that sometimes there are some manufacturing issues. On the other hand, it seems that HTC quality testing department is not working very well, if units with gaps are passing build flaw tests. HTC One is a premium device for a premium price, so as a customer, you have a right to expect a gap free product (especially since HTC advertised the device as "gap free"). If you have noticed any, go to the store where you bought your device and exchange it for a gap free unit.

Made from one piece of aluminium

HTC One is known to be made from aluminium with a unibody construction. You can have a silver model or a black one at the moment (more colours are rumoured to be on the way). I can tell you that both look amazing. The black device looks to be more solid, but silver gives you a better, more premium look and feel. Not much to discuss when it comes to colours, because it's a matter of a taste of each user. If you want to read more about the process of designing the HTC One, you can visit this blog - Metal-morphosis of the New HTC One and this one - Making the New HTC One.

No removable battery - no problem

The unibody design has some particular consequences. First of all, you can't remove or change the battery inside the HTC One. Is it an issue? Personally, I never found it to be a problem. There are methods to switch off the device completely without removing the battery - a combination of power + volume buttons. Also, I shared my thoughts on this topic here - Removable battery - do we really need it? It's been a while already since the HTC One has been on the market and it's a best-selling product, despite its non-removable battery. Does this mean a removable battery is not that important in the end?

Of course I understand some arguments against having a non-removable battery. But there are always two sides of an argument and I'm not here to judge which side is better. Personally I just prefer unibody design, mostly because I see no reason to replace or remove the battery inside the device.

No micro-SD card - no problem either
It seems that no micro-SD card slot is also a consequence of having such a design. However, I can imagine that a micro-SD card could be used the same way as micro-SIM card is and it won't make it impossible to have a unibody design. On the other hand I also don't find any reasonable arguments to have a micro-SD card. The vast majority of users don't need more then 32 GB of available space. If you want to know more details about Android and internal memory you can read my article here - Virtual SD card on Android. HTC One is not supposed to be your personal media storage - for that you should buy a mini-PC with an mATX motherboard and 2x2TB HDDs connected with RAID. If the internal storage on your HTC One is full, backup some pictures or music onto your PC (or use USB OTG).

What to improve
Is there room for some improvements? Yes, I think there is. First of all, the design of the hardware buttons is not really comfortable. Having the power button on the top of such big device is not the best solution. Also, the power button itself is too small and it doesn't protrude enough from the surface, so it's quite hard sometimes to press it. Maybe it's because of the IR sensor built into the button that they were stuck with this design. I believe that having a power button located on the right hand side of the device (like on Nexus devices) and volume buttons on the left hand side would be a much better solution.

Secondly, the build of the front speaker grilles. These tiny holes can get clogged very easily. I can't think of an alternate solution at the moment; I guess it's just the downside of having a smartphone with amazing sound capabilities, known as HTC BoomSound™.

The last biggest design flaw I found are capacitive buttons. There are just 2 buttons - home and back button. It is already confirmed that under the HTC logo there is a touch sensor as well, and with the new "logo2menu" feature available in most custom kernels for HTC One it is possible to assign the HTC logo as a menu button. I think that the trend to have fewer buttons on smartphones comes from Apple - but iOS is a completely different operating system with a much simpler UI, and it's quite impossible to make the Android user experience that simple. Having just 2 capacitive buttons brings some negative consequences, for instance there is significant confusion about different "long-press" and "double-tap" combinations. For example, to activate the menu function you need to long press the Home button. To display "Recent Applications" you need to quickly tap twice on the Home button. Wouldn't it be easier for the end users to have 3 buttons instead of just 2, where one of them can be used in 3 different ways?

- 1 tap = home
- 2 tap = recent apps
- long tap = menu

I'm writing this review using Android 4.2.2 on my HTC One. On Android 4.1.2 it was less complicated, but somehow worse, because without the possibility to assign a long tap on the home button as "menu", you would have to deal with an ugly black "action overflow" button at the bottom of the display, the result of application developers failing to implement the appropriate Android SDK (level 11 or higher). Such a button takes about 10% of the screen space and in some cases it does absolutely nothing. You can disable it by proper system modification (qemu.hw.mainkeys=1) but then you wouldn't be able to access the app's settings if the particular app doesn't support Android SDK level 11+. You can read more about Google's approach to the issue here - Say Goodbye to the Menu Button.

I believe that the perfect combination of capacitive buttons would be following:

- Back button
---> short press = back
---> long press = kill recent app

- Home button

- Menu button
---> short press = home
---> long press = recent apps

Shiny edges

Coming back to overall design, I forgot to mention that I really like the shining aluminium edges of the One. It's much more visible on the silver version, which is also known to be less susceptible to fingerprints. This is a really awesome effect, and there is no phone on the market that looks as good as the HTC One. Say no to plastic!

Heat dissipation

Apart from premium looks, the aluminium unibody brings one more very important feature. It works as a natural, huge radiator, taking out heat from inside your device. I can definitely tell that the HTC One is running much cooler than the HTC One X or One X+. The included "System on a Chip" is part of the reason, but the aluminium body helps a lot in dissipating any heat that does build up.

Camera

Camera housing is flat in HTC One, and it's very good move from HTC. In HTC One X/X+ camera housing protrudes from the phone body and it was very easy to scratch it. It seems that HTC took seriously users feedback in that matter.

Verdict

There is a lot of marketing effort behind the HTC One, but this time it's one of those rare occasions where advertising doesn't lie. The HTC One is a premium product, with unique and completely amazing design. If you're looking for a smartphone that will gain people attention on the street, the HTC One fits perfectly. But design is not all - it also has great hardware inside, but this is a material for part 2 of this review, coming in a few days!

PS. I want thank to Tom Kelsall, my HTC Elevate companion for his help in a proper grammar redaction of the review! Thanks Tom!

Design summarize:

+ overall design
+ aluminium unibody construction
+ it feels really great in the hand
+ available in two great looking colours
+ two sound grids for best multimedia experience

- gaps on some units

- only 2 capacitive buttons

- hardware buttons location

Have any questions or comments? Feel free to share! Also, if you like this article, please use media sharing buttons (Twitter, G+, Facebook) down this post!

HTC One Android 4.2.2 with HTC Sense 5.1 aka HTC Sense 5.0?

There were quite a lot of rumours about upcoming HTC Sense and Android 4.2.2 update for HTC One and HTC Butterfly. All were expecting HTC Sense 5.1 to show up, but instead, the version of HTC UI in latest Android 4.2.2 update is still 5.0. However, it does have a lot of important changes. Let me introduce few of them.

1. % battery icon

Finally! The most popular modification in custom ROMs of all kind. Now you can enable it under Settings ---> Power ---> Show battery level.

2. Android EQS

HTC did a great job by incorporating Android native EQS. You can switch it by tapping on the EQS icon in the upper right corner of the notification menu.

3. Android Daydream

Another Android 4.2.2 feature included in latest HTC update.

4. Long press home button works as menu button.

It's been very popular modification in HTC One custom ROMs. Now it's by default added to Android 4.2.2 update as well.

5. Minor changes in the app drawer and dock

Now you can remove all the icons from the dock, which wasn't possible in HTC Sense 5.0 we had in Android 4.1.2. Also, after moving some particular icon to the dock, it won't be gone from the app drawer.

6. More new screenshots coming soon!

HTC Car Kit for HTC One short review

To be completely honest, I'm not a fan of original phone accessories. They are very expensive and this high price is very often overrated. But this time I made an exception and bought original HTC car holder. And I do not regret that decision.

Typical car holder from "nobody knows where this company comes from" costs from $10 to $30, while HTC Car Kit is available for about $50 - $70. This is 3-7 times more expensive, but I believe this is well spent money. Let me explain why.

• Mounting

HTC Car Kit can be mounted in two ways. You can fasten in to the front window of your car, or you can use additional adhesive disk, that comes in the box and attach it on your dashboard. Normally you can't attach regular and cheap car kit on your dashboard because of rough surface of the dashboard. This is a very nice solution, giving you opportunity to choose whether you want your Car Kit to be attached to the window, or to the dashboard without covering up your view. Also, it's very easy to mount the entire Car Kit and there is no risk of breaking anything.

• Build quality

It's just perfect. This is one of the biggest positive aspects of having original accessories. There are no crack sounds, the used plastic is very solid and it looks aesthetic. The swivel neck is made of aluminium and you can rotate is in every direction. There are also no plastic hooks you can break accidentally. The resistance of the aluminium neck is very good. The cradle holds the device securely and firmly, so you don't need to be afraid that your device will fall out, unlike with the cheaper solutions I had in the past. However, without the cable attached in the cradle the device looses its stability (because nothing "holds" it inside the cradle) and can fall out. It is a problem, since not every driver want to drive with a cable attached all the time.

• Features

HTC devices comes with preloaded software you can run while driving in the car. With HTC Car Kit this application can be launched automatically every time you connect your device to the holder. It's nothing unique in the cradle itself, but it is the attached USB cable that does the trick. The micro USB part has a special terminal with a clips. Once your HTC One will detect it, HTC Car mode application will be launched. However, this feature can be of course turned off in settings. You can't have this feature working correctly with non-HTC Car Kit.

• Equipment

Like every other original HTC accessory, the HTC Car Kit comes in a very nice box, where you can find the holder itself (made of plastic cradle, aluminium neck and plastic base with wheel and suction pad tab), micro-USB cable with a special terminal, adhesive disk, very nice looking car charger and short, multi-language user guide. The cable is very long, which I find as a drawback, because it has 2m, while 1m should be perfectly enough. Probably I will have to bind the cable and it won't look very cool. Replacing it with a shorter cable is not an option because of missing terminal in regular micro-USB cables.

• General conclusion

HTC Car Kit is worth its price. It looks way better then any regular car holder and I can surely say it is a premium product for a premium device, just like HTC One is. It's easy to use, easy to clean and it gives you additional control over your device with HTC Car mode application. Also, you can mount it however you like - on the window or on the dashboard. If you own HTC One and you are a car driver, I strongly recommend you buying this Car Kit.

+ build quality

+ design

+ alternative mounting methods

+ HTC device detection

+ comes together with micro-USB cable and car charger

+ swivel neck adjustable in every direction

- price (it is worth the price, but for some it sill might be too much)

- too long micro-USB cable (should be 1m instead of 2m)

- the device isn't secured well if the cable is not attached to the cradle

Have any questions or comments? Feel free to share! Also, if you like this article, please use media sharing buttons (Twitter, G+, Facebook) down this post!

• Gallery

HTC First - Facebook dedicated smartphone

Few weeks of rumors and speculations and here we have - new HTC device, called HTC First and created together with (and for!) Facebook. It's surely not a flagship model, but also not a low-end device.

Actually it has quite nice specifications:

• Platform: Android 4.1
• Processor: Qualcomm® MSM8930AA 1.4Ghz, dual-core
• Memory: 16 GB, 1 GB RAM
• GSM 850/900/1800/1900/2100, HSDPA 21/5.76, LTE 4/17
• Display: 4.3-inch, HD 720p
• Battery: 2000mAh (non-removable)
• Main camera: 5 MP camera with auto focus, LED flash, BSI sensor, f/2.0 aperture, 28mm lens, 1080p video recording
• Front camera: 1.6 MP camera
• Dimensions: 4.96 x 2.56 x 0.35 (in) (LxWxT)
• Weight: 4.37 oz

What is special about this device, is very deep Facebook integration. It has its own Facebook launcher instead of HTC Sense launcher. What else?

• Cover feed: A constant, fresh stream of photos and updates from your newsfeed, cover feed is always present when you wake up your phone.  It lets you stay up-to-date on your friends’ latest activities in real-time, all the time.  You can swipe through to see more photos and updates, double tap to “like” a post and comment right from cover feed.  To learn more about cover feed, check out this video.
• Notifications: Notifications from apps and friends appear right on your home screen.  It’s easier to see when you have a missed call, calendar reminder or new message. Open a notification with a double tap or clear them away to see your Cover Feed.  To learn more about notifications, check out this video.
• Chat Heads: The mobile messenger lets you jump in and out of conversations while you do other things, like watch a video and browse the web.  Reply right from chat heads, or move them around if you're not ready to respond. Plus you can send and receive texts and Facebook messages from the same spot.  To learn more about chat heads, check out this video.
• App Launcher:  See your favorite apps and post right to Facebook from the same spot. You choose what’s on your app launcher—press and hold an app then drag it anywhere.
• Instagram:  HTC First is the only phone that comes with Instagram pre-loaded.

Personally, I'm very curious how this device will work with its custom launcher and what will be customers judgement. I think it has a huge potential. The idea of new custom launcher is more then interesting. Let's take a quick pick how it looks like:

To me, it seems to be very simplified version of Android launcher. It might be a great choice for users who are not expecting their phone to be multimedia all-in-one device, but they want to easily stay in touch with their friends using the most popular social channel. There is also Instagram pre-installed, so sharing your great moments captured with 5 MP back camera will be easy as well. Additionally, it is very likely that the overall system performance in HTC First will be very good. Qualcomm 1.4 GHz dual-core CPU in pair with 1GB of RAM memory will probably bring you smooth user interface experience, considering the fact that device doesn't have pretty heavy HTC Sense on board. So, do you think it is a device for you?

Have any questions or comments? Feel free to share! Also, if you like this article, please use media sharing buttons (Twitter, G+, Facebook) down this post!

HTC One variants [update]

Image taken from smart.com.ph

In my article here I was writing about HTC One GSM/LTE (UL) and GSM (U) versions. The question if ROM based on UL firmware can be flashed on U device is still valid, but now we have some more details about these variants.

It turns out, that UL version of HTC One (having both GSM & LTE radio) will be available mostly in the Europe and North America. Model ID (MID) of this version is PN0710000.

U version (GSM radio only) is going mostly to Asian markets. Model ID (MID) of this version is PN0711000. There is also WL variant, which will be the Sprint version of HTC One. I don't know MID number of this version yet.

In the past we had similar situation with slightly different MIDs numbers of the same device. HTC Sensation had PG5813000 and Sensation XE had PG5813001. Both devices can use the same custom ROMs. HTC Desire HD has PD9810000, while Telus variant had PD9814000 and HTC Inspire 4G (U.S. version of HTC Desire HD) had PD9812000. Again, one custom ROM can be flashed on all 3 devices.

There are also some more details that leads to the conclusion, that most probably users with HTC One U variant will be able to use their device with no issues after flashing custom ROM based on UL RUU. This is surely a very good news for both users and custom ROM developers. However, this will probably not enable LTE modem on U devices. So if you want to use LTE and your carrier supports this technology, make sure you will buy HTC One UL.

Have any questions or comments? Feel free to share! Also, if you like this article, please use media sharing buttons (Twitter, G+, Facebook) down this post!

Virtual SD card on Android

Since Android Honeycomb, Google changed the way to manage internal memory on Android devices. Before Honeycomb, every user had one separate partition on his device called userdata (/data), where he could install applications and where all user settings were stored (home screens, applications data, contacts, and all the rest you loose after doing so called "full wipe" on your device). Apart of userdata partition, all Android devices had microSD card slot to save pictures, movies, backups etc.. Now it looks completely different, but let's start from the beginning. There are several approaches to this subject, I'll present here all those I am aware of.

• userdata partition + microSD card

This is the mentioned above pre-Honeycomb approach. There is userdata partition, where you can install all your applications and you also have a possibility to insert microSD card. Nothing more to explain. Only devices running Android Gingerbread and older versions have such configuration, so it's getting less and less popular.

• userdata partition + virtual SD card on userdata partition

This is the new approach presented for the first time in Honeycomb. Instead of having /data partition together with expandable microSD card slot of any capacity, Google decided for something different. Instead, /data partition became very large (16/32/64 GB) and inside you can find /data/media folder that contains all the files you can see as your SD card content. How does it work? Without too much technical explanations, there is so called fuse tool which emulates media folder inside userdata partition as a separate storage device. As a result, after connecting smartphone to the PC you can browse the content of /data/media location, so if it was a microSD card. The biggest downside of such approach is a high risk of loosing all your virtual SD card content in case of any serious /data partition failure. Also, such partition can't be formatted with mkfs.ext4 without loosing content of virtual SD card, because you can't format device partition just partially. You can use e2fsck tool to check for potential errors, but sometimes partition format is the only way out. How does "full wipe" work then? Well, it's a little bit complicated. First of all, you can't format mounted (in use) partition. You need to unmount it first. Once unmounted userdata partition, you can't flash any ZIP file from inside recovery, because ZIPs files are stored on virtual SD card (/data/media) and remember that userdata partition is currently unmounted, because we want to format it. There is a workaround for it - you can run mkfs.ext4 from inside /cache partition or you can use command prompt. Now, what if you need to remove the whole content of your userdata partition, but you want to keep virtual SD card content at the same time? There is a workaround for this as well, but instead of formatting entire partition, you need to remove all files excluding /data/media location. Example:

#!/tmp/bash
# Remove content of /data partition excluding data/media files
cd /data
FILES=(*)
for i in *; do
if [ "$i" != "media" ]
then rm -R "$i"
fi
done

This way you can sort of wipe userdata, but it doesn't format the partition, so you can't fix broken file-system with it.  Why this point is the longest one? Because it took me quite a few words to explain the relation between virtual SD card and media folder on userdata partition (/data/media). So basically, what you read here applies to every configuration with virtual SD card emulated on userdata partition.

• userdata partition + virtual SD card on a separate partition

This approach is not very popular, and it's a shame because it seems to be much more practical rather than the previous one. Instead of emulating SD card from userdata partition, there is a separate, large partition with vFAT file-system. That means you can format your userdata partition anytime you want without loosing content of your virtual SD card, or from inside custom ROM, because userdata can be freely unmounted. The only device I've seen so far with this approach was HTC One X.

• userdata partition + virtual SD card on userdata partition + microSD card

This seems to be the most desirable solution for many Android users. It works similar to approach described in the second point, so everything I wrote about /data/media is valid here as well. However, every user have the ability to insert extra microSD card inside his device, so he can easily backup virtual SD card to microSD card or format userdata partition without loosing all pictures etc. (if previously stored on microSD card). This is the most common configuration for Samsung devices. But having removable microSD card is not only an advantage. First of all, any kind of microSD card (even SDHC) will be always slower than internal eMMC memory. It depends on many factors like card speed (class 2, 4, 6, 8 or even 10), on-board controller, I/O scheduler and more. Secondly, microSD card damage risk is higher then damage risk of internal eMMC memory. Out of question is the benefit to expand the memory with 64 GB microSD card, but it's definitely the minority of power users, who are buying large capacity cards. For the vast majority of users, internal memory with 32 GB capacity is more then enough to store their favorite music or pictures.

• userdata partition + virtual SD card on a separate partition + microSD card

This approach is theoretically possible, but personally I've never seen device with such combination. For me, this is the best combination. You have possibility to use external microSD card and virtual SD card is not a part of userdata partition, but it has it's own, separate vFat partition. Such configuration gives you control over all your data and possibility to manage it however you want.

Do you have any questions or want to share some opinion? Please leave a comment below! Also, if you like this article, please use media sharing buttons (Twitter, G+, Facebook) down this post!

Removable battery - do we really need it?

With every release of a new smartphone the same question is asked - will it have removable battery? If you believe that removable batteries are a "must have" nowadays, please keep reading. I hope you'll change your mind!

First of all - there is a solution. Battery banks seems to be a great alternative for removable batteries. You can check my review of HTC Battery Bank here. It works with every device equipped with micro-USB port. Now let's compare both solutions.

Capacity

Samsung Galaxy S3 has a removable battery with capacity of 2100mAh. Typical battery bank has a capacity of 6000mAh. This means, that Galaxy S3 can be charged almost 3 times with such battery bank! If you are going to use your smartphone heavily the whole day, only one backup battery might be not enough for you. With battery bank you can start your day with more then 8000mAh on board (battery inside device + battery bank).

Conclusion: 2300mAh vs. 6000mAh

Winner: battery bank

Size

Typical smartphone battery dimensions are around 6,3 x 5,0 x 0,5. Battery bank I was tested is of course bigger - 9,7 x 4,2 x 2,2. Is it really a disadvantage? I don't think so. It's small enough to be inserted into a pocket of your jeans or jacket. I think there are even smaller battery banks available on the market, so the size shouldn't be a problem here. Also, removable batteries are indeed smaller, but keep in mind their capacity is twice/triply lower.

Conclusion: 6,3 x 5,0 x 0,5 vs 9,7 x 4,2 x 2,2

Winner: removable battery

Charging

Battery bank can be charged regardless of device battery. It has its own USB cable and charging port, so you can charge both devices -  smartphone and battery bank at the same time. What about removable batteries? Well, if you don't have a removable battery charger (which costs extra money of course!) you will have to charge battery inside your device first, then switch batteries and charge the backup battery. The risk of braking battery cover latches is quite big, especially when it comes to plastic, which has its own lifetime and bending abilities. It seems that battery bank in this case is much more convenient and comfortable.

Conclusion: charging inside the device vs. independent charging

Winner: battery bank

Price

Original backup battery price is about $30. Yes, I know you can find non-original replacements for $10 as well, but let's compare only original parts. Typical battery bank costs is around $40 - $80 ($75 for HTC Battery Bank). However these prices vary from place to place and may be slightly different in your country, keep that in mind. Comparing 1:1 it's easy to see that external batteries are indeed cheaper. But to make the comparison fair, we need to establish the price/capacity relationship. 1mAh from 2300mAh backup battery ($30) is a cost of about $0,0130, while 1mAh from 6000mAh battery bank ($75) costs about $0,0125.

Conclusion: $0,0130 vs. $0,0125

Winner: battery bank

Design

When speaking about the design I mostly think about device design. However, battery banks looks definitely better and more aesthetic than regular removable batteries. Having a removable battery back cover doesn't allow uni-body construction, like HTC One has. Design is a matter of taste, but personally I prefer uni-body construction over having a plastic back cover. But again - it's a matter of taste, so no winner here.

Conclusion: plastic back cover vs. uni-body construction

Winner: draw

Usability

Practical approach is also important. Driving a car or sitting in a crowded bus might be a situation when your device is out of power. Now imagine you need to: 1) take out your battery backup, 2) turn off the device, 3) remove the back cover, 4) replace the battery, 5) close the back cover, 6) turn on the device, 7) hide your primary battery. So... 7 steps including the inevitability of turning off the device. With battery bank you just need to take it out and plug into the device. That's it. No need to turn on/off or disassemble your device. Keep in mind that battery bank doesn't work only as external battery, it is mainly a battery charger, so after some time you can hide it back.

Conclusion: 7 steps to change battery vs. take out and plug in

Winner: battery bank

Compatibility

External batteries are not compatible between devices. You can't use Samsung Galaxy Note II battery in Samsung Galaxy S3. You can't use HTC Sensation battery in HTC One S. If you buy backup battery for your particular device, you'll probably sell it together with the device or give it as free bonus one day. Battery bank is compatible with every device equipped with micro-USB port and can be your life-companion for years. However, you should be aware that battery bank might not be able to charge your tablet.

Conclusion: lack of compatibility with other devices vs. compatibility with all micro-USB smartphones

Winner: battery bank

Device lifetime (added 23-03-2013)
Due to many comments under this article I decided to agree with one point that was very often mentioned by users preferring removable battery. However, I think it needs some bigger explanation. It is a fact, that having non removable battery results in lack of possibility to exchange it for new one, once the old battery can't give your device enough power anymore. But is it really a problem? I took the warranty statements from my HTC One X+ and I found nothing about limited warranty for battery (like Samsung have - only 6 months). This means, that once battery is non removable, it doesn't have shorter warranty. So in my case battery is under 24-months warranty service. I think that is a positive aspect for the consumer, right? In some cases it might be also 12-months, but it depends on particular law regulations in each country.

Conclusion: removable battery with 6-months warranty vs. non-removable battery with 12/24-months warranty - both solutions have some advantages
Winner: draw

Possibility to reset the device (added 25-03-2013)
One more category added. Very often I hear that possibility to remove the battery is the only way to reset the device once it's not reacting anymore and system just hanged. This is not true. Every device have ability to reset the system using hardware keys. In most cases it's a combination of 3 buttons: power + volume up + volume down. You need to hold these buttons for about 5-20 seconds, depends on the device. Even if your device has a removable battery, it is better to use above combination to avoid breaking the plastic back cover latches.

Conclusion: you can reset your device no matter if it has removable battery or not

Winner: draw

So what's the score? Battery bank won in 5 comparisons, external battery in 1 comparison and there were also 3 draws. For me, personally, battery banks are better replacement for external batteries. It gives you bigger capacity for the same prize, extended usability and it looks better.

Do you have a different point of view or some experience with one of the approaches presented above? Please leave a comment below! Also, if you like this article, please use media sharing buttons (Twitter, G+, Facebook) down this post!