The HTC One has a beautiful aluminum unibody design, but how much abuse can it withstand? A new scratch test video pits the One against keys, a knife and a mallet.
The One's screen uses Gorilla Glass, which has proven to be very resilient to scratches and shattering. As expected from the results of other videos, the One's display handles the keys without a problem.
The same goes for the steak knife, and it holds up perfectly to a pounding by a rubber mallet.
The aluminum back of the phone is a bit less tough. The keys leave noticeable marks, but those wipe off with a soft cloth.
The knife is barely more successful, but a little buffing with the cloth removes the evidence.
However, the weak point of the HTC One looks to be the edges of the phone. While they're still made from the same milled aluminum, the corners on the thin side can't stand up to the keys, though it takes careful examination in the light to see the tiny striations.
The knife has the same effect, leaving nicks in the metal than are easier to feel than to see.
Still, none of this damage affecting the performance or functionality of the One in any way, so a few minor blemishes won't get in the way of the user experience. And, of course, if you're really worried about scratches or drops, picking up even an inexpensive case will go farther to protect your phone than almost any other precaution.
The HTC One features a 1.7GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 600 processor, 2GB of RAM, a 4.7-inch 1920x1080 pixel widescreen Super LCD 3 display, a 2300 mAh Li-Po battery, a 4-megapixel "Ultrapixel" camera with enhanced low-light sensitivity with 1080p HD video, up to 64GB of internal storage and runs Android 4.1.2.
Check back for the latest updates on the HTC One as they become available.