HTC has somewhat of a reputation of making budget smartphones with moderate-at-best performance, but the HTC One X is different. This a high-quality, top-performing smartphone offers great design features, inside and out.

The HTC One X offers a 4.7-inch HD touchscreen housed on a gorgeous case. The phone is larger than many others, but it keeps its weight under five ounces. If we were to have any issues with the phone's design, it would be the plastic casing and bulging camera. However, when you're holding the phone, it feels perfect as is, and adding a metal or Kevlar case for protection would increase the weight. The phone looks like a 70s-era futurist designed it, as though the phone were harvested from a huge plastic bubble.

The camera delivers 8MP images, but these images tend to turn out grainy. When taking outdoor images during the day, the camera offers nice pictures, and some of the settings can be adjusted to deliver fantastic images. Unfortunately, in an indoor or low-light situation, this camera is sluggish and difficult to manage. The camera displays HD video with surprising clarity and beauty. Streaming videos are crisp, and the colors are vivid and true.

The HTC One X does not deliver the clearest phone quality. Between gimmicky Beats Audio speakers and poor internal designs, you'll find yourself making your conversations short. When connecting to Bluetooth, the phone maintains a strong signal, and for the most part, you'll be able to keep a strong cellular signal. AT&T is the exclusive carrier of the One X, so check your local coverage map before committing to this phone.

To maintain its modern and sleek look, HTC chose to limit the openings and inputs of the phone. The microSIM card slides out of a locked slot on the top of the phone, but to access this, you'll need a special HTC tool. The battery is permanent, so you cannot upgrade to a better battery or carry spares. The battery performs well in comparison to other high-end smartphones, but with heavy usage, you'll find yourself reaching for your charger before the end of the day. The HTC One X comes equipped with 16GB of installed storage, but the closed design does not allow for any kind of memory card. Plus, 8GB of the storage space houses pre-installed software, so you'll find yourself carefully managing your storage space after downloading a few of your favorite apps.

What the HTC One X lacks in battery life and storage, it makes up for with performance. A quad-core, 1.5GHz processor powers the Android 4.0 operating system, and apps run smoothly and quickly without overheating the phone. Many of the pre-installed apps will go unnoticed, but common apps – like the weather widget – will begin offering information first thing in the morning. Despite not having a slot for expandable storage, the One X offers a pre-installed DropBox app for additional functionality and storage. For the most part, the pre-installed apps are integrated into the user interface.