Skip to main content

HTC J Butterfly preview: a stunning 5-inch 1080p phone for Japan (video)

HTC J Butterfly preview: a stunning 5-inch 1080p phone for Japan (video)

/

440ppi Super LCD 3 sets the new standard in smartphone displays

Share this story

Gallery Photo: HTC J Butterfly hands-on gallery
Gallery Photo: HTC J Butterfly hands-on gallery

The rumors were true: HTC has been working on a new flagship phone with a 5-inch 1080p display, and we got to see it in Tokyo today. It's the HTC J Butterfly, and it's set for a release this December on AU / KDDI. A follow-up to the previous HTC J, the Butterfly uses the same red and black color scheme and Rhyme-inspired skin, though this time it's running on top of Android 4.1 Jelly Bean. Inside there's a quad-core 1.5GHz Snapdragon S4 Pro APQ8064 processor, 2GB of RAM, and an 8-megapixel camera with an f/2.0 lens.

The real attraction, though, is the 5-inch full HD Super LCD 3 screen — it's truly a sight to behold. The Super LCD 2 seen in HTC's previous flagship One X was arguably the best panel on the market, but we think its successor is the new champion. Color reproduction is excellent, the 440ppi resolution is astonishing, and the screen's slightly curved edges make the image look like it's melting off the side of the phone. It doesn't feel overbearing in the hands, either; the phone's 9.1mm thinness and slim bezel make it surprisingly compact, and we found it was easily pocketable. The J Butterfly's 2,020mAh battery is above average in capacity, though we're interested to find out how it'll keep up with powering so many pixels throughout the course of a day.

Theverge_560

While this is a Japan-specific model and almost certain to stay that way, HTC reps told us that its display will be making its way into other phones around the world. If the J Butterfly is anything to go by, you should start to get excited.

HTC J Butterfly hands-on gallery

1/23