HTC One S review: T-Mobile's new shining star

HTCPrice: $200 (with a $50 mail-in rebate and a new two-year contract from T-Mobile)Pros: Thin, sleek design; outstanding performance; excellent camera; good battery life; ships with Android 4.0Cons: Good, but not great, display; no external storage; no removable battery; no NFC support; capacitive buttons detract from Ice Cream Sandwich experience

If external storage, a removable battery or NFC support are on your must-have list -- or if you're a display aficionado -- the HTC One S might not be the phone for you. Similarly, if you value a stock Android experience, HTC's deep system modifications are bound to rub you the wrong way.

Those considerations aside, though, if you want a smaller-sized phone with fantastic hardware and a great out-of-the-box user experience, the HTC One S is a tough option to beat. And if you want a top-of-the-line Android phone from T-Mobile, it's hands-down the best choice you could make in the carrier's current lineup.

The Android ecosystem is all about diversity -- and the HTC One S handily earns a spot among the platform's elite.

JR Raphael is a Computerworld contributing editor and the author of the Android Power blog. You can find him on Google+, Twitter, or Facebook.

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