The built-in fingerprint scanner is one of the stand-out features found on the HTC One max. It is meant to be used instead of a lock screen PIN or pattern, thus saving the user time without rendering their phone any less protected against prying eyes. Optionally, using a specific finger can be set to launch a specific app – up to three of these finger-app combos can be assigned. Now, these are both clever ideas, there's no denying that. However, the fingerprint scanner implementation on the HTC One max hasn't been executed in the best possible way, as we shared with you in a recent article.
One of the several things that bother us is the sensor's awkward placement. It is on the back side of the smartphone, right under the camera, and since we don't see it when we try to use it, we often find ourselves swiping the camera lens instead of the scanner. Speaking of swiping, that's how fingerprints are being read by the device, which is unfortunate as this gesture isn't the easiest thing to perform on a smartphone of this size. Why HTC couldn't go with a fingerprint sensor that doesn't require swiping (you know, like the one on the iPhone 5s) is beyond us. Then there's the software integration, or lack of it, to be more specific. It would have been nice if we could authorize Play Store purchases using a fingerprint, yet sadly, the software does not allow that. As for the option to have apps launched depending on which finger is scanned, this feature is pretty much pointless since it works only on the lock screen, and using a lock screen shortcut is both faster and more convenient. So all in all, the fingerprint scanner on the HTC One max is nothing but a gimmick that we don't see ourselves using on a daily basis.
Display
A 5.9-inch Super-LCD 3 touchscreen shines on the front of the HTC One max and it looks brilliant . It has a resolution of 1080 by 1920 pixels, which is as high as smartphones go nowadays. This gives us a figure of 373ppi – not the highest we've ever seen, but still more than sufficient for any task imaginable, with tons of fine details in graphics and text. Its viewing angles are also excellent. Even when it is looked at from the side, everything displayed on the screen is clearly legible.
Color accuracy, however, is slightly off. Whites displayed on the screen appear yellowish regardless of how high the brightness has been set. Color saturation is within neutral levels, but still somewhat lacking. The color temperature and contrast ratios, on the other hand, are of excellent values, as our testing goes to show.
With its peak screen brightness of 480 nits, the HTC One max can be used outdoors without much effort. Its low reflectance helps as well since only a fraction of the sun's light bounces back from its surface.
