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HTC One X phone gets quad-core CPU -- except in U.S.

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Progress doesn’t come without a price and in the case of the new HTC One X smartphone, the price of running on AT&T’s 4G LTE network in the U.S. will be a downgrade from a quad-core processor to a dual-core CPU.

The HTC One X will sit at the top of a new line of One smartphones, which the Taiwanese electronics maker showed off for the first time at the Mobile World Congress event in Barcelona.

The One X will sport a huge 4.7-inch touchscreen with 1,280 x 720 pixel resolution, 32 gigabytes of built-in storage, 1 gigabyte of RAM and an 8-megapixel/1080p rear camera. It’ll also run Google’s Android Ice Cream Sandwich operating system, topped with HTC’s Sense user interface.

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And when it begins to arrive at retailers in April, the One X will be part of a growing trend in Android handsets that feature quad-core processors, except for the U.S. variation, which will be called the One XL in Asia and Australia.

The U.S. version, which will be sold by AT&T, will ship with a 1.5-gigahertz, dual-core Qualcomm Snapdragon processor rather than the quad-core Nvidia Tegra 3 processor. Dual-core is still plenty fast, but the difference is a bit disappointing as there are no quad-core phones sold here yet.

The reason for the CPU switcheroo is that Nvidia’s processor lacked compatibility with AT&T’s 4G LTE hardware when the One X was being developed. As first reported by CNet, phones with quad-core Tegra 3 chips and AT&T 4G LTE capability will arrive eventually, but the timing was off for the One X.

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Another major feature for the One X and One XL will be the inclusion of Beats Audio, which HTC says will offer a better listening experience for music, videos and games. After all, what’s the point of a $300-million deal with Beats By Dr. Dre if Beats Audio technology doesn’t make it into your flagship phone?

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