Smartphone maker HTC has seen better financial years, but it produced one of the best Android smartphones currently on the market. While Samsung was busy adding ripple-effect lockscreens to their customized Android skin, HTC took it to the next level and focused on speed with their new Sense version. HTC's Sense 4.1 user interface for Android recently leaked, and early reports suggest impressive performance.

The flagship HTC One X is a solid, powerful smartphone, and the HTC Sense 4.0 UI is the quickest version of the custom Android skin so far. Still, the UI is not as speedy as the stock Android 4.0 it is built on, prompting many users to download other custom launchers such as NOVA or Apex. The release of Sense 4.1 might change that very soon. A ROM based on HTC's yet-to-be-released Sense 4.1 for the international version of the HTC One X has already made its way to XDA Developers. Geeksaber got its hands in it and has been reporting very good things. When the Sense 4.1 finally launches on the international version of HTC One X, expect improvements and plenty of bug fixes to make your experience even smoother.

Notable Improvements

The new Sense 4.1 UI was tested on HTC's current flagship smartphone, the HTC One X. As it is built on Android 4.0.4, it benefits from the improvements Google has made to Ice Cream Sandwich (Sense 4.0 was based on Android 4.0.3). The result is a drastic speed boost, according to Geeksaber. While previous Quadrant results with Sense 4.0 clocked in around the 5100 mark, the new 4.1 UI reportedly boosts them to 5900. Even with the speed bump, battery life has reportedly improved as well. The new version of Sense can last for up to five hours of screen-on time, up from three hours with the previous version.

The Sense 4.1 comes with several other welcome improvements, like a fix for live wallpaper lag. A dedicated button in the Camera app now allows users to switch between front and rear cameras, instead of going into the menu to make the switch. There is also a dedicated button to switch tabs in the browser without having to use the menu, as Sense 4.0 required. All 3D effects in the launcher have been removed, allowing for a completely lag-free experience, while another addition allows users to remap the multitasking bar to act as a dedicated menu button. This replaces the much-criticized Virtual menu bar.

The new version of HTC Sense has already started rolling out on U.S. AT&T models, so the international release should not take too long.