Like the , the Sensation XL has a largely aluminum body with some white accents. Even though it was one of the larger phones I have ever seen, it didn't feel uncomfortable to hold in my hand. In fact, the phone looked bigger than it actually felt.

When I reviewed the , I was annoyed with the large screen because I kept accidentally hitting the capacitive buttons whenever I was trying to maneuver around the top half of the screen. On the Sensation XL this wasn't as big of a problem. I was able to get around the large screen quite easily, even though it was larger than the one on the T-Mobile Galaxy S II.

The Sensation XL is running and has the Beats audio optimization software, which greatly enhances audio quality and can detect when you have Beats headphones plugged in for a much richer audio experience.

HTC demoed this by playing an Adele song without Beats enabled, then enabling the software and playing the same song again. The difference was like night and day: the song came out louder, crisper, and clearer with the Beats software enabled.

This is a phone you will want to use as your MP3 player when it comes out. The phone also ships with a pair of high quality Beats earbuds, which was a nice touch on HTC's part.