HTC’s One series is slowly putting together a formidable library of phones. From the high-end One X, to the budget One V, each and every device certainly has its high points. To fill the gap in between, the mid-range HTC One SV looks to bring the best features from both ends of the market.

The One series is renowned for its sleek design, and the One SV is no exception to the rule. The black fascia includes no notable features, apart from the three physical button embedded at the bottom of the device. Turn the device around and you’ll find a white, removable back plate with an embossed HTC logo in the centre of it.

With the back of the device slightly curved, and the edges of the device also curved, the One SV feels good in hand. Its small, but slightly weighty build, helps the One SV feel like a well put together device. Around the edges of the device are your standard ports; including a microSD slot, 3.5 mm audio jack and micro USB port.

Where HTC have compromised with the One SV, is with its display. When turning on the device you’re greeted to a 4.3 inch display sporting a WVGA 480×800 resolution. It’s grainy throughout and there are visible pixels that are easily identifiable on the bright home screen of the SV. Viewing angles are also extremely limited, but that’s forgettable with a device of this size.

The problem is most noticeable when viewing pictures and watching movies, which doesn’t bode well for the five megapixel camera included here. The camera is distinctly average in the daytime, but below par in low light conditions. One of the best features of the camera is that you can take 30 quick-fire shots in a matter of seconds, but once again the grainy quality spoils it. You can record in 1080p HD which is a massive plus for a mid-range device, and the 1800 mAh handles this feature well.

Despite the display, the One SV is very quick, and the Qualcomm dual-core processor handles most tasks well. Whether you’re browsing, downloading apps or simply just moving around the device, the processor handles it all very well. The accompanying 1GB of RAM might be a little disappointing to some, but caters for a smaller device like this well enough, and copes with basic multitasking without facing any software lag.

As with any HTC phone you’ll get their very own skin here in the form of Sense. The One SV ships with Android 4.0 and runs Sense 4.1, which is by far the best version of their custom skin yet, and there are some quality feature additions that the One SV can be proud of. Messaging has been vastly revamped, there are a new range of entertainment hubs for your files and the browser has had a few tweaks to improve general use. It isn’t up to the standard of the pure Android experience, but it’s making ground.

The main selling point of the One SV is the fact it’s one the first mid-range phones in the UK with 4G LTE support. Although the availability of 4G in the UK is still limited, it’s great to see cheaper devices getting 4G support. You’ll also find full NFC, DLNA and Bluetooth 4.0 capabilities in the One SV for those not lucky enough for 4G speeds just yet.

HTC has done a great job at pitching the One SV as a true mid-range device. It does lack in certain departments, mainly the display and camera, but it excels in others. Not only is it a superbly built device, it comes with the best version of Sense yet, and offers the average user a competitively priced chance at getting their hands on a 4G device for the first time.

The HTC One SV is on sale now via Clove.