People don’t often appreciate the effort that Santa puts into stuffing socks with presents on Xmas day. It’s an epic collaboration between elves, deer, and the big man himself. Similarly, you’ve seen HTC One phones in pictures and admired their speed and beauty. Aren't you just a little bit curious about what's behind the phones' sleek and tough exterior, and how they came to be? We have three words for you: Micro. Arc. Oxidation. Ugh, what?

According to HTC, the Micro Arc Oxidation treatment that the company is using for the exterior of HTC One S produces a material that is stronger than stainless steel. Just how strong? About three times the steel's strength and durability. HTC sticks to aircraft grade aluminum for the base of the material, but, for good measure, they fire a shocking 10,000 volts of energy into the One S' back plate, in order to change its molecular structure. It’s practically like subjecting the plate to lightning strikes.

The Micro Arc Oxidation process is also known as a high voltage spark treatment, and it's used in the transportation, chemical, biomedical, textile, and aerospace industry. The tremendous hardness of MAO-ed aluminum makes it safe to say that your HTC One S phone won’t be troubled by scratches or corrosion. In fact, HTC claims you won't need a case anymore. It is that good of a technology.

You’ve seen the result and probably love it. Well, some of you. It’s a nice departure from the usual aluminum, plastic, glass, or ceramic exterior that modern smartphones are using.

Just a reminder – the HTC One series consists of the HTC One X, One S, and One V. The One X comes with Nvidia Tegra 3 quad-core 1.5GHz processor, a 4.7-inch HD screen, 8MP front-camera with f/2.0 lens, and a 1.3MP rear-camera. The One S sports a dual-core processor and a spacious 4.3-inch display. As for the One V, you’ll get single-core 1GHz processor, a 3.7-inch display, and the same external appearance as the HTC Legend.

The awesome oxidized skin is only available on the HTC One S, the mid-ranger in HTC's new One series. The top of the line One X sports a cheaper polycarbonate shell, which is odd, until you think that the One X comes with NFC and the aluminum shell would be a barrier for microwaves. Tough luck, One X owners!