When Samsung launched its Galaxy S5 flagship back in April, HTC promised buyer’s remorse on the 25th of March.
As it had said, here it is the HTC One (M8) and yes, it still looks great. In fact, better than ever. But, will HTC One (M8) be able to defeat its arch rivals in probably the toughest battle the smartphone arena has seen in decades?
Let’s have a look what HTC One (M8) has got for you! Key specs at first.
Key Specs:
- Operating system – Android 4.4
- Processor – Quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 @ 2.3GHz
- RAM: 2GB
- Storage: 16/32GB (microSD expandable by up to 128GB)
- Screen: 5in LCD, 1920×1080 resolution (441ppi)
- Camera: 4.1UP and dedicated depth sensor rear, 5MP front
- Connectivity: 802.11a/b/g/n/ac, NFC, Bluetooth 4.0 with aptX
- Battery: 2600mAh
- Dimensions/weight: 146x71x9.4mm/160g
Design
When it comes to design, it’s hard to get wrong with HTC. This year’s One is more curved and civilized, having as much as 90% of its entire body made of metal.
It also has slimmer bezels, on-screen buttons at last and BoomSound speakers at the front, which are 25% louder. The phone will be available in Gray, Silver or Gold. It is not that big compared to the last year’s One, but still has a display 0.3″ larger.
Display
Talking about the display, like its competitors, the panel on HTC One (M8) is 1080p HD S-LCD3 with 441ppi density, which is fine as anything more is a bit of an overkill.
The display also has better colour reproduction and is Gorilla Glass 3-protected.
Hardware
Like any other flagship Android, the HTC One (M8) is a champion at handling stuff. With its latest Qualcomm 801 processor with 2 GB RAM and Adreno 330, expect games to reveal all of their glory on this phone.
Of course, thanks to customizations in KitKat, things will be even smoother, although, don’t expect lag to disappear completely.
Storage options include either 16 or 32 GB, both of which can be increased by up to 128 GB. 50 GB free Drive storage will be available too.
Camera(s)
The most-hyped feature of the entire phone was its double-camera setup at the back that now has a duo of 4MP UltraPixel cameras at the back with 2µm pixel size, which along with the front-facer take the total camera count to 3.
The second camera can’t actually be used to snap pictures, however, and acts merely as a depth sensor which takes photo-editing on a whole new level.
While it comes with a lot of tiny features, it is UFocus which will gather most attention. In this mode, the “main” lens captures photo while the secondary one takes care of the data. Later, the image can be refocused as per your wish, much like the amazing and useless Lytro camera.
There’s also a dual Flash, which just like the iPhone 5s’ unit, has two separate LEDs to give photos more natural lighting.
UltraPixel, which is great in low-light scenarios is still not up to the mark, though, so the HTC One (M8) won’t replace your point-and-shoot just yet.
The camera does 1080p video at 30fps, as well as 720p shooting at 30fps. There’s no 4K video which is a shame. The most puzzling thing is the presence of a higher-res. camera, 5 mp, on the front, however.
Software
HTC One (M8) comes pre-installed with Android 4.4.2 KitKat which is customized with the latest “Sixth Sense” which is, in fact, the Sense OS version 6.0.
The interface, as you would expect, is flatter. A swipe to the left takes you to BlinkFeed, HTC’s take on Flipboard. Double-tapping wakes up the phone while pressing the volume button in landscape from the lockscreen takes you to the camera app. There’s also a built-in universal remote app.
Extreme Power Saver is also an interesting feature which shuts down all but the basic functions of the phone when the battery is about to die. Zoe is also updated
Purists will still prefer the simplicity of a Nexus smartphone but this really is one of the better versions of Android on the market today.
Miscellaneous
HTC One (M8) uses 4G LTE, Wi-Fi 802.11ac, NFC, FM Radio, Bluetooth 4.0, IR Blaster and microUSB with USB-OTG for connectivity.
The battery capacity is set at 2,600 mAh, non-removable.
The phone will be available worldwide in the coming few weeks. Sales have already started in the US.
Pricing of the phone is set at $649. The Developers Edition will cost the same too but the Google Play edition will be $50 more expensive at $699.
So back to where we started: Is the new One good enough to beat its much bigger arch rivals on a smaller budget? The answer is difficult to give but the kind of design which is offered is certainly nowhere to be found, it’s truly phenomenal.
There is not much else which is really that ground-breaking but there shouldn’t be any doubt that the HTC One is a very capable bit of engineering.
