HTC launched the new One. It is called One M8 and let’s say for start that is a strange name for a device. It’s also strange to see a premium device with a 4MP camera. Even if it is a dual one. We love HTC One and the new One is better than the old one so there was no doubt that we will love the new One. But the competition is strong. HTC One M8 was on the top of the list for just a month before Sony Xperia Z2 was launched. It looses a lot of points from the camera (4MP dual to 20.7MP of Sony Xperia Z2) and the RAM (2GB to 3GB). HTC’s camera is a game changing choice or a wrong strategic pace? Let’s compare HTC One M8 to other devices to see.
SCREEN
HTC One M8 has a 5 inches Full HD IPS screen with 441PPI. 0.3 inches bigger than HTC One it has the size most premium phones have. The competition is strong at these inches and 5 phones have 441PPI at 5 inches (Sony Xperia Z1s, Samsung Galaxy S4, Sony Xperia Z1, Sony Xperia Z and Sony Xperia ZL. Of course there are some phones with more pixels like Google Nexus 5 (445PPI) and Huawei Ascend D2 (443PPI) but these differences are not noticeable naked eye. Corning Gorilla Glass 3 makes this screen stronger and the sunlight contrast ratio is average. I love the screen, it’s one of the best.
CAMERA
The main camera of the phone is the biggest controversy of the device. HTC insisted on a 4MP camera sensor. Of course here we have a second camera to collect distance data and add a special effect to our photos. That’s great. I liked the camera on HTC One, even if the MP are low, the final result is great. And there are no problems with the video. The problems are starting when you watch the photos on a bigger screen than that of your phone. When the competition has 20.7MP and 41MP cameras, it’s hard to convince anybody that a premium phone can have a 4MP camera. Even if this is the case for One M8. One other strange thing is the second camera, the front one, which is 5MP (bigger than the main camera). This is called a selfie camera and it’s the first smartphone with a front snapper of higher resolution than the back one. I like 3D like photos with this extra layer of depth and the new autofocus system is extremely fast. The camera menu is brand new and you can take selfies, dual capture (with both cameras) and Zoe for moving photos (gif). It’s a pity you can’t take 4K video recording but there is a clever new accelerometer-based trick that allows you to start the camera directly even if the the phone is locked in standby mode.
PROCESSOR
HTC One M8 is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 chipset with 2.3GHz quad-core Krait 400 CPU and Adreno 330 GPU. It’s one of the fastest phones of the market. Whatever you choose to do, it is done instantly. Of course the competition is strong too. Sony Xperia Z2 is strong too and also the new Samsung devices. HTC One M8 has 2GB of RAM. We wish it had 3GB as Sony Xperia Z2 and Samsung Galaxy Note 3. RAM is as crucial as the processor in the long term as we use our phones more and more.
BATTERY
HTC One M8 has a 2600mAh battery. It’s not the biggest battery of the market, not even the biggest of the category. You can find 3000mAh battery phones at 5 inches like Sony Xperia Z1s and of course bigger batteries in bigger phones like the 3200mAh battery of Sony Xperia Z2 (5.2inches) and the 2800mAh battery of Samsung Galaxy S5 (5.1inches). HTC One M8 lasts for a day and we should be happy about that. We are not. You can find Extreme Power Saving mode to make the battery last longer.
SOFTWARE
HTC put the latest Android version on HTC One M8 so you can find Android 4.4 right from the beginning. The company also updated the Sense UI with some details that may be useful. You can fully remove Blinkfeed from the first screen and you can wake up your device by tapping on the screen twice. It’s a really useful feature first found on LG G2 (Knock On) that HTC implemented on HTC One M8. Sony Xperia Z2 and Google Nexus 5 have also the latest Android version, Sony has a lot of apps and customizations too, Nexus 5 is too empty. So HTC One M8 and Sense is one of the most useful Android versions found on a device.
SIZE & DESIGN
The design remains extremely beautiful. Even better than the first HTC One as there is more metal. HTC added a microSD card slot but the battery is not user-replaceable. The thickness is 9.3mm and the body weighs 160 grams. The stereo speakers make the phone music loud and the design is something people will notice. Of course you can find lighter and thinner devices but not as beautiful as HTC One M8.
VIDEO REVIEW
VERDICT
If you love HTC devices, HTC One M8 is your device. It is better than any other device HTC ever made. The new Sense UI adds some stuff we wanted and the processor is fast, the screen is great and the front camera is bigger than any other front camera (selfies fans will be happy). But what about the main camera? It has a lot of add ons but the 4 megapixels are 4 megapixels. When you zoom in a lot you lose some details but the photos look great from your phone. Overall it’s one of the best devices ever made. And one of the best options if you want the best of the best.
COMPARISON CHART
Spec | HTC One M8 | Compared to: | with spec: | Score |
---|---|---|---|---|
Width | 9.4 | Huawei Ascend P6 | 6.2 | 48% |
Weight | 160 | HTC Desire C | 100 | 40% |
Screen PPI | 441 | HTC One | 469 | 94% |
Camera MP | 8 | Nokia Lumia 1020 | 41 | 20% |
2nd Camera | 5 | HTC One M8 | 5 | 100% |
Processor | 4 * 2.3 | Samsung Galaxy Note 3 | 8 * 1.9 | 61% |
RAM MB | 2000 | Samsung Galaxy Note 3 | 3000 | 67% |
Battery mAh | 2600 | Huawei Ascend Mate | 4050 | 64% |
Android | 4.4 | Google Nexus 5 | 4.4 | 100% |
Release Date | 2014-03 | - | Today | 97% |
Our view | 85% | - | 100% | 85% |
AVC rating method | Rated: 04/16/14 | Best price | Total Rating | 70.5% |