HTC One mini is another 4.3 inches smartphones in a vast category with a lot of options. HTC names the phone One mini to take the glory of the super phone to its smaller brother. But what’s the difference between HTC One and HTC One mini and is HTC One mini the best option on 4.3 inches? Here we are to rate the phones according to our famous AVC rating method and find the best solution for you.
HTC ONE MINI COMPARED TO HTC ONE
There are just three things that are the same on HTC One and HTC One mini, the camera, the width (and the design) and some software add ons from HTC. The two phones are really different in all other aspects. Let’s start from the beggining. The screen of the two phones is different as HTC One mini has a 4.3 inches screen compared to the bigger 4.7 inches screen of HTC One. The mini version has less pixels per inch than One (341 to 469). HTC One has the best screen of the market. HTC One mini has a great screen but not the same as his bigger brother. The camera is the same and you can find some useful apps for better shots like Zoe (for gif like shots) or the beautiful filters to apply on your shots. The processor is also slower on HTC One mini which has a dual core processor at 1.4GHz and 1GB of RAM compared to quad core monster at 1.7GHz with 2GB of RAM for HTC One. The battery is also smaller (1800mAh to 2300mAh) but the width remains the same (9.3mm) although HTC One mini is lighter (122g to 143g). HTC One mini was launched 5 months after HTC One so it has right from the start the 4.2 version of Android while HTC One has the 4.1 later updated to 4.2. There is also a huge gap on the price so it is normal that HTC One mini has less technical advantages than HTC One. It’s a matter of price. But let’s compare HTC One mini to other 4.3 inches phones.
HTC ONE MINI COMPARED TO ALL ANDROID SMARTPHONES
There are more than 12 smartphones with 4.3 inches screen right now on the market. Let’s comapre HTC One mini to them on different specs.
SCREEN
HTC One mini has a 4.3 inches screen with 341 pixels per inch and is one of the best screens you can find on this category. Sony Xperia S with 342PPI is the other phone with more than 300 pixels per inch. All the other phones have 256PPI or less so HTC One mini has a great screen. Comparing it to all Android smartphones, the screen is on the top 15 so you get a smaller portable device with a screen for videos, photos, browsing.
CAMERA
The 4MP camera is controversial because of the ultrapixel technology. The sensor lets more light so as to make better shots at low light conditions. This is true, the shots on darker rooms are good but is it enough? A 4MP camera is too small today. These days Sony Xperia Z1 was launched with a 20.7MP camera and most super phones have a 13MP camera. Even on the 4.3 iches category, most phones have an 8MP camera and Sony Xperia S has a 12MP camera. Maybe the 4MP HTC One mini camera will take better shots on dark rooms but when you try to zoom in on your pictures, all you get is pixels. It was a good try but I think that ultrapixel technology would be a great option if it was embed on a 8MP or 12MP camera. So we can’t call HTC One mini the best camera phone of the category.
PROCESSOR
HTC One mini has a dual core processor at 1.4GHz with 1GB of RAM. Only one phone on this category has 2GB of RAM, Samsung Galaxy S4 mini and all the others have 1GB of RAM so HTC makes no difference. The processor is new and fast but there are also other fast machines like Samsung Galaxy S4 mini (dual core at 1.7GHz), HTC One S (dual core at 1.7GHz) or Huawei Ascend P1 (dual core at 1.5GHz). HTC One mini is fast but not the fastest.
BATTERY
HTC One mini has a 1800mAh battery and some battery saver software like Power Saver that makes the battery last longer. We love these types of software as they give you options on the battery. You can also download an app that can do the same thing but it’s better to have such a software embed to your device. We also love big batteries and HTC One mini doesn’t offer this. LG L7ii has a giant battery of 2460mAh and LG Optimus F5 has a 2150mAh battery. There is also Samsung Galaxy S4 mini with 1900mAh and HTC One Sv with 1800 so there was room for a bigger battery on this device.
SOFTWARE
HTC One mini comes with Android 4.2 right from the start as it is a new device. Although Android 4.3 is on the market, HTC chooses an older version as most competitors have an even older version. Only Samsung Galaxy S4 mini has a 4.2 Android version right from the start. All other 4.3 inches devices have Android 4.1 or older. Of course some of them have been updated but sometimes updates are not good so we compare only versions installed on the phone when bought. You will also find some HTC apps like HTC Blinkfeed (a beautiful RSS feed for your home screen, HTC Zoe for better photo galleries etc)
SIZE
There are different phones with 4.3 inches screen, HTC One mini is one of the most beautiful because of the metal body and the innovative design. It’s not plastic, it’s metal and you can feel the difference when you compare it with another 4.3 inches device. This phone is even better than some stronger plastic devices. You need to hold it on your hands to understand the beauty. Although it is beautiful, it’s not as thin as other devices. HTC One mini is 9.3 while Huawei Ascend P1 is only 7.7mm, HTC One S 7.8mm and Samsung Galaxy SII Plus 8.5mm. HTC One mini weights 122g and there are lighter smartphones on the market like Samsung Galaxy S4 mini (107g), Huawei Ascend P1 (110g) or Samsung Galaxy S2 (116g). So HTC One mini is not the most thin nor the most light phone but it’s definitely the most beautiful.
DATE RELEASED
HTC One mini was realeased on August 2013 and it’s the newer device on 4.3 inches. In this category you can find some other new devices that were launched in May 2013 like Samsung Galaxy S4 mini, LG Optimus F5 and Sony Xperia L.
VIDEO REVIEW
VERDICT
HTC One mini is a beautiful phone. If you look at it you think it’s a copy of HTC One. But it is not. It’s a different phone. So it’s better to compare it with other similar phones at 4.3 inches. There the rating of HTC One mini (56.9) puts this phone on the middle. There are much better phones like Samsung Galaxy S4 mini (74.4), Samsung Galaxy SII Plus (65.6) or LG Optimus F5 (61.8) and even HTC One SV (59.6) but HTC One mini has a beautiful design, the latest Android version and the HTC software package that makes this phone unique.
Should I buy this phone?
1. If you want a beautiful device at 4.3 inches HTC One mini is your choice
2. If you want the best phone your money can buy at 4.3 inches, choose Samsung Galaxy S4 mini
3. If you want to watch movies and you need the best screen at 4.3 inches, HTC One mini is one good choice with a fair price.
COMPARISON CHART
| Spec | HTC One mini | Compared to: | with spec: | Score | Buy now: |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Width | 9.3 | Sony Xperia Z Ultra | 6.5 | 58% | |
| Weight | 122 | HTC Desire C | 100 | 78% | |
| Screen PPI | 341 | HTC One | 469 | 73% | |
| Camera MP | 4 | Nokia Pureview | 41 | 10% | |
| 2nd Camera | 1.6 | Sony Xperia Z | 2.2 | 73% | |
| Processor | 2 * 1.4 | Samsung Galaxy Note 3 | 8 * 1.9 | 18% | |
| RAM MB | 1000 | Samsung Galaxy Note 3 | 3000 | 33% | |
| Battery mAh | 1800 | Huawei Ascend Mate | 4050 | 44% | |
| Android | 4.2 | Google Nexus 4 | 4.3 | 83% | |
| Release Date | 2013-08 | - | Today | 96% | |
| Our view | 60% | - | 100% | 60% | |
| AVC rating method | Total Rating | 56.9% | Best price |