HTC one E8 launched today for 34,990 INR brings the flagship HTC One M8 performance to a lower price range and is perhaps the only phone selling 2.5 GHz Snapdragon 801 chipset at this price range in India. Even Samsung Galaxy S5 selling for the same price after several price cuts offers Exynos octa chipset in India. So what compromises have HTC made to provide flagship experience at subsidized price? Not many.
HTC One E8 Quick Specs
- Display Size: 5 Inch Full HD IPS LCD, 1920 x 1080 resolution, 441 PPI, Corning Gorilla Glass 3
- Processor: 2.5 GHz Quad Core MSM8974AC Snapdragon 801 processor with Adreno 330 GPU clocked at 578 MHz
- RAM: 2 GB
- Software Version: Android 4.4 KitKat with HTC Sense 6.0 on top
- Camera: 13 MP , 1080p video Recording at 30 fps
- Secondary Camera: 5.0 MP, 1080p recording at 30 fps
- Internal Storage: 16 GB
- External Storage: MicroSD support up to 128 GB
- Battery: 2600 mAh
- Sensors: proximity, Compass, Barometer, Accelerometer
- Connectivity: 4G LTE, HSPA+, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth 4.0 with A2DP, aGPS, GLONASS, NFC, USB OTG
Design, Build and Display
The beautiful brushed metal design in HTC One M8 has been replaced with great quality polycarbonate casing, which makes HTC One E8 look slightly chunky, but its still pleasurable to the eyes. The Grey variant comes with matte finish back while, the white and red color variants will come with a glossy back.
The rear side with dual curve ergonomic design fits nicely in hand. The front side on the other hand resembles HTC One M8, you won’t be able to tell the difference at first between the two placed side by side. The front is also enhanced by beautiful 5 inch full HD display with great colors, viewing angles and excellent brightness. This is definitely one of the best displays you can ask for in this price range.
Processor and RAM
The Chipset used is the latest Snapdragon 801 with four Krait 400 cores clocked at 2.5 GHz and supported by 2 GB RAM and Adreno 330 GPU. This is perhaps the best smartphone chipset you can buy today and is capable of handling anything that you throw at it.
Compared to Snapdragon 800, it features significant increase in GPU clock frequency (578 MHz vs 450 MHz), higher ISP frequency. It also replaces 4.5 with eMMC 5 for better memory management.
Camera and Internal Storage
Instead of Ultrapixel Duo Cam, HTC One E8 comes with a 13 MP sensor at the rear, which is a very good performer. The camera performance was similar to what we saw on HTC Desire 816. Compared to HTC One M8, the camera is slightly slower. You can record full HD 1080p videos at 30 fps. The front 5 MP selfie camera can also shoot 1080p full HD videos.
Internal storage is 16 GB and can be augmented by another 128 GB using MicroSD card slot. This is enough storage to keep everyone happy.
HTC One E8 Camera Samples
User Interface and Battery
Software is Android 4.4 Kitkat with HTC Sense 6 UI on top. Since HTC has confirmed Android L update for HTC One M8, you can expect the same for HTC One E8 as well as the software is same on both devices. HTC Sense 6 poses a simpler look compared to HTC Sense 5.5, you can douple tap to unlock homescreen, make use of pre-installed fitbit app, pause videos while capture and can also take advanatage of several fun features in HTC Camera app.
Battery capacity is 2600 mAh and HTC claims 504 hours of 3G standby time and 26 hours of 3G talktime, which If true will suffice for good user experience. We will know for sure after we spend some more time with the device.
HTC One E8 Photo Gallery
Conclusion
HTC Desire E8 is a decent polycarbonate alternative to HTC One M8 which is one of the best smartphones in present times. HTC hasn’t made any grave compromises with the user experience. Even at the launch price, HTC One E8 looks like a good deal with great display, comfortable Android skin and 2.5 GHz Snapdragon 801 Chipset. HTC One E8 will be available in India by end of July 2014 for 34,990 INR.
