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HTC One M8 Hands on, Quick Review, Photos and Video

HTC today announced its latest flagship smartphone, HTC One M8 globally and at the India launch event, we got to see firsthand what HTC is offering with the evolved HTC One. Most of the hardware had already leaked in prolific leaks prior to the launch, so there weren’t many surprised which caught us off guard, but HTC still managed some features which weren’t much detailed in earlier leaks.

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HTC One M8 Quick Specs

  • Display Size: 5 Inch Full HD IPS LCD, 1920 x 1080 resolution, 441 PPI, Corning Gorilla Glass 3
  • Processor: 2.3 GHz Quad Core MSM8974AB 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: 4 MP Ultra pixel duo cam,dual true tone LED flash, 1080p video Recording at 30 fps, 720p @ 60fps
  • Secondary Camera: 5.0 MP, 1080p recording at 30 fps
  • Internal Storage:  16 GB, 32 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

2014 HTC One M8 Hands on Review, Camera, Features, Price, Comparison, Software and Full Overview[Video]

Design and Build Quality

HTC One M8 does borrow from the design language of its predecessor but with closer look, you will notice several differences. The phone is 90 percent metal and has more rounded edges compared to its predecessor which gives it a polished and comfortable look and feel. The back is mostly similar to the predecessor and the metallic back carries forward to the front with a very smooth bend, making it look even more premium than its predecessor. The dual front stereo speakers which we loved in HTC One M7 are also present in HTC One M8

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The SLCD3 Display is 5 inches in size and and feature 1080p full HD resolution. The colors, viewing angles and brightness are all one of the best that we have seen in flagship devices. The super LCD 3 displays (SLCD3) eliminate gap between outer glass and display element which leads to enhanced brightness and low power consumption. The display is also protected by Corning Gorilla Glass 3.

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Camera and Internal Storage

The duo cam feature is quite interesting and is something we could see as a day to day part of smartphone photography experience. Though all flagship phones after Nokia Lumia 1520 incorporate this feature, HTC One M8 has integrated it better than most others.

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HTC incorporates a second camera at the back which acts as depth sensor and the combined work lets you refocus images after you have clicked them. The rear camera is the same 4 MP Ultra pixel camera which proved to be a significant improvement over last generation when we tested it in low light conditions.

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The ultra pixel technology uses fewer but larger (2 Micrometer) pixels for better low light performance. Low light pictures from last generation HTC One were pretty good but the camera lacked in details in full light condition. We didn’t get to test the full light performance extensively but low light shots looked great on the HTC One M8 5 inch full HD display. The front 5 MP camera can be used for high definition video chat.

The internal storage is 16 GB or 32 GB according to the variant you choose and MicroSD support is also present for up to 128 GB, so it will suffice for basic and power users alike. For those who like to live on cloud, HTC will offer 65 GB Google drive storage as well.

Battery, OS and Chipset

The battery capacity is 2600 mAh and according to HTC it will last 40 percent longer than HTC One 2013, which means you can extract a comfortable one day usage on a single charge. The HTC One M8 can be charged to 80 percent in just one hour which will solve most of your battery woes. An extreme power saving mode is also present which can make HTC One M8 last for 30 hours on a 10 percent battery.

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The software is Android 4.4.2 KitKat with HTC Sense UI on top. The App drawer can be customized and can display recent apps or can follow alphabetical order. The new Blink feed 2.0 is also more customizable.

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The phone is integrated with fitbit app for fitness tracking and comes with built in always on power saving activity tracking sensor. Your scores will be displayed in a blink feed widget and you can also compete with friends. Other features include image search, slow motion video, easy mode, kid mode, HTC Boom sound and enhanced HTC Sense TV to name a few.

The Chipset used is the latest Snapdragon 801 with four Krait 400 cores clocked at 2.3 GHz and supported by 2 GB RAM and Adreno 330 GPU. We didn’t find any lag what so ever in the device and a set of leaked benchmark scores for the phone also seem promising. We will comment more on that later after our full review.

HTC One M8 Photo Gallery

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Conclusion

HTC One was a sturdy aluminum body smartphone and HTC One M8 is better. HTC has improved on all the shortcoming and the camera department has especially improved a lot. The phone was really impressive and premium and will provide you with snappy first class android experience. 4K recording is missing and so is the finger print sensor, but honestly we don’t see that to be a deal breaker at all, since 4K displays are still rare phenomenon. If HTC Manage to price it right (Specially when Galaxy S5 is expected to be priced lower than S4 launch price), this phone has the potential to prove its metal among this generation flagships like Samsung Galaxy S5 and Sony Xperia Z2. HTC One M8 will be available in India starting from third week of April 2014.

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Deepak Singh

The Author spent a significant chunk of his formative years resisting technology. He now keeps an eye on where the world is heading to, and drives a passive pleasure from this indulgence. His passion to write, learn and improve drives him each day. When his day ends, he enjoys the pleasant languor and detoxifies with family. You can connect with him on and Twitter