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HTC One (M8) an uplifting 4G phone
The HTC One (M8) is now available and while it had some big shoes to fill it’s certainly managed it, by improving on the original HTC One in almost every conceivable way.
It’s hard to imagine a more beautiful phone than last year’s HTC One, but the One (M8) manages it. The design is similar, with a brushed aluminium unibody, but now there’s even less plastic breaking up the lines, giving the impression of an almost uninterrupted slice of metal.
It really is a sight to behold but it’s more than just a pretty face as the HTC One M8 also has a lot of power tucked away beneath that premium shell. It uses a 2.3 GHz quad-core Snapdragon 801 processor and 2GB of RAM, putting it right up there with the most powerful phones around and ensuring that nothing slows it down.
Smarter camera
The camera has got a whole lot smarter too as while HTC has stuck with the 4 Ultrapixel sensor of the original One, it’s added a second sensor to the mix. That latter sensor isn’t actually for taking photos as such but it judges the depth of an image and lets you do some nifty tricks like changing the focus of a shot after you’ve taken it.
The front camera has also been improved, getting a big upgrade to 5 megapixels, making the HTC One (M8) one of the best phones around for self shots and video calls.
The HTC One (M8) bumps the screen size up to 5 inches and packs the same Boomsound speakers into the front of the handset. Except they’re not quite the same as this time around they’re louder and deliver a deeper, richer sound.
It rocks a new version of HTC’s Sense interface, Sense 6 to be precise, which makes HTC’s already attractive overlay even better looking and more intuitive than ever.
The battery has been improved too, leading to an impressive 40 percent longer life than the HTC One (M7).
Of course it also comes with the latest version of Android (4.4 KitKat) and the microSD card slot that was so sorely missed on the HTC One (M7).
HTC One M8 Review
We are planning to undertake our HTC One M8 review at the earliest opportunity. Meanwhile you may like to check out our other 4G phone reviews.Price and availability
The HTC One (M8) is out now and can be bought SIM free in grey, silver or gold from around £500, making it one of the most expensive phones around, but then this is a flagship and a luxurious one at that so that’s to be expected. It’s also available on a range of tariffs through Carphone Warehouse, Phones4U, Vodafone, EE, O2 and Three.
First thoughts
The HTC One (M8) is undoubtedly an amazing phone. It has a stunning design, high end specs and an innovative camera setup along with an improved battery and the best smartphone speakers around.
But it doesn’t exist in a vacuum. Outside of the camera there’s not much innovation here and while the dual sensor setup is interesting we can’t help but wish that HTC had upped the megapixel count.
The Samsung Galaxy S5 and Sony Xperia Z2 also give the HTC One (M8) a run for its money in the power stakes, not to mention the fact that they’re both water and dust resistant, which the One (M8) isn’t.
It’s probably the best looking phone on the planet but Apple’s iPhone 5S certainly gives it a run for its money, with its much sleeker and similarly premium build.
So whether the HTC One (M8) is the best phone on the market or not is a tough call, but the fact that that’s even a consideration means that it’s one that we can wholeheartedly recommend.
HTC One (M8) full specs
• 5-inch 1080p display (1920*1080 pixels)
• 146 x 70.6mm x 9.4mm (160g)
• 2.3Ghz quad-core processor
• 2GB RAM
• 16/32GB Onboard storage (microSD support)
• Dual-rear cameras (Ultrapixel)
• 5 mega-pixel front-facing camera
• 2,600mAh Battery
• Android KitKat with HTC Sense 6.0
• WiFi, NFC, Bluetooth 4.0, DLNA, 3G and 4G LTE
• Colours: Gunmetal Grey, Silver and Amber Gold
