The HTC flagship device for 2014, the HTC One (M8) was finally unveiled internationally yesterday. We posted some hands on images of the device earlier and now, here are our first impressions of the device.
The HTC One (M8) might just be the sleekest handset of the year. Its metallic form factor outshines almost every handset out there and even makes flagship handsets like the Samsung Galaxy S5, feel like a plastic slab.
The handset comes in three attractive colors and is as premium as it gets. The form factor is pretty sleek and the handset fits comfortably in the palm of your hand. Its metallic colors spell luxury. From the moment I saw the device, I couldn’t take my eyes off it. The only issue with this kind of design is even though it is just too fab to conceal in a flip cover, yet, it gets scratched pretty easily, putting you in quagmire.
HTC’s hyped Dot View covers don’t do the handset justice. In fact, I tried on out and it seemed like just any other flip cover. The sensitivity wasn’t too great.
The HTC One (M8) comes with 5-inch full HD screen. It works well, but in my opinion, it wouldn’t be able to stand up to quad HD handsets such as the Oppo Find 7. The screen otherwise is responsive, yet it gets smudged easily. It is protected by Corning Gorilla Glass, which lends a little stability to this seemingly fragile handset.
The HTC One M8 ships with Android 4.4 – KitKat OS and Sense 6.0 in tow. HTC claims that they have refurbished the Sense UI completely and made it lighter in comparison to previous Sense iterations. We didn’t notice too much of a difference, except maybe the BlinkFeed, that integrates keyword search now, letting you see everything available on a certain subject in your BlinkFeed itself. HTC plans to open up the BlinkFeed to third-party developers and will bring out its SDK soon. Otherwise, it is nothing revolutionary.
The device comes with a Snapdragon 801 processor inside along with 2 GB RAM, which ensures that its performing at an optimum level at all times. HTC claims that its 2600 mAh battery will perform 40 percent better in comparison to its predecessor.
The duo camera at the back functioned pretty great and is maybe the highlight of the device. It is pretty impressive. It comprises the main camera and the 4-megapixel accompanying depth sensor. It comes with some pretty cool functions. You can actually refocus anywhere the image, after you have taken pictures from the handset. Not just that you can copy and paste objects from two different images and create a single image out of the two. There are also a lot of special effects on board. HTC has told us that it would keep pouring in special effects even after the handset is launched.
The handset will be a 4G LTE one and it supports a wide range of LTE bands, making it a traveller’s ideal companion. We have to say that this will be a tempting handset for every one who can venture into the premium smartphone category.
Although HTC has not declared the Indian pricing for the handset, we expect it to be priced between 40-50K.
HTC One (M8) specs
- 5-inch display
- Full HD (1920x1080p) resolution
- 2.3/2.5 GHz Snapdragon 801 processor
- 2GB RAM
- 16/32GB internal storage
- microSD expansion
- UltraPixel Duo Camera
- Dual tone flash
- 2600 mAh battery
- 146 x 70.5 x 9.3mm
- 160 grams weight
- Android 4.4 KitKat with Sense 6.0
- 4G LTE / 3G HSPA+, WiFi 802.11 a/ac/b/g/n (2.4 and 5 GHz), Bluetooth 4.0 with aptX codec, MHL, NFC and GPS with GLONASS
If you would like to know more about the handset, read HTC One (M8): Everything you need to know.
