HTC One M8 mobile review

HTC has always done its bit to exude elegance and premiumness with its devices in the form of One series. It started with the One X and continues to remain part of the company's ethos with the newly formed One M8. Flagship devices need to carry its persona and that's exactly what you get with the M8.

Epitomises class and quality

The M8 comes built over brushed metallic body that is rounded on the edges and has its own set of curves that makes holding the phone quite an experience even for a big size device as this. You have the grill speakers on the front that were first seen on One last year but this you the BoomSound make covering the audio aspect. That said, the finishing tends to make the M8 slightly slippery. The display is bordered with sleek bezel that makes it look bigger than it actually is and undoubtedly a stunner.

As good as it gets

The M8 (strange branding from HTC) sports a 5.1 inch full HD display that offers crisp colors, bright contours that do not look saturated and excellent viewing angles thanks to the curved nature of the M8. The slick Sense 6.0 UI running over Android 4.4.2 KitKat nicely compliments the smooth touch interface on the M8 and adds to the elegance of M8 on the software front quite admirably. The phone weighs at 160 grams which is definitely on the higher side if compared to Samsung Galaxy S5 (145 grams) and slightly lighter than Sony Xperia Z2 (163 grams). You also have the option of expanding the 16 GB storage up to 128 GB via microSD slot on the left.

Sleek and efficient performer

The M8 comes powered with the latest Snapdragon 801 chipset from Qualcomm clubbed with 2 GB RAM. What this promises is stable, powerful and consistent performance from the phone that shows no sign of lagging down or even heats up to boiling levels either. The phone supports Nano-SIM so better get your cutters in place. The phone comes with Corning Glass 3 display that is durable and sturdy enough for the most demanding conditions. Sadly, you do not get the water or dust resistance assurance on the M8. As you can see below, the M8 clearly outperforms both Galaxy S5 and Xperia Z2. The other notable aspect about M8 is the phone's capability to mould its performance according to your needs. You have the Power Saver mode that has become paramount for such high-powered devices. Even then, the M8 will easily last you a day with normal usage thanks to the 2800 mAh battery and other handy options.

We have seen that before

One thing that HTC has clearly not improved on is the camera part. M8 is fitted with the same 4 MP camera that was found on the One. It delivers same imaging quality but with help of dual LED the images clicked offer better color output. Infact probably for the first time we have bigger front snapper than the back one. The phone comes with dual-camera wherein the other one is primarily meant to function as a depth sensor that delivers crisp detailed images. You have some new additions like u-Focus, where the subject on focus can be altered (only in long range shots) and Background changer are some nifty options that more or less sound gimmicky and less purposeful. In simple words, the camera comes nowhere close to current competition which at this price is quite unwarranted.