HTC ONE M8 Smartphone review

HTC this year launched One M8 and it promises to carry HTC’s persona one step ahead.

Epitomises class and quality - M8 comes with a 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 with its large size. You have the grill speakers on the front that were first seen on One last year but this time with M8 you have the BoomSound speakers taking care of the audio aspect. 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 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. 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 - 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 neither shows signs of lagging down nor heats up. 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. You have the Power Saver mode that has become paramount for such high-powered devices. Even then, M8 will easily last you a day with normal usage thanks to the 2800 mAh battery.

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. In simple words, the camera comes nowhere close to current competition which at this price is quite unwarranted.

Bottomline: HTC One M8 is a real beauty that comes with long battery life and good speakers but the cameras are a big letdown.

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Price: RS 49,900

Key Specs:

5.1 inch full HD display, quad-core Snapdragon 801 CPU, 2 GB RAM, 4 MP rear and 5 MP front cameras, dual LED, 2800 mAh battery

Pros:

Excellent display, Top notch design and built, Efficient performer,

Long battery life

Cons:

Average cameras, Non-dust and water resistant

S. Aadeetya