Category: HTC

What the iPhone 6 Needs to Take on The HTC One M8

Ever since its release, the HTC One M8 has been one of the most admired flagships. With its aluminum unibody metallic design, the phone announces its distinguished class. Now HTC has decided that it will be giving LTE support to the One M8, making the phone future proof and a serious contender for a good while.

Now we see what the next version of the Apple iPhone needs to have to take on the HTC One M8.

Display:

The HTC One comes with a spectacular 441 ppi display

The HTC One M8 comes with a 441 ppi dense 1080p HD screen, with Corning Gorilla Glass 3. In comparison, the iPhone, with its bigger sized display is speculated to come with a Sapphire Glass, which is one of the toughest glass out there. The glass is literally capable of surviving not just key chain scratches, but a full on knife assault.

Design:

Now here’s an impressive update for you. Apple has won a patent to make a casing of the Sapphire Glass. This might just be for the next iPhone outing. Unlike the glass design on the iPhone 4S, this one will be an unbreakable version and will prevent your precious iPhone and your emotional stability from shattering. According to the abstract on the patent document, the design might have multiple glass pieces fused together for overall protection of internal components.

The next Iphone might be entirely made of Sapphire glass casing.

In comparison, HTC’s Aluminum casing is one of its most appreciated features. Apple will own the flagship casing fight if they integrate Sapphire Glass casing, but that will raise the price of the device significantly.

HTC has also evolved their dual speaker Boomsound feature quite efficiently on the HTC One M8. Also special mention should go the Dot Cover as its visually appealing.

Camera:

With its dual camera feature, HTC has pioneered selective focus ability in the smartphone space. The phone also gives a brilliant software support to its camera system. Though some of the features are a bit gimmicky, but the average user will be able to add some incredible effects on their photos.

With the iOS 8 update the iPhone will get new composition tools, easy adjustment features, new filters and editing tools, and the best of all is a Time-lapse feature. After the slow-motion update in the previous generation, time lapse seems like the next logical step for the iPhone to take.

Software:

Inter connectivity with OSX is the cornerstone of iOS 8

HTC has announced that the HTC One M8 will be one of the first devices, along with some more from the HTC family, to get the Android L update. The L comes with significant visual overhaul along with many functional changes making the system a lot more user friendly.

Apple, on the other hand, has packed the iOS 8 with some visionary features. The revamped notification center would make your life easier as you can access to all your important updates at one place. The interconnectivity features between the iOS and OSX devices are pioneering, and we saw Google showcasing something similar between the Android phones and Chromebooks.

Battery:

As the HTC One M8 will be one of the first devices don the Android L apparel, it will be the beneficiary of project Volta. With this new feature developers will be able to extend the life of the battery considerably. The 2600 mAh battery on the One M8, gives a day’s worth of charge but the web browsing coupled with the giant screen drains out the battery real fast.

iPhones batteries have always faced criticism for their dispiriting performance. Recently Samsung took a shot at iPhone users and called them “wall huggers.” Apple conceded and agreed that some of its phones faced reduced battery life. Now it’s to see if Apple makes the correction in the latest version, or the wall huggers will again be on their quest to find the charging sockets.

Conclusion:

Overall, with increased screen size and hopefully better battery backup, the iPhone 6 will be capable of taking on the HTC One M8. HTC might hit back with a better user interface using the new Android L. On the software front though both OS are competitive with Apple getting the advantage for its better interconnectivity feature with the OSX. Even if you don’t have a Mac OSX device, the iOS would be suitable as a standalone device too. HTC should definitely gear up for the upcoming war.

July 16, 2014
HTC Releases The One E8 and Desire 616 in India

Barely a few months after releasing some great devices, HTC is back today with two new phones, The Desire 616 and the HTC One E8. Both phones are Dual Sim capable and have Blinkfeed.

The HTC Desire 616 is a premium looking package at a mid segment price.

The Desire 616 has a 1.4 GHz Octa Core Mediatek processor with 1 GB RAM. The display is a 5 inch capacitive screen with 294ppi pixel density. Surprisingly the phone only has 4GB of internal storage though it is expandable up to 32 GB. The main camera on the phone is an 8 MP shooter capable of shooting 1080p HD videos. The front camera is a 2MP selfie shooter which is capable of 720 video, so video bloggers are in for a treat. The phone is powered by a 2000 mAh battery. The phone runs on Android 4.2.2 (Jellybean).

The Red is definitely a bold color choice from HTC One E8

The One E8 on the other hand is a fashion edition of the HTC flagship series. It has a 5 inch Super LOCD 3 display with a beautiful 441 ppi pixel density. The phone gets its processing power from a 2.5 GHz Snapdragon 801. The RAM stands at 2 GB. The phone gets its juice from a non-removable 2600 mAh battery, same as the M8. Internal storage on this device is 16 GB, which is expandable up to 128 GB. The main camera on the E8 is a 13 MP and the front camera is a 5 MP shooter. Both cameras are capable of shooting 1080p videos. The E8 runs on 4.4.2 (Kitkat).

The phones come in multiple color options which add a youthful aspect to the phones and considering the launch prices, HTC definitely plans to reach out to the youth with these devices. The Desire 616 is priced at 16,990 whereas the HTC One E8 is being shipped at 34,990 for the Indian market.

July 11, 2014
Breaking : Google Nexus 8 spotted on Indian Import Manifest

Is this the next Nexus tablet the Nexus 8 being shipped to India? The import database shows a Nexus 8 prototype (marked as being similar to Nexus 7) shipped from USA to Bangalore via Air shipment.

No information is let out on the specifications of the device, but here are a few things we do get to know, the Nexus 8 is real and will be 8 inches, the price is estimated to be between Rs. 18,000-20,000 keeping in mind previous similar leaks and final pricing.

The manifest makes the tablet as “similar to the Nexus 7” possibly to make it easier for customs to release the device with whatever fixed charges they might have for an already established unit.

In conversation with HTC’s Faisal Siddiqui , he was mum on their work in tablets, unlike previous occasions when HTC would continue to reinforce that “they are a mobile phone company”.

Either way, with an estimated under Rs. 20,000 price for the entry level variant , an 8 inch tablet built by HTC sounds more promising. Even more than the Google Nexus 7 of 2013

July 8, 2014
Another Moto G Competitor Launched, Meet The HTC Desire 516
The new HTC Desire 516 Dual Sim secretly went online in eBay for Rs 13,302. Now, the Taiwanese vendor has officially launched the phone in the country for Rs 14,200. Well, availability of this device will certainly spice up the already crowded segment.

The HTC Desire 516 is equipped with Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean skinned with HTC Sense UI v5.1 and is a Dual Sim Smartphone that will give though competition to the Moto G. The handset that is already available in China, runs on Snapdragon 200 SoC with quad-core 1.2 GHz Cortex-A7 processor and a Adreno 302 GPU with 1 GB of RAM.

Desire 516 sports a 5-megapixel rear camera with LED flash and backside-illuminated sensor (BSI), while it also houses a 2-megapixel front-facing camera. The HTC Desire 516 packs a 1950mAh battery that is rated to deliver up to 9 hours of talk time with no word on standby time.

The smartphone will be available in Black and White colour variants only. It comes with dimensions 140x72x9.7mm and weighs 160 grams. The Desire 516 is currently on sale at eBay and was first spotted by Maktech blog.

The company had also launched Desire 816 in May through Flipkart in India at Rs. 24,450. Well, the new device has a direct competition with Moto G. Moto G is priced at INR 12,499, and is equipped with 4.5 inches HD Display, 1.2 GHz Snapdragon 400 quad-core processor. 1 GB RAM, 8 GB or 16 GB Internal Storage, 5MP rear and 1.3MP front camera and runs on Android 4.4.2 KitKat.

Key Features of HTC Desire 516 –
- 5-inch Capacitive Touchscreen Display (540 x 960 pixels)
- Android v4.2.2 (Jelly Bean) OS
- 1.2 GHz, Quad core, Qualcomm QSC6270
- Adreno 302
- 1 GB RAM, 4GB Internal Memory (expandable upto 32GB via microSD card)
- 5 MP Primary Camera with LED Flash, 2 MP Secondary Camera
- Dual SIM, GSM+GSM
- GPRS, EDGE, 3G, HSDPA, Wi-Fi 802.11, b/g/n, Bluetooth, A-GPS, GPS, USB Connectivity
- 1950 mAH Battery
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June 26, 2014

The Android War : Gionee S5.5 Vs HTC Desire 816 Vs Sony Xperia M2 Vs Micromax Canvas Gold

Android market has come up with some of the best devices this season. The flagship Android segment has always been on war, and these four are in their most bloody mood. HTC Desire 816, Micromax Canvas Gold, Gionee S5.5 and Sony Xperia M2 are the front runner in the INR 20-25,000 category.

The international brands Sony and HTC have been challenged quite effectively by the domestic contenders Micromax and Gionee. Let’s have a quick blow by blow of where each phone bests its opponents.

Phone	Gionee S5.5	HTC Desire 816	Sony Xperia M2	Micromax Canvas Gold
Price	INR 21,500	INR 23,990	INR 19,300	INR 21,799
Operating System	Android (4.2)	Android (4.4)	Android (4.3)	Android(4.4.2)
Display	5 inches Screen Type: Super AMOLED Capacitive Touch Screen Details: 16M Colors Screen: 1920 X 1080	5.5 inches Screen Type: Super LCD2 Capacitive Touch Screen Details: 16M Colors Screen: 1280 X 720	4.8 inches Screen Type: TFT capacitive touchscreen Details: 16M Colors Screen: 960 X 540	5.50 inches Screen type Capacitive Resolution 1080×1920 pixels
Camera	13 MPTouch Focus, Face & Smile Detection	13 MP Geo-Tagging, Touch Focus, Face Detection, Simultaneous HD Video and Image Recording, HDR	8 MP Geo-Tagging, Touch Focus, Face and Smile Detection, Image Stabilization, HDR, Panorama	16 MP Architecture, Electronic Image Stabilization, Cheese, Burst, Face Beauty Mode, Live Photo Mode, Auto Gesture Mode, HDR Mode
CPU	1.7 GHz MediaTek MT6592, Octa-Core	1.6 GHz Qualcomm MSM8928 Snapdragon 400, Cortex-A7, Quad Core	1.2 GHz Qualcomm MSM8226-0 Snapdragon 400, Cortex-A7, Quad Core	2 GHz octa-core MediaTek MT6592T processor
RAM	2 GB	1.5 GB	1GB	2GB
Internal Storage	16 GB	8 GB	8 GB	32GB
Battery	2300 mAh, Non-Removable, Lithium-Ion	2600 mAh, Non-Removable, Lithium-Ion	Polymer 2300 mAh, Non-Removable, Lithium-Ion	Li-Polymer 2300 mAh, Removable, Lithium-Ion

All phones are the best their manufactures offer in this price category. Gionee certainly gets an extra point for its ultra slim S5.5, but Desire 816’s build quality steals the show. The new Micromax Gold offers a 16MP camera with a wide range of features it doesn’t have much competition against the 13MP in S5.5 and Desire 816; and the 8MP in Xepria M2. Also, the Micromax Gold champagne-colored body makes it a great looker, with 32 GB of internal storage and 2 GB RAM. In the end, the efficiency of the device is based on the needs of the user.

June 23, 2014

The Plastic HTC E8 One Officially Launched

HTC E8 One has been launched in China and its pricing is almost half as much as its aluminum counterpart M8. The much talked about plastic body is said to be solid and looks good too.

E8 fashions an impressive ergonomic Dual Curve Design, that makes the device fit in your hands easily. It has a 13MP main camera and 5MP front facing wide-angle camera. The Built-in Touch Up software balances skin tones while retaining your genuine look. The company will also provide a dual SIM version of the phone but only in selected areas, as mentioned on their website.

The new ‘Vogue Edition’ HTC M8 One is said to be similar to M8 in most of the specs. Though it is pointed out that its 13 MP camera is slower and the TV remote feature is missing. The price of the E8 is easily a steal given the near-identical features as the M8 i.e. Motion Launch, HTC BoomSound, Snapdragon 801, 5-inch 1080p screen, MicroSD expansion.

E8 is available in four colors: Polar White, Electric Crimson, Maldives Blue, and Misty Gray. The new device is said to be a little bit taller and thicker than the M8. The price set for the phone is CN¥2, 799 which rounds up to INR 27,000 approximately. We’re still uncertain about when it would be launched in India.

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June 12, 2014
#LetsTalkShop with HTC India head Faisal Siddiqui

This week in Lets Talk Shop we speak to HTC India country head Faisal Siddiqui. The man has been heading HTC in India for many a years and offers a bit of understanding on how they run shop in India.

The three most important products for HTC this year are the HTC One M8, the HTC Desire 816 and the Desire 210, with the desire 210 being the most unique product from HTC as it is the first HTC phone to have been launched under the Rs. 10,000 price bracket.

Faisal promises that the build quality and HTC lineage follows through even in the Desire 210 while most of the top end features including blink feed, quick OTA updates etc will also be seen in this entry level handset.

The Desire 816 will be getting more colors including a “fuchsia pink” apart from the white, black and orange available presently. He claims that people now like color options when buying smartphones and HTC wants to provide that option.

HTC has always been strong headed about staying away from tablets, and in the past they have remained focused with their smartphones. However, unlike previous meetings, Faisal was keen on not comment on the Tablet agenda for the company , which could mean that HTC may finally be planning tablets or that the new Nexus 8 being made by HTC rumors may be true after all.

HTC is strongly focused on building an experience in India, whether its their concept stores or their service centers. Including basic infrastructure, like Air conditioning, drinking water and a systematic approach HTC feels they can break down the long list of issues that go on with providing service in India.

As far as functioning goes, Faisal does feel that there are some major issues in running shop in India, but getting past them is what makes the challenge interesting.

If you ever want to head/run your own company, Faisal’s advice:

[quote text_size=”small” author=”Faisal Siddiqui” author_title=”HTC India”]

Always hire the right people, if you have the right team, reaching your objective is that much simpler.

[/quote]

June 10, 2014
HTC Desire 816 Review
The HTC Desire 816 is the newest entrant from HTC in their so called Mid Range product lineup of Android based Smartphone devices. The Desire 816 has Dual Sim Capabilities and supports CDMA networks alongside the GSM networks.

The HTC Desire is a good mix of looks, brain and brawn, but does it tackle a market well versed with hardware at a price point of a Nexus smartphone. Lets find out!

Overview

The HTC Desire 816 is the prettiest looking Desire we have seen yet, and it manages to do that in a an ironic rugged fashion. The phone musters up the strength to take on the likes of great phones like the Nexus 5, Moto X and Sony Xperia T2 in this price segment offering something extra.

Design, Hardware and Build

HTC has managed to hit the nail on the head when it comes to design in the past couple of years, with the One series of phones coming out stunning, one after the other. The Desire 816 is one phone that is completely inspired by the One M8 however keeping costs low, it brings a new material to the users. The design is very unique, blending a matte plastic edge with a glossy plastic back gives the phone two independent looks. The Front keeps the plastic chin and the head at a minimal, the front mostly has glass.

As far as hardware goes the Desire 816 also has a great mix of that. Running the insides is a Qualcomm MSM8928 Snapdragon 400 at 1.6 GHz on Quad Cores along with an Adreno 305 GPU. For memory we have 8 GB of Storage, 1.5 GB RAM and expandability of upto 128 GB via microSD card. Optics shave enhanced quite a lot and you will see impressive results from the 13 MP main camera and 5 MP front camera both capable of impressive 1080p, impressive because its quite accurate with respect to color and white balance.

Powering it all is a 2600 mAh battery pack, the front has a 5.5 inch Super LCD 2 display with a 1280 x 720 p resolution and 267 pip. However the display is actually better than it sounds on paper. All of this works in tandem with Android 4.4.2 kitkat OTB with HTC Sense 6.0, which has some new unique things to offer up. Finally the Desire 816 in India is a Dual Sim device with One 3G Sim card slot and one GSM aka no data slot.

Make no mistake the phone is “unapologetically plastic”, however the build quality is superb and does not feel cheap or flimsy at all. In fact, the “slab-ish” feel that you get from the moment you pick up the phone is pleasantly reassuring. The phone is presently available in three colors – Grey , White and Orange.

Display and Multimedia.

The HTC Desire 816 has a brilliant display, that looks great from the moment you first hold the device in your hand. The 5.5 inch Super LCD 2 display offers excellent brightness and great wide viewing angles. Almost every time you turn on the display you get a slight smirk on your face as to how beautifully HTC manages color and how good this screen looks. For the geek squad the 720p screen may not be a let down, it’s actually better than almost every other 720p display we have seen.

Movies and videos play perfectly on the Desire 816, with no lag whatsoever, even while high bitrate movies are difficult to view, they work exceptionally well on the 816. Multimedia playback is a good mix of visuals and audio experience, the Boomsound speakers contribute to the latter. The new speaks have large cavities and the sound almost competes with the likes of the new M8, which by itself says a lot. Their new audio engine also does an equally good job as the beats engine did, when the company still made phones with Beats audio.

Camera

The cameras on the HTC Desire 816 are not far from impressive, with excellent color reproduction, no banding in images, and excellent video capture. Both cameras capture video at Full HD 1080p resolution and the video is smooth and jitter free.

The camera works well in all kinds of lighting, although in extreme dark environments the Desire 816’s flash may not hold up to the mark. The camera is fast at focusing, and delivers mostly sharp results.

While taking a different approach from their One series of phones HTC has actually added a big sensor in this one , a 13 MP snapper will satiate the most needs.

The new Camera features in Sense 6.0 including ZOE is available on the HTC Desire 816, however you won’t see the UFocus option from the HTC One M8 because its hardware dependent. Although HTC could have gone the Sony and Samsung Route and used “Selective Focus” softwares.

Phone and Battery

While the Desire 816 uses 2 SIM cards, like most lower end phones it has only one slot for a 3G sim card. Both sim cards need to be Nano Sims to fit in this bad boy, which might have been a movement decision vs a design or need decision on such a large device.

The Phone call network strength is very good, and data connectivity is strong funnily in places where phones usually end up in “E” (edge) mode, the Desire 816 hangs on to the one last bar of “H” (3G/HSDPA), which by all means to us is very impressive. The Desire 816 also supports CDMA which is a fantastic thing, and makes the Desire 816 the best dual sim CDMA phone in this price bracket.

Battery life is phenomenal, you will easily bump one day of use and go into the next without worries. This is probably the only phone we have seen in the past that offers up this kind of battery life. However this is respective of usage, and may vary.

Talk Time : 6-7 Hours

Music and Multimedia : 9-10 hours

Internet : 7-8 Hours

Android and UI

Android KitKat along-with Sense 6.0 is a fantastic combination, just as we saw on the HTC One M8. HTC is now also promising quick updates to their handsets and we have seen updates roll out and almost all of their handsets released in the past few years are running KitKat. This means that we can rest easy when hoping for updates to the latest version of Android.

The Blinkfeed UI has become more and more acceptable and according to HTC over 79% of HTC owners are actively using Blinkfeed. The new Blinkfeed interface lets you add custom lists and sources as per your needs.

The Interface is infact, very customizable and intuitive and HTC offers a lot of sounds and wallpapers etc, to keep you busy for a very long time (incase you choose to use them.)

Performance and Gaming

The Desire 816 is a crack performer, no lag whatsoever, even when storage runs out. RAM is managed exceptionally well and fluidity of the ecosystem is constant. Muti-tasking works just the way it was designed, and while you could be easily switching b/w apps, they are actually put in a hibernate mode allowing the continued smooth performance.

All games are compatible and work well, the storage remains a limitation, and most games cannot be transferred to the SD card, which is slightly disappointing. You get approx 4+ GB free and although move to SD works in most cases, some games like GTA SA cannot be transferred and end up using 2.5 GB /4 available.

Conclusion

Honestly, HTC had us at the first look of the phone back then at MWC, but now with that gorgeous display, impressive build, fluid UI and impressive optics and multimedia, the Desire 816 is becoming more and more worthy of the “best title”, already winning the Best Dual Sim phone with CDMA in the under 30,000 category.

The HTC Desire 816 may be a tad large for some but it fits comfortably, and is an excellent phone with solid network strength. What you get for the price is a well rounded phone, with many features that will satisfy mostly all demographics.

If you are in the market for a phone that does CDMA as well, the 816 becomes the obvious choice, however despite there being many phones in this price bracket. The Desire 816 offers possibly the most satisfying experience.

Best Price

[tw-column width=”one-half”]

GOOD THINGS
- Well Built and Snappy
- Well Responsive
- Excellent Design and Looks
- Great Cameras
- Android KitKat and Updates
- Sense 6.0
- CDMA and 3G GSM Capable
[/tw-column]

[tw-column width=”one-half” position=”last”]

BAD THINGS
- Internal Memory Low
- Nano SIM Slot could have been Micro
- None, really!
[/tw-column]
June 4, 2014
Details About The HTC One M8 Prime Leaked

Specification of a future HTC smartphone, referred as the M8 Prime have been leaked recently. If the information is accurate, it’s shaping up to be a real powerhouse. Over the past few weeks there has been a buzz about the upcoming phone, today got the first look at the rumored device. Top smartphone leaker @evleaks, has been on a roll about leaking details on the HTC One M8 Prime. On Tuesday he posted a full 3D render of the actual device, which apparently HTC had created for the press kits of the device.

Touted to release this summer, this new phone looks a lot like the HTC One M8 – the only difference is that its camera protrudes slightly on the back of the device, which isn’t present on HTC’s earlier phones. The reason for this might be because the One M8 Prime will have a camera which fairs better than One M8’s underwhelming camera. Though, it clearly seems to have come at the cost of having a smooth rear shell.

Based on multiple rumors, most of which were revealed by @evleaks, it should have a 5.5-inch 2560 x 1440 Quad HD display, and the latest 2.5 GHx quad-core Snapdragon 805 processor with 3GB of RAM. Also, a casing of liquid-metal or a new composite of aluminum and liquid silicon blend into one. This will make it lightweight and durable, yet handle thermals better, amongst other things.

It might also be water-resistant and have the new Cat 6 radio technology to deliver some of the fastest 4G LTE and WiFi speeds on a mobile device.

The HTC One M8 Prime is said to feature one of the best displays available, the fastest quad-core processor, tons of RAM and storage, and what could be one of the best cameras on any Android smartphone. It sounds too good to be true, but thankfully, this leakster has an excellent track record of being right.

May 21, 2014

The HTC One M8 Review

HTC’s latest One the M8 has caused a stir and then some in the smartphone market, but does it really have what it needs to make the cut for a flagship smartphone. Lets find out in our review!

Overview

HTC has done some great things with a revision of their flagship phone, the original one, which was also voted and won “the phone of the year” award many a times last year and at MWC 2014 this year. Holding up to that mark may have been difficult but it looks like HTC might have a real winner here.

Build Quality

Three words ; 90 percent metal, thats all it takes to describe the new HTC One M8. Versus the outgoing One, which had 70% metal and then some polycarbonate. The One M8 has a 90 percent metal single shell thats not only strong, but uses the most extreme machining processes to make it curve to front of the handset in the most beautiful manner. The build is much more solid than the previous version and actually holds up pretty well against drops.

The HTC One M8 is also splash proof, why no one talks about it is because they don’t want you splashing water on your phone. If you do accidentally spill coffee or milk (if thats your thing) the phone should survive. The front has a Gorilla Glass 3, which means that it has better visibility, strength and scratch resistance than the M7, which held up pretty well in all of the three aspects.

Hardware

HTC has stuffed in the best of the hardware into the new HTC One M8 barring a few things, including a larger mega pixel camera and 4 k capture.

OS	Android 4.4.2 KitKat
Display	5.0 inch Super LCD3
Resolution	1920 x 1080px (441 ppi)
Height Width Thickness	146.4 mm 70.6 mm 9.4 mm
Weight	160 grams
Processor	Snapdragon 801 chipset Quad-core 2.5 GHz Krait 400
GPU	Adreno 330
RAM	2GB
Storage	16GB/32GB
microSD card slot	Yes, up to 128GB
Primary camera	Dual 4 MP, 2688×1520 pixels
Front camera	5 MP 1080p@30fps
Battery	Li-Po 2600 mAh
Battery life	Standby: 496 hours 3G talk:20 hours
Wi-Fi	Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, Wi-Fi Direct, DLNA, Wi-Fi hotspot
Bluetooth	Yes, v4.0 LE with A2DP
Network	Quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE Quad-band UMTS/HSPA LTE support, LTE-Advanced
NFC	Yes
Speakers	Stereo
Distinctive features	• Dual UltraPixel cameras • Aluminum body design • Front-facing BoomSound

Display and Multimedia

Are you ready for BoomSound? This phone is loud, louder than you can expect, much more than you can imagine those tiny speakers to be. Seldom would you ask for additional speakers if you alone use this phone. The sound quality is crisp and not tinny at all, mids are clearly balanced and highs are placed well, larger sound cavities (25% larger) ensure better bass.

The display is impressive too, most would ask for a 2k or a 4k display in a 2014 flagship, but honestly one can’t complain. The HTC One M8 has a gorgeous 5 inch 1920 x 1080p LCD 3 (441ppi = 100 more than the eye can see) display with excellent brightness, accurate and vivid color and impeccable viewing angles. The display is great indoors and out with a extra sensitive touch which will work through most gloves (even though HTC doesn’t say it will).

If you plan to watch movies on this device, you will thoroughly enjoy that activity. the perfect mix of great viewing angles and excellent sound make the HTC One M8 a brilliant consumption device.

Software and UI

The HTC One comes with Sense 6.0 and Android 4.4.2 out of the box. The new version of Sense is a highly refined version of Sense 5.0, the interface is clean and more minimal. The icons are free looking and more defined and modern, while the Blinkfeed UI is bolder and more aligned with the vertical flow.

The new Blinkfeed is highly customizable, with the ability to select your own feeds and inputs the new feed allows you to sort and stream from sources and topics of interest. The fact that you can search for “cat whiskers” and add it as a feed so that whenever anyone in the world talks about them you will see an update in your feed.

It is one of the most mature UI updates we have seen in a while.

HTC has mostly kept it simple with the software customizations to ensure the smoothness of the operational usage. It is one of the most mature UI updates we have seen in a while. Not that it is completely stripped, you still get a customizable notification panel, HTC keyboard, themes and color options and a whole flurry of wallpapers and sounds. You can still change the grid size of the app drawer and sort it as per your own needs. You also get features like the car mode, and this brilliant ultra power saving mode that will run the device for up to another 20 hours on very low battery power.

Camera

What HTC has here is possibly the future of smartphone camera technology. While smartphones are getting compacter and thinner by the day the need of a high end camera in a phone is going up. With almost everyone using their smartphones as their primary camera manufacturers are struggling to find the right balance.

The camera on the HTC One M8 could be an answer to a more deeper problem in the industry. The combination of the two sensors, a primary 4 “Ultrapixel” sensor and a secondary 4 “ultrapixel” depth sensor work together to make you believe that the image you clicked is actually higher end than it is.

Hokum, thats what it is!

Hokum, thats what it is! But at that very level of picture taking capability, it gives users that extra oomph in the image before they basically crush it and post it on Instagram. Yes it works and it looks decently good.

HTC has however gone one step further and made the API of the camera available to debs who might be able to give you applications that HTC could not, what the capability lacks is truly good software to work with the hardware to enable great pictures, maybe even oversampling to get larger images ? who knows?

Phone and Battery

We would like to assume that HTC will stick to their word and launch a 4G/LTE enabled handsets in India. This would make this the first flagship to feature LTE connectivity, also almost all bands will be unlocked making this a world LTE phone, a boon for travelers. HTC will also launch a dual sim version, in fact the company designed the phone to be a dual sim phone, as it clearly shows in the sim tray.

Phone call quality is very impressive, especially considering its a 90% metal phone. Audio is crisp and clear with no problems even when there is a tower switch : Impressive!

Battery life is exceptional, and HTC has managed to ensure that the phone does not dissipate heat, in fact in weeks of usage we have not noticed the device get hot at all.

Talk Time 3G : 5 Hours
Talk Time 2G : 5.5 hours
Standby : 2 days
Recharge Required : Once daily
Ultra Power Saving Mode : adds 20 hours to 20 % battery life

Accessories

A worth mention here is the new DOT case, which shows how involved HTC has become in developing good accessories for their handsets. The HTC One has a simple flip case, which matured into a battery flip for the HTC One Max, and now this beautiful Dot Case, that is not only meant for design , but is actually very functional.

Conclusion

HTC has done what nobody expected, while everyone was hoping for a major change in handset design , HTC has improved on their last years winning design. They have also managed to not only make the phone better but also resolve the supply issues they faced with the original One. The first phone in a long time to be launched and made available at the same time is also the phone which has impressed out from out of the box to the usage place.

In the time we have used it, we honestly have nothing to complain about, except possibly the lack of a better simple camera. The dual focus mode is a lot of fun and easy to use, it becomes a daily driver. A better quality camera would have made this experience better and we might see it in the M9 ( not to be confused with a Leica M9, even though that has a marvelous picture taking capability).

HTC has made a mature decision, and made a phone that not only handles everything you throw at it, it looks good doing it. The phone balances perfectly in form, design and performance and will satiate almost every who buys this. HTC has already pushed the handset out with 4.4.2 and promises almost instant UI updates. The new Blinkfeed interface is a great improvement and the overall handset seems very well refined.

NOTE : The HTC One has been launched in India for Rs. 49,900 and will be a available for purchase 8th May. This review was revised to reflect the new price.

[product id=”83010″ sku=””]

[tw-column width=”one-half”]

GOOD THINGS

Excellent build
90% metal
Camera has potential
Great UI
Fast and responsive
Good battery

[/tw-column]

[tw-column width=”one-half” position=”last”]

BAD THINGS

U-focus not refined
No 4k video capture
Same resolution display

[/tw-column]

April 16, 2014

HTC Working on a Plastic One M8, Coming May 2014

While India is yet to see the official release of the new HTC One M8, the company is reportedly working on a plastic version of the smartphone.

This phone, that seems to go agains the company policy of high quality builds, will be considerably cheaper as not only will it save on material costs, but also machining costs and time which is associated with the manufacture of the current One M8.

Plastic here could be a reference for a polycarbonate design, which HTC is know to have used successfully in their One X and WP8 phones in the past.

Critics argue that HTC’s move to create a plastic version of the HTC One M8 could turn to be a great one only if executed correctly. The physical design of the metal build variant of the HTC One M8 is its biggest asset, so the question is whether consumers will be willing to take the cheaper version with probable downgrade of specs.

HTC Butterfly S

HTC is also reportedly working on a new HTC Butterfly, which will carry the same specifications as the HTC One but with a 13 MP camera.

If HTC launches a Plastic M8, would you consider buying it?

April 14, 2014
5 Things you should know about the HTC One M8

HTC’s recently launched the new One aka M8, which could possibly be the sole reason that the company struck a profit this quarter. Despite its instant availability and fanfare around the launch, here are a few things that you really must know about the HTC One M8. (Especially if you didn’t already know them)

1. Build Quality :

Carving a phone structure out of a single block of metal is now really old news, and especially after Apple’s iPhone 4 and iPad, this process was repeated time and again. The HTC One M8 takes the candy bar form factor to the next level. The M8 has been punched out of a single sheet of metal alloy, that not only covers the back of the phone, but also curves around to the front. Anyone who has worked with metal would know what a difficult process this is, even with todays available technology.

2. Hardware

Last year, when HTC launched the HTC One, they decided to stick it with an underpowered chipset, the Snapdragon 600, even though a better and more powerful snapdragon 800 was available. This time around however, HTC has thrown in the best of the lot, the Snapdragon 801 which puts it right up there with the competition.

3. Camera

Even though it feels under-rated the M8 has possibly the most advanced camera on a Smartphone today. Sure you have the Lumia 1020 and the Xperia Z series phones with their high MP camera shots. The HTC One M8 takes the focus selection to another level al together. It’s excellent in low light and even though their software is relatively amateur the use of the hardware in the future may do wonders. The fact that the company has opened the dual camera API to developers means that the hardware may be put to excellent use in third party apps.

4. New Sense

Although Sense 6.0 looks like a minor change on Sense 5.0 its a whole new world in there, the UI functionality has been improved, nifty shortcuts and good looking icons make a world of a difference. Quick launches from the lock screen make it really usable and exciting. Overall HTC has managed to give an exciting new look to something which used looked really bland to us, make it fast, responsive and more functional.

5. Awesome First Party Accessories

HTC did it with the HTC One Max when they launched the extended battery case, they basically proved to us that they can make excellent accessories for their own devices. They have done it again with the HTC One M8 and the Dot View case. This case itself deserves an award for how simple and noble the idea behind it is. it gives protection and functionality to the phone. thanks to the touch sensitive design it gives you the ability to use the phone with the cover still on. Simply Genius!

One Max Battery Case

Unboxing and Hands On

April 9, 2014

HTC One M8 vs the Galaxy S5 vs the Xperia Z2 vs iPhone 5s

With the HTC One M8 officially announced, the list of flagship devices for many companies is now complete. The HTC One M8 sees only a few changes vs the previous generation and a lot of difference between the two main competition for this year the Galaxy S5 and the Xperia Z2.

The HTC One M8 misses out on few things that the company could have simply added. 4K video recording is one thing that HTC should not have left out on, the other being a fingerprint sensor. The HTC One Max had it and naturally the M8 should have had it as well.

The HTC One M8 also misses out on being a water resistant device like the Z2 and now the S5. check out the full breakup of differences below

Device	HTC One (M8)	Samsung Galaxy S5	Sony Xperia Z2	iPhone 5s
OS	Android 4.4.2 KitKat	Android 4.4.2 KitKat	Android 4.4.2 KitKat	iOS 7.1
Display	5.0″ Super LCD3	5.1? Super AMOLED FHD	5.2? IPS LCD Triluminos display	4.0″ Retina Display
Resolution	1920 x 1080px (441 ppi)	1920 x 1080px (431 ppi)	1920 x 1080px (424 ppi)	640 x 1136 pixels (326 ppi)
Height Width Thickness	146.4 mm 70.6 mm 9.4 mm	142.0 mm 72.5 mm 8.1 mm	146.8 mm 73.3 mm 8.2 mm	123.8 mm 58.6 mm 7.6 mm
Weight	160 grams	145 grams	158 grams	112 g
Processor	Snapdragon 801 chipset Quad-core 2.3 GHz Krait 400	Snapdragon 801 chipset Quad-core 2.5 GHz Krait 400	Snapdragon 801 chipset Quad-core 2.3 GHz Krait 400	Apple A7 Dual-core 1.3 GHz Cyclone
GPU	Adreno 330	Adreno 330	Adreno 330	PowerVR G6430
RAM	2GB	2GB	3GB	1 GB RAM DDR3
Storage	16GB/32GB	16/32GB	16GB	16/32/64 GB
microSD card slot	Yes, up to 128GB	Yes, up to 128GB	Yes, up to 64GB	N/A
Primary camera	Dual 4 MP, 2688?1520 pixels, autofocus, dual-LED (dual tone) flash, automatic simultaneous video and image recording, geo-tagging, face and smile detection, HDR, panorama	16 MP, 5312 x 2988 pixels, autofocus, LED flash, touch focus, geo-tagging, face detection, panorama, HDR; 2160p video recording at 30fps	20.7 MP, 5248×3936 pixels, autofocus, LED flash, image stabliziation, 2160p@30fps, HDR, video stabilization Simultaneous HD video and image recording	8 MP, 3264 x 2448 pixels, autofocus, dual-LED (dual tone) flash 1080p@30fps, 720p@120fps, video stabilization,
Front camera	5 MP 1080p@30fps	2.1 MP 1080p@30fps	2.2MP 1080p@30fps	1.2 MP, 720p@30fps, face detection, FaceTime over Wi-Fi or Cellular
Battery	Li-Po 2600 mAh	Li-Ion 2800 mAh	Li-Ion 3200 mAh	Li-Po 1560 mAh battery
Battery life	Standby: 496 hours 3G talk:20 hours	Standby: 390 hours 3G talk: 21 hours	Standby: 370 hours 3G talk: 17 hours	Standby: 250 hours 3G talk: 10 hours
Wi-Fi	Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, Wi-Fi Direct, DLNA, Wi-Fi hotspot	Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, Wi-Fi Direct, DLNA, Wi-Fi hotspot	Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, Wi-Fi Direct, DLNA, Wi-Fi hotspot	802.11 a/b/g/n (2.4, 5GHz)Wi-Fi hotspot
Bluetooth	Yes, v4.0 LE with A2DP	Yes, v4.0 LE with A2DP	Yes, v4.0 LE with A2DP, EDR	Yes, v4.0 with A2DP
Network	Quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE Quad-band UMTS/HSPA LTE support, LTE-Advanced	Quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE Quad-band UMTS/HSPA LTE support, LTE-Advanced	Quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE Penta-band UMTS/HSPA LTE support, LTE Advaced	Quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE Penta-band UMTS/HSPA LTE support, LTE Advaced
NFC	Yes	Yes	Yes	NO
Speakers	Stereo	Mono	Stereo	Mono
Distinctive features	• Dual UltraPixel cameras • Aluminum body design • Front-facing dual speakers	• Fingerprint sensor • Heart Rate monitor • IP67 water and dust resistant	• IP58 certified – dust proof and water resistant over 1 meter and 30 minutes	Touch ID scanner.

March 26, 2014

Hands On With the New HTC One M8

HTC has finally launched the new HTC One M8 for the Global markets, the only phone from the Taiwanese Manufacturer that manages to be available at the time of launch in major markets in the world. India and all South Asia Countries will have to wait to get their hands on this design marvel from the company.

HTC has made just the right amount of changes, and left out some major expectations that users would have had, and the company could have easily added into their mix of hardware. For the first, the display on the HTC One M8 has been left to a 1920 x 1080p display vs a 2k display that could have easily been achieved. The camera does not capture 4k video as many of the recently launched competition, instead it sticks to 1080p video.

HTC has however taken the one thing that was amazing about the HTC One (M7) and made it better on the M8. The all metal design on the HTC One M8 is far superior to that on the M7, its more rounded has a better “cold to touch” feel in the hand and takes in 20% more metal in the design compared to the outgoing model. The M8 uses 90 % metal in the main body vs 70% that we saw in the M7 and we simply cannot complain. HTC has also retained the original BoomsSound design and enhanced it allowing for 25% more space in the sound cavity, therefore, louder sound with deeper audio. A new inbuilt amp also improves the output and ensures that there is no cracking. Heard it and we are impressed.

The camera is what really runs the M8, the dual camera feature is something that at first people will ignore or not notice. This however will change and it will change fast. The camera app and the ease with which you can manipulate the focus points really highlights the effort HTC has put into thinking and executing the camera features. Its the simplest we have used and we think will change the way we share our social pictures especially in the like of Instagram.

The UI has also been cleaned up, it now takes in from the various flaws of Blinkfeed from the HTC Sense 5.0 and basically eliminates them on Sense 6.0. The UI is far more fluid and custom, cleaner and more minimal, yet big and bold at the same time. Simply put this has to be the best first impression we got on a custom UI.

HTC has also stuffed in a good set of hardware, this time going with the flagship chipset the Snapdragon 801 (vs the 600 they chose last year when the 800 was available) storage capacities are also the same at 16 and 32 GB however you get a microSD card slot for upto 128 GB expansion. Enabling app loading directly onto the external storage means that there will be a lesser chance of the phone slowing down with future use.

Stay Tuned for our Hands on Video!

March 25, 2014
HTC Launches the HTC One M8

HTC today at an event held in New York has launched the new HTC One aka the M8, keeping the name the same, the company has made major improvements to design hardware and software.

Design

The HTC One (m8) features a new wrap around design that vs the previous generation wrap all the way around to the front, giving the new M8 a completely new look and a brilliant new feel. HTC claims that the body of the new HTC One is 90% metal vs the 70% metal seen on the HTC One last year.

HTC has maintained the BoomSound design and claims a better sound from the device, which at first go on the M8 sounds much deeper and louder than the original One. The redesigned speaker chambers provide unto 25% more audio output and the new multi-band amplifier ensures better sound.

Hardware and Specs

The HTC One M8 features the new Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 chipset with a 2.5 GHz Quad Core Cpu for Asian market and a 2.3GHz Quad Core Cpu for the US market. The Front of the HTC One M8 features a 5inch 1920 x 1080p display which to some will seem like a loss considering many now offer a 2k display, the front is also covered with Gorilla Glass 3. On the inside is 2 GB of RAM and 16/32 GB storage options. You get 50 GB of Google Drive and 128 GB Expandability via microSD.

The Duo camera design features an Ultrapixel camera along with a depth capture camera which is detailed below. The main camera has a BSI sensor, a pixel size of 2.0 um, a sensor size of 1/3”, and an aperture of ƒ/2.0 with a 28mm lens. The Front camera has a 5MP BSI sensor, an aperture of ƒ/2.0 wide angle lens with HDR capability and 1080p Full HD video recording.

The HTC One M8 supports the following 4G/LTE bands :

EMEA: 800/900/1800/2600 MHz

Asia: 700/900/1800/2100/2600 MHz

AT&T: 700/850/AWS/1800/1900/2600 MHz

Sprint: FDD 800/1900 MHz , TDD 2600 MHz

Verizon: 700/AWS/1800/2600 MHz

Tmus: 700/AWS MHz

The battery on the M8 is a 2600 mAh LiPo battery and a new power saving mode promises an additional 30 hours with just 10% battery remaining.

OS and UI

This is what makes the HTC One M8 really special. A lot of focus has been spent in making this device feel like its running a custom OS. The HTC One M8 comes with Android 4.4.2 out of the box, but whats interesting is that the new HTC Sense 6 really makes the device look and feel different.

The HTC Sense 6 is sort of a mix of the previous gen Blinkfeed and a Windows Phone approach to tiles. With larger more rectangular updates in a vertical grid.

HTC has also made many interesting changes to the usability of the OS, from launching apps to tapping to unlock the device (not new) . The new Image Match tool lets you search by image and create an album featuring similar content. The new timeline view allows you to View your photos in Timeline view according to when they were taken.

New Apps from HTC including the new HTC Sense TV have been redesigned to allow more functionality and added features like showing you the social feed of the show you are watching.

The HTC One M8 has also not left out on the Fitness aspect of things thanks to the new pre loaded Fitbit app that uses the hardware within the phone to monitor your fitness. When you go for a run drop the phone and use the fitbit band and then later sync with your phone to get a comprehensive result at the end of the day.

HTC One M8 Duo Camera

The HTC One (M8) camera utilizes a dual lens and sensor configuration coupled with new processing hardware to mimic the stereoscopic vision capabilities of the human eye –two independent lenses allow it to detect and calculate the relative distance of subjects in the image. The imaging system then assigns properties to each individual pixel, which allows them to be re-purposed and reprocessed to maximize image quality.

HTC Claims that the camera can now accurately emulate the look of high-end lenses and dedicated professional camera systems. It enables “pro look” images with finite shallow depth-of-field control and captivating ‘bokeh’ and focus fall-off, which is particularly effective in portraits.

The HTC One M8 also bundles in effects into the camera library with the use of the enhanced camera hardware and the new UI traits of the new Sense 6.0 , the end resultant images can come out quite brilliantly, especially the seasons effect and the diminutional change effect, samples below.

Dimension Plus Effect

Selective Focus

Season Effect

Accessories

HTC is launching the HTC One M8 with a bunch of accessories as well, the most interesting perhaps is the dot view case. The cover has a fun dot matrix display that will give you updates on whats happening on your device like alarms, calendar notifications, messages, emails and missed calls. The funky colorful display will also show the weather information battery status and time.

The HTC One (M8) will be available globally today in Gunmetal Gray, Glacial Silver and will be rolled out in the South Asia region including India in the coming weeks Stay tuned for our hands on followup. Leave any questions below.

March 25, 2014