HTC One M8 Review: A Closer Look

With a couple of strong competitors such as Apple and Samsung getting in the way, it's hard to consider a brand like HTC as one of the best smartphones in the market today. This year, it tries to struggle again to make a mark by bringing the third major HTC One. The One M8 is definitely one of the most anticipated handsets of 2014 and one of the most leaked phones in the history of all leakable devices. Despite of the un-original naming convention, the One (M8) is a complete carbon copy of its predecessor, but only better. This time, HTC made it obvious that its key selling point for the One (M8) is its build and design, with the idea in mind that consumers want a beautiful, elegant, and finely-crafted smartphone. If you've seen one of this in the flesh (or shall we say metal), you'd probably say there's not much difference with the previous One -- think again.

Sound and Appearance

The chassis has been redesigned to be 90% metal from around 70% last year, which then gives you a brushed aluminum look that makes it hard for your eyes to take off of. Although its overall design seem to be similar -- curved aluminum back, end-caps with front-facing speakers -- it's a world of difference from the older one once you laid your hands on it. Actually, its case is so brushed and buffed that it's awesomely soft to the touch. Its seams are so smooth to the point where it can't even be detected by human fingers. Here are some close ups of the new HTC One to give you a better picture of what we're saying:

The phone's front-facing "Boom Sound" speakers also went through an upgrade this year. It now has a clearer and a bit louder sound than last year's One. The back panel's curves have been more pronounced, making it fit exactly to your palm, unlike its brick-like predecessor. The HTC One M8's buttons have also improved because it was no longer fit flush on the phone's surface. The keys are also slightly rounded for a softer look and the capacitive navigation controls on the front have disappeared in favor of on-screen Android ones.

Display

When it comes to M8's screen display and resolution, it now has a larger 5-inch panel screen, still with a full HD 1080p resolution, bringing down the pixel density slightly lower, but still decent 440ppi. It's screen is much brighter and the color is definitely richer. Its viewing angle is also far better and just about usable in bright sunlight than its predecessor, although there are more smartphones out there that are far better than the One M8 when used outdoor with bright sunlight. In general, the phone is perfect for typical smartphone tasks like watching videos and full-length films, playing online games, and browsing the Web.

Camera

The HTC One M8's main camera is roughly the same as the sensor found at the back of the previous One handset, which means it's an Ultrapixel sensor that can capture a lot more light than other smartphone models in the market. However, its Duo Camera setup is somewhat confusing because only one of the sensors acts as the real camera, while the other one scans the scene and provides depth, embedding the info it captures into the photo. It also has a feature called U-Focus that brings background blur to your shots to give them a more professional shine.

The M8 also has a huge range of camera options and you can even add your own settings and then save them as 'lenses' in the camera option. For example, you can set the aperture, focal length, and ISO setting of a photo for a certain scene type that you like, and then you can save it for later use again. The camera interface is very simple and easy to understand, with its solid white, black, and red menu design and large icons. The flash control is still present in the top left. Another button at the bottom-right opens another set of options, which includes the regular camera, video capture, Zoe camera (for capturing images and video simultaneously), selfie mode, dual-capture mode for using both front and back cameras at the same time, and a Pan 360 mode for panoramic shots.

There's also a 5-megapixel secondary camera that functions well when set to selfie or dual-capture modes. Low-light performance remains competitive as before, with the help of M8's dual-LED flash (amber and white LEDs), in which the phone uses intelligently to provide the best lighting conditions if you are going to take pictures in the dark.

Overall, the HTC One M8's camera is ideal enough for average phone users and is something professional photographers shouldn't be excited about. The phone's camera settings and features have been improved for a quick and easy capturing and editing. In the end, the phone's imaging quality is not the greatest there is but a it's a pretty cool and darn good piece of device to use.

Here are some samples of pics taken with an HTC One M8 versus the older One:

via HTC One	via HTC One M8

Processor and Performance

The HTC One M8 is powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 quad-core processor (MSM8974AB), which is the latest and an upgrade from the current Snapdragon processor, which is currently seen in competitor handsets. It uses Qualcomm's Krait 400 core architecture clocked at 2.3GHz with 2GB RAM and an Adreno 330 Graphics Processing Unit (GPU). With this packed in the M8, gaming is absolutely smooth, with no hiccups or lags encountered considering its console-like graphics experience.

HTC One M8 also did a great job optimizing the Sense 6 UI and Android KitKat OS with its hardware, adding more power when using the handset for gaming. The user would notice Google's "Butter" enhancements when it comes to screen animations and menu elements as they glide with almost unreal smoothness. The UI is more like the stock Android and is fast like the stock Android, too. The phone's default apps are simpler and color coded in nice pastel colors.

Loading the phone with tons of apps and run them simultaneously in the background is a piece of cake, and multitasking is no sweat either. In other words, the HTC One M8 is indeed a powerhouse.

Battery Life

The phone's 2,600mAh battery is considerably good, which is about 300mAh bigger than its predecessor. Battery life is also much better, with HTC claiming that you'll get 40% better battery life. And if you use the battery saver mode, it can get higher.

This enhancement is coined to Qualcomm's new battery-friendly Snapdragon processor. So you won't have to worry about carrying a charger around, because the M8 can make it through a whole long day of use with no qualms.

The Lows

Even if the HTC One M8 is a very gorgeous phone, it still has some flaws. Its metal casing does make the phone a little heavy at 5.64oz, and if you don't buy a casing for it, the M8 can be a bit slippery to handle. With the power and volume buttons very easy to press, it's also almost too easy for the volume buttons to move up and down accidentally, especially when you place the phone in your pocket while listening to music.

Although the One M8 has a larger and better 5-inch 1920 x 1080 pixel screen, the bezels around the screen are thick versus that of LG G2 and other high-end smartphones. The company should have fit a larger 5.2-inch screen on the M8, or probably made the bezel a little thinner to maximize the screen size. Having a black strip of unused space just for the 

HTC logo is another somewhat waste of screen space.

And last, but not the least, big downer of the HTC One M8 is its lack of water resistance. If you're walking under a heavy downpour or you got an accidental splash for no reason at all, then you're in big trouble. This is one thing that Samsung Galaxy S5 and the Sony Xperia Z2 got ahead of, because they come with full waterproof bodies.

Below is a summary of the HTC One M8's high and low points to help you weigh your options better:

Highs	Lows
Apple-level design detail	No water resistance
Excessively comfortable to hold	Slippery grip could lead to dropping
Great sound from front-facing speakers	Camera still can't match iPhone 5S
Dual-rear cameras lead Android phones	Only 16GB of internal storage
MicroSD card support	Uncomfortable power button placement
5MP front camera	$650 price is double the Nexus 5

Conclusion

The HTC One M8 is exceptionally a beautiful phone with unparalleled attention to detail. We only wished it was water resistant to be at real par with the waterproof Galaxy S5 and iPhone 5S at a price range of $650-$750. For half the price, you can get the awesome Google Nexus 5 for an Android phone. But if you have the money and don't really care of the price tag, the One M8 is a choice with no regrets.

If you're planning to upgrade to the One M8, this is definitely one of the best smartphones out there. The handset will be available on all major four US carriers by the end of April this year.