Overview of the HTC One M8 Smartphone: Be Perfect or Die

HTC is suffering the hard times: it brings losses another quarter consistently. To planish the situation, the Taiwanese need a Perfect Smartphone. Otherwise, there will be no other chance to establish in the business. Let’s check if HTC One M8 with all its tricks and twists and improvements is nice enough to bring the company its former glory

The previous generation of the HTC One flagship had seen the Taiwanese company start some design approaches completely new to an Android-smartphone. Although all manufacturers have considerably improved their designs, there’s been no other device in the camp so well designed since then. In the HTC One M8 this trend is even more explicit: the case of the new flagship is designed so flawlessly that even the “old man” One now seems downright awkward. What about the other Androids? Well they are lagging behind.

The metal content in the HTC One M8 case has been maximized. If in the past the HTC flagship had plastic sides (even though the designers have tried to conceal that fact), the new case has sides which are a continuation of the aluminum rear panel. Only inserts on the front top and bottom of the screen are synthetic, as well as the upper edge of the case which incorporates the power button and the infrared port. Well, there is a couple of narrow strips for antennas on the back – but these small things do not count.

It is hard to convey in words how well everything is designed and assembled. One must see this with their own eyes and feel with their own fingers. Aesthetically One M8 is as far away from the “just ” One.
HTC One M8: tiny plastic border between metal body and glass

Thin plastic frame between the metal case and the glass reduces transmission of impact on the fragile display.

Three color options are currently available for the One M8: matte silver, matte gold and dark gray, with finishing resembling polished stainless steel. Smartphones in these color designs often look shamelessly lustreous in the photos. The reality the luster is much more subdued.

As in the previous HTC One, the new One M8 is stuffed with stereo speakers with particularly big cases. As for the time since the release of the original One, the company managed to dispose of its stake in the Beats, the marketing name of the sound system is now – HTC BoomSound. In addition to the big speakers, BoomSound involves the use of the “optimizer” software (the services can only be stopped when the headphones are connected) . As compared to other smartphones the HTC One M8 sounds indecently good – somewhere like the iPad. The sound is very loud and not so flat, as one can expect from such a small device.

Another innovation in the HTC One M8 is the presence of an additional rear camera. We’ll discuss what it is used for and how well it operates below, but for now let us just point this fact out.

Obviously big speaker cases and an extra “eye” of the camera, take a lot of space inside the One M8. This smartphone is not compact: it is noticeably longer than the Samsung Galaxy S5, and almost caught up with Sony Xperia Z2. One good thing: even though the screen of the HTC One M8 is less than with its competitors (5 inches exactly compared to 5.1 and 5.2 respectively), the case is not as wide as with the other flagships of 2014.
HTC One M8, LG G2, Samsung Galaxy S5 and Sony Xperia Z1 size comparison

The regular shape of the case further contributes to more comfortable grip. Overall the smartphone turned out, of course, too large, but it will fit your hand relatively safe. As for being operated with one hand, the answer is – no way! It is impossible to reach out to all parts of the screen preserving the secure grip.

And to reach the power button, which is located on the upper face of the case one must have fingers of rubber.

Good news: HTC One M8 was taught a number of gestures, allowing waking it up from the standby mode. For example, a double tap or slide across the screen, or pressing the volume buttons (different actions tied to different gestures). The bad news: you can not return the unit to the standby with the same double tap (or rather, you can, but only from the lock screen, it won’t work from anywhere else). Therefore one will still have to use the mechanical pushbutton.
HTC One M8 motion launch gestures

The Taiwanese invented quite an amazing thing specially for the HTC One M8 – the Dot View Case. In contrast to the silicon cover which is nothing special, it is a work of art. The cover has several hundred of neat holes through which the smartphone can display any simple notifications. For example, the incoming call number of or a missed call icon. Or it can just display time and weather – just touch the cover twice. The One M8 touch screen has excessive sensitivity, so that the gesture works almost always.

When you open the cover the smartphone screen turns on automatically – and it automatically goes off when it is closed (using the “magnetic magic”). The holes of the case are not through, there is a nearly transparent membrane between the two layers of perforated silicone. There is no membrane only around the speakers.

The only shortcoming: the case turned out to be not very practical – the dust loves the holes, and the back cover panel covered with scratches and scuffs pretty quickly.

Source: 3dnews.ru