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HTC One (M8) review

9/10 AVG.
RATING
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HTC One (M8)
HTC One (M8)
HTC One (M8)
HTC One (M8)
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9/10
Informr score
The HTC One (M8) currently has an Informr score of 9 out of 10. This score is based on our evaluation of 81 sources including reviews from users and the web's most trusted critics.

What's good

  • Sleek and elegant phone design
  • Excellent speaker sound quality
  • Fast, lag-free performance
  • Color accurate and bright display

What's bad

  • Mixed camera performance
  • Non-removable battery
  • Poor repairability

When the HTC One (M7) first came out, fans and critics alike were singing its praises especially regarding its attractive design. HTC has taken the winning formula from its predecessor and improved upon it with the One M8. According to HTC, the chassis is now 90% metal, which does make the phone a bit heavy at 160 grams. Most experts didn't mind the additional weight however as the brushed aluminum body adds a layer of sophistication and elegance to the M8 not found in other smartphones. Gizmag praises the phone and calls it "stunning" and "striking."

At 5.76 inches tall and 2.78 inches wide the HTC One M8 is slightly larger than its predecessor, but that's because it comes with a larger 5-inch display. The full HD display offers a resolution of 1920x1080 pixels, which translates to a pixel density of 441ppi. Although the colors on the screen aren't as vivid as Samsung phones, reviewers were quite happy with its even saturation and accurate color reproduction. In a side-by-side testing with its predecessor, Trusted Reviews found the whites on the M8 to very clear and pure and blacks to be very deep. Unfortunately, the phone still struggles with issues of screen reflectivity due in part to the coating of Gorilla Glass 3, though critics note that at top brightness the screen is very legible in bright sunshine.

Armed with a 2.3GHz quad-core processor and 2GB of RAM, its is no slouch in terms of performance. When pitted against its competitors, like the iPhone 5S, it managed to outshine them in almost every benchmark test. Hands-on testing back up the synthetic tests as The Guardian describes the overall experiences as "lightning-quick" with no issues of lag or slowness anywhere.

Despite having a powerful processor and HD display, the battery lasted around a full day of mixed usage for most critics and 10 hours when put through various battery draining tests. The only drawback is that the battery is not removable, so you can't carry around spares to switch out when the battery dies. There are power-saving options to improve battery life like reducing screen brightness, turning off data connection and conserving CPU usage. There's also a new extreme power saving mode that transforms turns off almost every feature except SMS and phone calls. The M8 also comes equipped with up to 32GB of internal storage, LTE connection clocked at 150 mbps download and dual-band Wi-Fi.

Probably the one feature that disappointed reviewers was the 4MP rear camera. Although it utilizes HTC's UltraPixel technology, most immediately discovered its limitation when zooming into pictures and dealing with low-light situations. Photo quality itself is hit or miss and Ars Technica notes, "M8 images always seem like washed-out, dreary versions of whatever we were shooting." Still, the camera does add some new and interesting features such as UFocus which uses a second lens to retrieve depth information and allows you to focus on a specific spot and defocus on everything else. There's also a plethora of other background effects, filters and apps to customize the appearance of each picture.

One surprising standout feature is the front-mounted speakers. Utilizing BoomSound, the M8 delivers what reviewers consider one of the best sound experiences on a smartphone. The technology allowed HTC to increase the volume by 25 percent and improve frequency range for richer tones. Trusted Reviews backs up this claim saying, "…it does have the mid-range body that you don't get elsewhere."

Critics have no issue recommending this product to those looking for a premium device. Tech Radar states, "The HTC One (M8) is a brilliant smartphone with very few flaws." Neowin adds, "…We have no doubt that if you go and buy and HTC One (M8), it will put a huge smile on your face and keep you happy for a very long time." 


Android
Operating system
Operating system
Android
2.3 GHz
Processor
Processor
2.3 GHz
5"
Screen Size
Screen Size
5"
4+ MP
Camera
Camera
4+ MP
2600 mAh
Battery


What the Critics Are Saying...


Gadgets 360
Gadgets 360

It's a solid update, but isn't new or exciting, and definitely isn't worth upgrading to if you currently use any of last year's premium phones.

- Jamshed Avari, Gadgets 360
Gadgets 360
Gadgets 360

There's a lot to like in the new phone. This phone likely won't be as popular as the iPhone or the S5, but the One is one worth considering if you're looking for something that feels right and works nicely.

- Associated Pres, Gadgets 360
TrustedReviews
TrustedReviews

The HTC One M8 is a beautiful phone, showcasing HTC’s exceptional design-prowess. It lives up to the very high standards set by its 2013 predecessor, the HTC One, in almost all departments. There are a few niggling issues with the camera that need work, but in every other area the HTC One M8 i...

- Andrew Williams, TrustedReviews
Beta News
Beta News

New ground has not been broken with the HTC M8. There is nothing revolutionary; only evolutionary. There is no fingerprint reader, silly stylus, heart-rate monitor or waterproofing. However, there are no gimmicks either. HTC has delivered a close-to-pure Android experience with some clever Sense twe...

- Brian Fagioli, Beta News
Tech Advisor
Tech Advisor

Like the Galaxy S5 and Xperia Z2, the new HTC One M8 isn't a big leap compared to the previous model. What HTC has done is taken a great phone and made it better. The M8 looks and feels gorgeous and with important upgrades including a microSD card slot and an innovative camera. This is one desirable...

- Chris Martin, Tech Advisor


Prices (Where to Buy)




Common Questions


We've got you covered! Download a free PDF copy of the HTC One (M8) user manual here.


HTC backs up the One (M8) with a 1 Year parts & labour warranty.


If your One (M8) has problems and is still within its warranty period, you could contact HTC support or the retailer you purchased the phone from. You'll find HTC's contact information here. If your phone is off warranty and needs repair for a physical problem such as a broken screen or bad battery, you should visit an authorized service centre or a local phone repair shop. You can also connect with others in The Informr Community Forum to find and share answers to questions.




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Screen Size
5"

The HTC One (M8)'s screen size is 5 inches with 1080 x 1920 pixels resolution.

Processor
2.3 GHz

There is a Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 Quad core 2.3 GHz processor (CPU).

OS

The phone runs on the Android 4.4 KitKat (Update Available: 7.0 Nougat) operating system (OS).

Camera
4+ MP

You can take photos with the phone's onboard 4+ MP camera.

There is also a secondary front facing camera with 5+ megapixels resolution.

Storage
16/32 GB

Internal memory is 16/32 GB. An external, MicroSD, MicroSDHC (up to 128 GB) expansion slot is available for increased storage capacity.

Battery
2600mAh

The phone is powered by a Lithium Polymer (Li-Pol), 2600 mAh battery. HTC's performance ratings are 1200 minutes, 661 minutes Wi-Fi surfing.

One (M8) Specs

Overview
Release Date March 25, 2014
Regions Available USA, Canada, United Kingdom
Operating System Android 4.4 KitKat (Update Available: 7.0 Nougat)

Compare Android Smartphones

Processor Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 Quad core 2.3 GHz
Internal Storage 16/32 GB
RAM 2 GB
Hearing Aid Compatible Yes
TTY/TDD Yes
Noise Cancellation Yes
SAR Head: 0.83 W/kg
Body: 1.17 W/kg
Manufacturer Warranty 1 Year
Accessories Included USB Power Adapter, Manual, Headset, Data Cable
Cellular
Networks
GPRS, EDGE, 1xRTT, EV-DO, HSUPA, HSPA+, LTE
Mobile / Cellular Data
4G/LTE
Push-to-talk (PTT) No
Wi-Fi Calling Unknown
Voice over LTE (VoLTE) Unknown
SIM card size
Nano-SIM
Dual SIM No
Connectivity
USB Micro-USB 2.0
USB OTG Support No
GPS Type A-GPS
Infrared Yes
Bluetooth 4.0
Bluetooth Profiles A2DP, AVRCP, OPP/FTP, HID, HFP, HSP, PAN
Bluetooth Audio Codecs SBC, aptX
Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n
Mobile Hotspot Yes
Memory Expansion Slot Yes
Expansion Slot Info MicroSD, MicroSDHC (up to 128 GB)
NFC Yes
Data Tethering Compatibility Yes
Camera
Main Camera
Resolution / Aperture
4+ Megapixels
Zoom
Yes
Flash
Yes (Dual LED)
Additional Rear Camera Info
Auto focus, Effects, Face detection, Geotagging, ISO, Multi-shot, Night mode, Panorama, Self-timer, Exposure value, HDR, Twin-sensor
Video Recording Formats
3GP / 3GPP, 3G2 / 3GPP2, H.264 / AVC, MPEG-4, WMV, AVI
Video Recording Parameters
Full HD (1920 x 1080 pixels)
Front Camera
Resolution / Aperture
5+ Megapixels
Additional Front Camera Info
Self-portrait
Video Recording Parameters
Full HD (1920 x 1080 pixels)
Display / Screen
Type Color
Technology S-LCD
Colors 16.7 million
Resolution 1080 x 1920 pixels
Pixel Density 441 pixels
Size 5 inches
Secondary Display No
Sensors Ambient Light, Proximity, Motion / Accelerometer, Gyroscope, Digital Compass
Multi-Touch Yes
Fingerprint-Resistant Coating No
Additional Display Features Capacitive touch screen
Power & Battery
Battery Type Lithium Polymer (Li-Pol)
Battery Capacity 2600 mAh
Removable Battery No
Wireless Charging No
Fast Charging No
Video Playback Time Up to 674 minutes
Internet Use (Wi-Fi) Up to 661 minutes
Internet Use (Cellular) Up to 537 minutes
Talk Time Up to 1200 minutes
Standby Time Up to 20.7 days
Mixed Usage
Physical Characteristics
Design Type Bar
Material Aluminium
Colors Gunmetal Gray, Glacial Silver, Amber Gold, Red, Blue, Pink
Dimensions [H x W x D] 14.6 x 7.1 x 0.9 cm (5.8 x 2.8 x 0.4 in)
Weight 160 grams
Water Resistant / Waterproof Unknown
Rugged design No
IP Rating No
Headset Jack 3.5mm
External Speakers Stereo
Input / Navigation
Sleep / Wake Key Yes
Home Key No
Input / Keyboard Type Touchscreen
Navigation Type Touchscreen
External Volume Control Yes
Fingerprint Sensor No
More
Additional Information Other Names (AKA): HTC M8, All new HTC One, HTC One 2014, HTC One 2nd generation
Related Links Quick Start Guide (PDF)
Manual (PDF)
HTC One (M8) Reviews
Where to buy HTC One (M8)
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