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."
What the Critics Are Saying...
- Jamshed Avari, Gadgets 360It'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.
- Associated Pres, Gadgets 360There'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.
- Andrew Williams, TrustedReviewsThe 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...
- Brian Fagioli, Beta NewsNew 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...
- Chris Martin, Tech AdvisorLike 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...
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.
Resources
Manuals / User Guides
- HTC One (M8) Quick Start Guide (PDF)
- HTC One (M8) Manual (PDF)
Maybe one of your friends will find this review helpful? Please help us spread the word.
