As is customary when a major new phone is announced, we like to compare the specs with our own favorite device, and boy have we got a great smartphone to look at today. HTC just finished announcing its latest super-phone. The “all new” HTC One – codenamed the M8 – picks up from where 2013′s HTC One left off, refined it, improved it and slapped another camera on the back.
Here’s the lowdown on the specs, comparing it with the iPhone and Samsung’s latest device:
Although specs aren’t the be-all and end-all by any means, they do often tell us things about the expected performance of the device. For me, the chief ones to consider are the display size, technology and resolution and also the battery life. They’re probably the two features that make or break a device, and the iPhone does lack a little in comparison to its competitors on both fronts.
I’m lucky if I get through an entire day on a full charge with my iPhone, particularly if I’m out of the house. With HTC’s new device, a day should by no problem whatsoever, especially with its power saving options.
This power saving can get you through 2 weeks when manually turned on, but you can set it to switch on automatically when you hit 20%, 10% or 5% battery life. At 5%, you still get 15 hours use of basic functions like texting and calling.
As for the display, I’ve lost count how many times I’ve mentioned the iPhone’s small size and the problems that causes. It’s not as immersive when it comes to media consumption, and it’s hard to type on in portrait mode. Neither the Samsung or HTC phone has the same issue.
What the specs don’t always tell you is how the camera performs. HTC’s UltraPixel “innovation” last year promised fantastic results in low light. It was true, it brought in more light than most other phones in lowlight conditions, but images weren’t that good.
They weren’t as sharp, and color reproduction was poor in almost every instance. We’re yet to see if Samsung’s added ultrafast AF and HDR make a difference to its camera setup, but they should add a lot of definition, color and balance to most images.
HTC One M8 – rather uniquely – has two cameras on the back. The second one is specifically for adding depth and understanding it. You can choose where you want to focus, even after the picture’s been taken.
So, you can add some nice bokeh (background defocus) effect to your images without any silly software tweaks. The hardware does all the work, so it’s a lot more natural than Sony or Samsung’s software alternatives.
What do you make of the HTC One’s spec list? Is it tempting to try it out, or are you not interested until the iPhone 6 is here?
