Newsletter
Introduction
Here we will take a look at the original HTC One M7 and the newest HTC One M8. Were there enough improvements to allow the HTC One M8 to win a battle in the comparisons with its older sibling? Both devices are very similar to each other – both have the aluminum body that endeared so many hearts – both have the dual, front-mounted stereo BoomSound speakers that captured our ears last year – both have the same, yet different 4MP UltraPixel camera – both have the same display resolution, although the HTC One M8 jumped in size from 4.7-inches to 5-inches – both have the nice large earpiece across the top of the device – and both use HTC’s Sense over Android. So much alike, so let us take a look below to see what is different about the new HTC M8.
Specifications
HTC One M7
The original HTC One M7 got off to a shaky start with supplier delays and a smaller launch than HTC would have liked – but once its availability problems got straightened out, it was well-received by critics and customers…just not enough of them. It has a Snapdragon 600 processor rather than the Snapdragon 800 that the HTC One M8 is sporting. The 4-7-inch display is the ‘sweet spot’ that many users desire, but that ‘spot’ seems to be creeping up to 5-inches, either by customer demands or by manufacturers giving us no choice. It comes well equipped with 2GB of RAM, although no microSD card support for expanding the internal memory of 32GB. A smaller battery is also a deficient in the world of smartphones.
HTC One M8
The HTC One M8 may not be revolutionary, but it is as evolutionary as a next generation smartphone can get. I hate to harp why HTC chose not to add more UltraPixels on the camera (but I can and will) – the addition of the Duo Camera is intriguing and should be a lot of fun to use, but the actual photos are being taken with the exact same camera that was on the HTC One M7. It was a deceit camera, but certainly there was room for improvement in the original camera than simply adding the Duo camera. That being said, the HTC M8 has improved in all areas – if you like a larger display (4.7-nches to 5-inches), which I do. The processor jumped from the Snapdragon 600 to the 800/801 variety, an internal memory expansion microSD slot to add up to 128GB of storage is also a welcomed addition. The wrap around metal body that added an additional 20-percent of metal to the device is a plus, the 5MP front facing camera will be excellent for video chatting and taking some of the best selfies around. The improved BoomSound dual speakers are said to be 25-percent louder and a better sound than the HTC One M7.
…And The Winner Is…HTC One M8
Summary
The HTC One M8 is very similar to its predecessor, the HTC One M7 – but it is truly a complete evolutionary improvement in all areas. I am surprised that HTC did not include a fingerprint scanner as they did with the HTC One max and we wish that HTC would have thrown in a few more UltraPixels in the HTC One M8, but the inclusion of the Duo Camera adds some interest over the HTC One M7, if not better actual photo quality. The larger display, the extra wrap around metal body, the almost non-existent bezel, the improved speakers, the much-improved internal processor and the addition of a microSD card for added storage of up to 128GB, improved Sense 6.0 and a larger battery certainly gives the new HTC One M8 the nod over its predecessor…and that is the way it is supposed to happen – each new rendition should beat out ‘last year’s model,’ and the HTC One M8 does that with great style and features.