HTC One (M8): all you need to know

HTC’s new flagship smartphone features a number of hardware and software improvements. For example, there's the much-talked-about “Duo” camera (it sports two cameras on its back). It also comes with a 5' display, ann upgraded processor and a more intense metal finish. Moreover, HTC has added a fresh layer of polish to its Sense user interface, while it has introduced expandable storage with a microSD card slot, and - best of all - it’s putting the device on online store shelves through many major carriers right away!   Battery Life   Believe it or not, the new HTC One (M8), with its 2600 mAh battery, tops the mighty LG G2 marathon runner, and its 3000 mAh unit, in our battery test. As you can see below, the One (M8) lasted 7 hours and 12 minutes of screen-on time in our grueling test load, while the G2 scored 6 hours and 48 minutes.   In fact, crossing the 7-hour mark on our battery test typically signifies entering the phablet endurance realm, as those big-screen handsets usually have place inside for much larger than the average batteries. We can only say kudos to HTC for this spectacular achievement, which is bringing us a 5-inch handset that is only outlasted by giant phablets like the HTC One max, or the Oppo N1. The HTC One (M8) also flaunts an extreme power-saving mode, that lets it last about 30 hours on standby, even with 10% battery capacity left.   What are the other key features of the new HTC One?   1. “Duo” rear camera   The all new HTC One is the first smartphone coming with two cameras on its back (that are not there just for 3D image capturing!). The main camera is below, and it’s an UltraPixel (4-megapixel) camera with wide, f/2.0 aperture. This camera is capable of firing images extremely quickly, as it takes it only 0.3 seconds to focus.     2. ’Duo’ camera effects: After-shot image focus selection   The biggest highlight of the ‘Duo’ camera is clearly the UFocus effect, a function that allows you to selectively adjust the focus in an image after it’s captured. Note that not all images are suitable for such editing.     3. ’Duo’ camera effects: ‘bokeh’, overlays, and more   The new HTC One’s camera can also add a shallow depth of field (bokeh) effect to images, blurring the backgrounds to portraits and other suitable shots. There are plentiful other editing options as well - one can add seasonal adorments like falling leaves, or snowflakes to images.      4. Even louder front speakers: HTC BoomSound   HTC brought a small revolution to smartphone audio with its BoomSound speakers in the 2013 HTC One, and this year it is doubling down on its effort. The new One comes with the same front-facing dual speakers, but now, they are 25% louder, delivering even richer and cleaner sound, as per HTC.     5. More intense metal finish   There is metal, and then there is even more intense metal. HTC has improved on the aluminum unibody design of the original One, and in the new One (M8) the body extends to the front, wrapping up the whole screen. It’s also indeed a ‘more intense’ metal construction, featuring 90% metal component against 70% on last year’s model (last year's model came with plastic on the sides, while on the new one, metal extends all the way up to the front).     6. Cutting edge hardware: latest Snapdragon 801 quad-core chip inside   The new HTC One is coming with the latest Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 system chip, which runs at a blazing fast 2.3GHz. The chip is, of course, capable of running the latest games, and it’s roughly on par with other top-shelf offerings from companies like Samsung and Sony.     7. Comes with expandable memory - up to 128GB microSD cards supported   Last year’s HTC One came with an excellent unibody aluminum design, but that brought forth a compromise - it did not feature expandable storage. HTC is now fixing that by adding a microSD card slot that supports up to 128GB of storage cards.     8. Features all new HTC Sense 6.0 with motion gestures   The new HTC One is powered by a refreshed version of HTC Sense. The new version is 6.0 and it comes with flatter looks, but most notably - with motion gestures. You can now double tap on the screen to wake up the phone, and other timesavers include the option to hold down the volume button in landscape mode while the phone is locked to gain quick access to the camera. In addition to that, HTC is introducing a new and improved BlinkFeed, improved battery savings mode and more.     9. Comes with innovative new cases and covers   Not particularly a new feature, the new cases and covers of the HTC One (M8) are definitely worth a look. We’re particularly fascinated with the new HTC Dot View case that protects your phone in style, giving you a quick peek at things like the weather, time, date and missed notifications.     10. Release date: available right away!   Best of all, the new HTC One is available for purchase online right away for all major US carriers. Verizon Wireless will be the first operator to stock it on its retail shelves, while other carrier branded versions will arrive to brick and mortar stores on April 11th.   SOURCE: PhoneArena