htc one m8
Latest
The top 15 smartphones you can buy right now
It's possible you already purchased one of the smartphones we listed in our buyer's guide last July, but things tend to move quickly, and with fresh handsets from names like Apple, Samsung and Motorola, some of you may already be itching for an upgrade. To that end, we've made some fresh additions to our list of the latest and greatest smartphones out there today. Sure, our official Holiday Gift Guide is just around the corner, but this update will help you make some quick decisions, or at least get a head start on that holiday wish list.
Engadget giveaway: win a One (M8) Phunk Studio Edition courtesy of HTC!
Back in August, we mentioned that HTC would be sending a customized HTC One M8 Phunk Studio Edition handset our way to mark the start of the design collective's Wonderment exhibition. Well, your patience has finally been rewarded: We have one in a limited edition of 64 handsets ready to deliver to a lucky Engadget reader this week. Not only will you get one of the top smartphones out on the market, but you'll have a work of art and guaranteed conversation starter as well. It's up to you whether you display it on a shelf or drop it in your pocket on a daily basis, but you probably won't want to cover up the metal unibody's laser-etched artwork with a case. You will need to head to the Rafflecopter widget below, though, if you want up to three chances at winning the latest in a growing line of special editions from HTC. Winner: congratulations to Wallace F. of College Station, TX.
Meet Engadget's new buyer's guide picks: The iPhone 6, Moto X and more!
Here at Engadget, we make good on our promises. So when we say we're going to be updating our buyer's guide more frequently, well, gosh darn, we mean it. Roughly two months after we re-launched the guide, we're adding a bunch of new gadgets, including the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus, the new Moto X, HTC One M8 for Windows, the Acer C720 Chromebook, the NVIDIA Shield gaming tablet and the Moto 360 smartwatch. Of course, we also had to remove some of our original picks to make room for the new ones: The new, 5.2-inch Moto X takes the place of the old 4.7-inch one, while the Moto 360 overtakes the Samsung Gear Live -- formerly our favorite Android Wear device. We're also getting rid of all the BlackBerrys for now. That's not to say BBM hold-outs should switch operating systems, but until we get to try the new BlackBerry Passport, we're going to refrain from including those older models. Check out our guide right here, and stay tuned for more updates next month -- who knows what we'll be adding then!
Engadget giveaway: win an HTC One M8 courtesy of MapHook!
Albums worth of photos and scattered receipts may serve as breadcrumbs when you're trying to revisit your travels, but they're far from an ideal solution. MapHook has an alternative, though, with its free Android and iOS app that lets you tag your stops on a map, add photos, video and notes about what you saw and even share the trip with close friends or the general public. Not only can you get insights from other travelers, but MapHook is also powered by sources like Yelp, Foursquare, Wikipedia, Groupon and more. You'll have tips, deals and details on local hot spots and points of interest to enhance your adventure. To help one lucky Engadget reader get started, MapHook has even provided a new HTC One M8. All you need to do is head down to the Rafflecopter widget below for up to three chances at winning. It'll go a long way towards helping you remember that place you went that one time. Winner: congratulations to Jake M. of Orem, UT.
HTC One (M8) for Windows review: Same muscle, different soul
Since Windows Phone's humble beginnings, Microsoft has been the underdog in the wireless industry. Four years later, nothing's changed -- except, perhaps, a few more percentage points of market share. Even then, it's got a long way to go before catching up to Android and iOS. Let's give the company credit for pushing forward, improving its platform and not giving up, though: When I reviewed the last major OS update, I said I could finally use Windows Phone as my daily driver. The one element that Microsoft continued to lack, however, was buy-in from large phone makers. They put more focus on Android products, which meant anyone interested in Windows Phone had a small selection of devices to choose from. For Microsoft, it's time to experiment with a new, simpler approach. The software giant has buddied up with HTC to convert the One M8, its Android flagship, into a Windows Phone. That's all there is to it. There's absolutely no change to the hardware -- and it's a fantastic idea. If it fails, neither company loses much from the deal; since they're using an existing phone, the cost of design and engineering is far lower than it would be on a standalone device. If it's successful, it may inspire other manufacturers to follow suit, resulting in a market with a wide variety of Windows Phones to choose from. If you can't beat 'em, join 'em, right?
IRL: Taking HTC's One M8 for a test drive
The original HTC One was one of my favorite smartphones from 2013, but it was easy to see why you'd pass it up in favor of an archrival like Samsung's Galaxy S4 -- it just didn't have the battery life, camera quality or expansion to keep up. Fast-forward to 2014 and it's a different story. Most of those headache-inducing flaws have been fixed in the new One; indeed, my colleague Brad Molen suggested it was an all-around better device. But is that enough to avoid a twinge of buyer's remorse, especially with the Galaxy S5 and Sony's Xperia Z2 upping the ante? I spent a few weeks with the new One to find out whether I'd still be pining for features from those other devices.
HTC's One Mini 2 is an awkwardly named, cut-down version of the excellent One M8
There's a lot riding on today's announcement. A smaller, cheaper, perhaps more mainstream version of the lovely (but long) HTC One M8 could be a good thing not only for phone buyers, but also for HTC itself, which urgently needs to capitalize on the M8's momentum. Well, the HTC One Mini 2 is here, and yes, its 4.5-inch display makes it significantly easier to hold in one hand, and it's certainly going to be more affordable (although we don't have exact pricing just yet). But this size-reduced handset is fundamentally different to the M8 in other ways too, especially on the inside. That's why HTC has deliberately avoided calling it the "M8 Mini," for fear of over-hyping it -- a decision that probably deserves some praise for its honesty, but which has resulted in some pretty clumsy branding. We've just been hands-on with the European LTE version of the phone (the only variant that has so far been announced), so go ahead and read on for our initial impressions and the key specs.
Here's how to to get that Harman Kardon sound on your new HTC One
The recent introduction of a special edition One M8 by Sprint, which features some sound-enhancing software from Harman Kardon, had a few owners of HTC's flagship feeling slightly neglected. Thankfully, nursed by the beauty of Android's open ecosystem, the great minds over at XDA Developers have figured out a way to get the Clari-fi sound feature up and running in just about any US model of the new HTC One. Not surprisingly, you'll need to root your M8 in order to make this happen -- as always, do this only if you feel comfortable with a bit of unsupported tinkering.
The HTC One M8 is an Android phone made for iPhone lovers
Last week, I upgraded my Samsung Galaxy S4 to the new HTC One (M8), and I can confidently say that if Apple's iPhone was somehow wiped from the face of the earth tomorrow, the new HTC One would be the next best thing. It is, in short, what I imagine Apple would build if it built Android phones. I can feel your confusion already; "What the hell is he talking about? Isn't this an Apple site?" you're wondering. And that's fair, so let me explain. As an Apple devotee, I keep my primary phone line on whatever the latest, greatest iPhone model happens to be. But I have a second phone line -- a phone line I keep secret from my Apple brethren; it's a phone number nobody knows and on that line I use an Android phone. I don't upgrade it with the same regularity with which I update my iPhone, but every 18 months or so I use the discounted upgrade option and grab whichever Android handset is the new hotness. I keep an Android phone around simply because I like to have a handle on the non-Apple mobile scene, and it's a great way to compare Apple's upgrades with the existing crop of competing devices. I've never been particularly impressed with the Android hardware I've picked up in the past. I find the vast majority of Android phones feel like toys, with plastic casing and a too-light hand feel, not to mention largely horrendous battery life. I'm an Apple fan and, to me, the iPhone has long been the untouchable pinnacle of smartphone design. So with that in mind, here's how the new HTC One stacks up. Design Easily the biggest selling point for anyone who loves the iPhone 5/5s is the HTC One's design. Symmetrical, solid, and weighty, it's almost as though HTC was attempting to guess what the iPhone 6 would look like. The HTC One ignores many Android trends and follows Apple's lead with things like a non-swappable battery. The tradeoff is a much more hearty hand feel with no bendy back cover or creaky, twistable frame that you'll find on many of its Android counterparts. For as much as Samsung tends to be "inspired" by Apple, HTC has managed to nail the iPhone's build quality far better than any Galaxy phone ever has. Much like Apple's always impressive iPhone build montages, HTC likes to brag about what it calls the "zero gap" design of the HTC One, and it's an accomplishment worthy of the seemingly manufactured hype. The three-panel casing, which was carried over from the previous year's model, does feel a bit "lifted" from Apple's iPhone 5 design manual, but it certainly wouldn't be the first time the iPhone has set the tone for future smartphones. The screen measures 5 inches, making it a full inch larger than the iPhone 5/5s. Switching between the two devices feels strange at times, and the screen on the One might be even a little too big for my mitts. If the rumors of a 4.7 inch iPhone are true, that might be a more ideal size, but the One's display is still gorgeous and useable with one hand. Verdict: It's the first Android phone I've ever held that I could mistake for an Apple product. That's the biggest compliment I could ever give. Camera Much like Apple, HTC hasn't fallen victim to the "cram all the megapixels" movement with the One's camera. Instead, the phone uses what HTC calls "UltraPixels" which is just a fancy word for a camera that sacrifices a huge number of megapixels in favor of low light capabilities. The iPhone 5s regularly takes flak for not having mind-blowing camera specs, only to shame the competition in blind photo "taste tests," and that's the lead that HTC is following. The rear camera actually features two lenses, allowing for Lytro-like depth data to be included in the photo. After a photo is taken you can adjust the focus and even view a faux 3D rendering of the picture. It's pretty impressive and it works fairly well. It's definitely a different approach and while the rest of the smartphone world is trying to turn their devices into DSLRs, HTC and Apple have seemingly declared that they'd rather try to add new functionality on top of already impressive photos. Verdict: The HTC One's new camera features are offbeat and unique, and while I'd still take the iPhone 5s camera -- and its similarly unique slow-motion video capabilities -- if I were forced to choose, the One isn't far behind. Music Apple loves music. HTC loves music. Apple most recently exhibited its love of music by reinventing the modern earbud. HTC most recently exhibited its love of music by turning the new HTC One into a portable boom box. Like the previous year's model, the One includes two "BoomSound" stereo speakers on its face. This year's hardware is improved from the previous year with heartier construction, and it definitely shows. The One is loud -- and not just loud; it actually sounds really great when cranked all the way up. While you might need to toss your iPhone in a ceramic mug to amplify your tunes, you could carry the One along a busy city street and still hear your music without earbuds. Verdict: This is one thing about the One that I don't think Apple would ever attempt with an iPhone, but it's a well executed feature that many have tried and failed at, making it feel like an accomplishment you'd see from Cupertino. OS Android is still Android, and while you can make it look a bit more like iOS through various launchers and visual tweaks, Apple's mobile OS is still untouchable in my opinion. However, HTC's own skin -- called HTC Sense -- is superior to similar efforts from Samsung and Sony. HTC Sense 6.0 comes preinstalled on the new HTC One, and along with the social news feed feature called BlinkFeed, it emphasizes new touch functions that would feel right at home on an iOS device. For example, with the absence of a physical button on the front the phone, you can wake the device by simply tapping on the screen twice. You can launch specific apps by swiping in a specific direct on the lock screen and even activate the voice command system without having to unlock the phone, much like Siri. Verdict: If you don't like Android, the version that comes with the new One isn't going to change your mind, but HTC's own functionality tweaks make things much more streamlined and intuitive, which iPhone users would feel right at home with. Overall I love my iPhone, and unless Apple seriously stumbled on a new version of its iconic smartphone, there's no way I'd change teams. With that being said, the new HTC One is as close to an iPhone in fit, finish, and functionality as I've ever seen from an Android device. The iPhone is still the pinnacle, but HTC's latest effort is scaling the peak.
Engadget Mobile Podcast 202 - HTC One (M8)
This week, your host Brad Molen is joined by Phil Nickinson (Android Central) and Russell Holly (Geek) to dig into the details of HTC's newest One smartphone. They've all spent some quality time with the M8 version of the One and can provide insight into the build quality, software performance and day-to-day functionality. There's lots of laughs, no-nonsense perspective and more than a few anecdotes about the One (M8), Android, HTC and life in general. So put down that peanut butter and jelly, because it's Engadget Mobile Podcast time! Hosts: Brad Molen Guest: Phil Nickinson, Russell Holly Producer: Jon Turi Music: Tycho - Coastal Brake (Ghostly International) Hear the podcast:
