HTC has finally made the HTC One (M8) official, and yes, that really is the name it has chosen. Despite the device being steadily and comprehensively leaked over the past few months, HTC did manage to hold back a few details to surprise us with on the big day. Earlier, HTC tweeted the event was its biggest yet, and it certainly didn’t disappoint.
THE 2014 HTC ONE M8 IS OFFICIAL, HERE’S EVERYTHING WE KNOW ABOUT IT
HTC has finally made the HTC One (M8) official, and yes, that really is the name it has chosen. Despite the device being steadily and comprehensively leaked over the past few months, HTC did manage to hold back a few details to surprise us with on the big day. Earlier, HTC tweeted the event was its biggest yet, and it certainly didn’t disappoint.
The question is: Does the all-new HTC One have what it takes to win people’s hearts and wallets this time around, helping to return the company to former glories. Or will it suffer at the hands of Samsung and the Galaxy S5? Let’s find out with a close look at the all the official details.
Updated on 03-25-2014 by Andy Boxall: All the official information on the 2014 HTC One has been added to the article below, while all the many, many rumors from our roundup can still be found on page two.
- Same display as before: The 4.7-inch LCD display from the last HTC One grows to 5 inches, on the M8 but retains its 1080p resolution.
- Fast processor: Qualcomm’s quad-core Snapdragon 801 processor will power the M8.
- New Sense user interface: HTC Sense 6.0 has been completely redesigned for a new, clean layout on top of Android. HTC has also opened up BlinkFeed to developers, and has announced Foursquare and FitBit as among the first partners.
- Dual-lens camera: The Duo Camera captures “true depth information in your photos,” meaning it understands which objects in your photo are close to you, and which are further away. This will allow users to add the blurred-background “bokeh” effect instantly, in the standard camera mode, with a tap of the screen. The camera API will also be opened up to developers, so it can be integrated into third-party apps.
- New Zoe experience: This is coming as an update in the summer, and will make those short videos easier to produce. It’ll also upload them into the cloud, ready for friends to re-edit and create their own versions.
- More battery life than ever: Optimized battery performance to provide 40 percent more battery life than the original One. An “extreme” battery-saving mode will be added in the future, which will see a fully charged battery last for up to two weeks.
- New gestures: A double tap will wake up the screen, lifting the phone to your ear will answer it, and turning the device sideways and hitting the volume button will activate the camera – all this while the screen is off, too.
- Beautiful bodywork: Ninety percent of the HTC One M8′s body is made of metal, compared to 70 percent of the original One. The polished metal finish has a feathered, brushed design, described as an effect which is more at home on jewelry than a smartphone.
- Other features: A MicroSD card slot. A wide-angle front-facing camera.
HTC says the One M8 will be the single largest product launch in its history, and will be sold on 230 networks globally. It’ll be on sale before the end of April in America, UK, Germany, France, China, Australia, and Taiwan. An exact date hasn’t been provided, but “most will have the phone in-store before April 10.”
However, if you’re really keen, at 1 p.m. EST a wide variety of networks, including AT&T and Sprint, will be selling the phone online, with delivery possible tomorrow. If you want to get your hands on the phone today, then Verizon will sell you the device in-store at the same time.
HTC is unveiling the new One right now, and we’ll be updating this article as new information is revealed, so keep checking back.
