Sleek metallic good looks, fine HD screen, powerful processor, better battery life
Camera better but not great
HTC has just launched a new version of the One M8, which initially had us confused. A quick recap: the original M8 was HTC's 2014 flagship smartphone, which was superseded this year by the One M9. The original M8 was a worthy device, but the M8s offers some worthwhile improvements, including a new processor, larger battery and better camera -- all for considerably less money.
The HTC One M8 is not only far cheaper than the M9, but is a whole £160 cheaper than the original M8 was at launch, which might explain the fact that it comes with last year's name attached. But crucially, how does measure up against this year's cohort of smartphones?
Screen and design
The HTC One M8s looks more or less the same as the M8, though very close inspection reveals that it's just a sliver thicker at just under 10mm. Still, it retains that beautifully curved brushed metal casing and those surprisingly powerful BoomSound speakers.
The screen is the same too but then it didn't really need much improvement -- 5 inches is a nice size and the HD resolution of 1,920x1,080 is plenty sharp enough. It's nicely sensitive too, making using it a joy to use and even though the tap twice to open feature seems on the gimmicky side, you quickly get used to it, especially as the 'on' button is perched out of comfortable reach on the top.
Software and processor
As you would expect for a slick smartphone costing several hundred pounds, the HTC One M8s is running the latest version of Android. The majority of tweaks that Android Lollipop have introduced have been disguised, however, mostly buried beneath the HTC Sense 6 interface. For once, that's no bad thing, as Sense has been evolving nicely, developing into a clean and simple user interface in much the way that Android has. If you don't feel the need to emulate Lollipop's flat, sparse look, you'll probably enjoy HTC's spin on the software.
The processor in the M8s has been upgraded from the processor in the M8. Where there was a quad-core chipset, there is now octa-core 64-bit chipset. It's again backed by 2GB RAM but the overall clock speed has dropped from 2.3GHz to 1.7GHz. Our AnTuTu benchmark test revealed a score of 33,856 -- more or less the same as its predecessor. But it's still an impressively fast device, and the upgrade should in theory deliver greater efficiency, if not necessarily power or speed, though there's still a worrying tendency for it to heat up when it's put under pressure.
Camera
The 13-megapixel camera replaces the old Ultrapixel model and a welcome change it is too. There's a fair bit of detail though pictures can sometimes appear a little flat and lacking in depth. It doesn't always handle differing light sources well either. The Duo Camera feature, with the extra lens that allows you to add 3D effects to your pics, has survived the jump from M8 to M8s, and there are a broad range of settings for enthusiasts to play with. There's also a decent 5-megapixel camera on the front for selfies and video calls.
Memory and battery
Altogether, the phone comes with 16GB of memory on board, which is about the least you might expect on a midrange device at this price. Still, you can add up to 128GB more via microSD.
The battery has been beefed up from 2,600mAh to 2,840mAh and while it doesn't deliver a hugely noticeable difference, you'll still comfortably get more than a day's use out of it.
Conclusion
The HTC One M8s delivers some welcome improvements, including a better camera, upgraded processor and a bigger battery. Most of the changes offer only limited improvements but the reduced price make it the one to go for if you can't afford an M9.
It can certainly hold its own with similarly priced offerings from Samsung, such as the good-looking but flawed Galaxy Alpha or the boxy looking Sony Xperia T3, though the recent spate high-performing budget devices such as the OnePlus One or Motorola Moto G 4G can offer equal or higher specs for less dosh.
Software: Google Android 50.0 Lollipop
Processor: Octa-core 64-bit 1.7GHz and 1GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 615
Memory slot: Yes
Display: 5in SuperLCD3, 1080x1920 pixels
Connectivity: Wi-Fi a/b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth 4.0
Ports: microUSB, 3.5mm headphone jack
Camera: 13 megapixel with autofocus, LED flash and BSI sensor; 5 megapixel front-facing camera
Video playback: 3gp, .3g2, .mp4, .wmv (Windows Media Video 10), .avi (MP4 ASP and MP3)
Audio playback: aac, .amr, .ogg, .m4a, .mid, .mp3, .wav, .wma
Radio: Yes
Battery: 2600mAh
Size: 146x71x10mm
This article was originally published by WIRED UK
