HTC has a Herculean task on its hands with its new One M8. The handset, which goes on sale April 10 for $199 with a two-year contract, has to improve on its predecessor, the One M7, which was widely regarded as one of the best smartphones of 2013. However,with a bigger screen, sexier design and impressive internals, the One M8 might just have what it takes. Even better, HTC has added a new Duo Camera that lets you take 3D-like images, and well as a host of other new features. So how does the One M8 stack up to the One M7? Let's take a look.
| Row 0 - Cell 0 | Row 0 - Cell 1 | Row 0 - Cell 2 |
| Row 1 - Cell 0 | HTC One M8 | HTC One M7 |
| Display | 5-inch, 1920 x 1080 Super LCD 3 | 4.7-inch, 1920 x 1080 Super LCD 3 |
| Processor | 2.3-Ghz quad-core Snapdragon 801 | 64-bit A7 processor |
| RAM | 2GB | 2GB |
| Storage | 16GB/32GB (expandable to 64GB) | 32GB |
| Connectivity | 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth 4.0 | 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth 4.0 |
| Operating System | Android 4.4.2 KitKat | Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean |
| Camera | Ultrapixel rear Duo Camera, 5-MP front | Ultrapixel rear, 2.1-MP front |
| Size | 5.8 x 2.8 x 0.37 inches | 5.4 x 2.7 x 0.36 inches |
| Weight | 5.6 ounces | 5 ounces |
| Battery | 2,600 mAh | 2,300 mAh |
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Design
Everything is bigger with the HTC One M8. Up front, you get a larger 5-inch 1920 x 1080-pixel Super LCD 3 display. The original One M7 sported a 4.7-inch 1920 x 1080-pixel display. The One M8's larger display means its footprint grows significantly from 5.4 x 2.7 x 0.36 inches to 5.8 x 2.8 x 0.37 inches. That extra volume also means the One M8 has packed on some weight. The new One tips the scales at 5.6 ounces, 0.6 ounces heavier than its 5-ounces predecessor. Still, the One M8 is evenly weighted so that the additional heft shouldn't bother you too much.
Along with its bigger body, HTC has also added more metal to the One M8's aluminum chassis, 90 percent versus the One M7's 70 percent. That means the One M8's body is a bit softer to the touch. Adding to that is the new One's more rounded design, a result of HTC's decision to wrap the One M8's metal rear panel all the way around the phone from glass-to-glass.
Specs
The new HTC One M8 is more powerful than the One M7 in every way. The new One packs an impressive 2.3-GHz quad-core Snapdragon 801 processor, 2GB of RAM and your choice of 16GB or 32GB of onboard storage. If that's not enough, HTC has also added a 64GB microSD card slot, as well as 50GB of free Google Drive storage. The One M7 featured a 1.7-GHz Snapdragon 600 CPU with 2GB of RAM and 32GB of storage.
Battery life is also improved on the One M8, with the new phone getting a 2,600 mAh battery , compared to the original's 2,300 mAh power pack. What's more HTC has added a new enhanced power saver mode that goes beyond the original's power saver option. With the new mode, HTC says the phone can last up to 10 days. The One M8 achieves this by disabling data until you need it. Unfortunately, the mode won't be available at launch, and will instead require a separate download.
The One M8 also has better BoomSound speakers than the M7. According to HTC, the new One's speakers are 20 percent louder than the One M7's so you should get deeper bass and higher trebles without any loss in quality.
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BlinkFeed
HTC's BlinkFeed app was one of the standout features of the One M7, offering a Flipboard-style news reader with all of the latest posts from your favorite websites and social media apps. With the One M8, HTC has upped BlinkFeed's functionality adding integration with Foursquare and Fitbit.
With Foursquare, BlinkFeed can now give you the names of nearby restaurants during meal times. Fitbit functionality lets you import all of your workout stats from your Fitbit into an activity hub that you can monitor at any time. Unfortunately, the feature isn't quite ready for prime time, so you'll have to download it at a later date.
Camera
The HTC One M8's slick Duo Camera combines the original One M7's Ultra-megapixel shooter with a secondary camera to give your photos a sense of depth. It does this by combining images from the two cameras, allowing you to make 3D-like photos using the new Dimension Plus tool.
You can also blur the background or foreground in your shots using the UFocus setting, or add background filters using the backgrounder tool. HTC has also given the One M8 a new 5-megapixel front-facing shooter, which means your selfies will be sharper and more colorful than those taken with the previous One's 2.1-megapixel front camera.
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Outlook
The One M8 one ups its predecessor in nearly every way. Its display is larger, its design is sexier and its performance is out of this world fast. We're also intrigued by the new Duo Camera and updated BlinkFeed app. However, with Samsung getting set to release its Galaxy S5 and Apple likely to debut its iPhone 6 this fall, the One M8 will face some stiff competition.
