HTC has officially dropped its latest phone, the HTC One M8.
Last year’s most critically-acclaimed Android phone has its successor.
The HTC One M8 was released to the market Wednesday, and the improvements are subtle but substantial. The M8 One features a bigger screen, a longer battery life, louder speakers and, most significantly, new motion sensors that reduce the need to actually press buttons on your phone. The new model was rolled out to 230 operators in more than 100 countries, a marked improvement from the original HTC One’s distribution issues in 2013. The M8 will run between $199 and $249.
HTC has had well-documented issues with their phones’ cameras, and the M8 responds with a dual-sensor interface that claims to refocus pictures after they’re already been taken. Early reviews of the two-lens system have been poor, but those trying to up their selfie game can likely move past that.
Forbes calls the M8 “arguably the classiest handset on the market.” It comes in silver, gold and gray, and also features updates on HTC’s popular BlinkFeed and HTC TV apps. The former offers a home-screen newsfeed with continuous scrolling; the latter has streaming with Facebook and Twitter integration.
Those looking for the stock, unaltered Android operating system without a long-term contract can buy the Google Play Edition of the M8 for a flat $699.
How do you think it measures up to the iPhone and other Android models? Let us know in the comments.
