Why is the HTC One M8 mobile phone a miracle phone?

The dual-camera takes clearer pictures, and the new battery has longer battery life, but it also has shortcomings.

1. Hardware

The new version of HTC One (also known as M8) inherits many features of the original HTC One (also known as M7), including BoomSound speaker grille, curved back panel and Horizontal brushing. Moreover, the M8's casing is more metallized than the M7. About 90% of the casing is made of aluminum alloy (70% of the M7). This means that the front, back and sides no longer have the plastic feel of polycarbonate, and are wrapped in metal. Around the display, the rounded corners and the brushed metal on the back are beautiful.

The brushed metal on the back shell once posed a huge challenge to HTC's design team - Scott Croyle, the team's chief designer, said that in order to create a perfect brushed metal effect on the curved back shell, they invented A new production process was developed. Croyle didn't disclose specific details about this new process, but the final result is obviously great, and the M8's body looks more gorgeous and high-end than the M7.

The M8 feels as slippery as a bar of soap - not only because the body is smooth, but also because the screen has changed from 4.7 inches to 5 inches and the large arc of the back makes it difficult to hold. Holding it in your hand makes you a little worried that it will slip out accidentally.

In addition, the M8’s all-metal casing looks beautiful and strong, but it is still prone to small scratches.

The new HTC One is the same thickness as the old one (both 9.3mm), but is longer, wider and heavier than the latter - a necessity for a larger display and increased metal proportions The result, however, doesn't feel bulky.

The button arrangement has changed slightly: the power button is placed in the upper right corner. For people who are used to holding mobile phones with their left hand, it is much easier than the power button in the upper left corner of the M7. However, the IR is not integrated into the phone like last year. The power button is placed under a piece of smooth-looking plastic; the volume adjustment button is still on the right side, a little more protruding than the M7, so it feels clearer; there is a microSD memory card slot next to the volume adjustment button, which has the most storage space. It can be upgraded to 128GB; there is a micro-USB QuickCharge 2.0 port and 3.5mm headphone jack on the bottom; the nano-SIM card slot is on the left side. But what is depressing is that the original charger out of the box only supports Quick Charge 1.0, which means that if you want to enjoy faster charging speeds, you have to pay for accessories.

If you’re a little annoyed by the reduced SIM card size, you’re not alone! HTC has two reasons for this change: first, to save every millimeter of precious internal space as much as possible; second, to accommodate the second image without having to make major changes to the internal design. SIM card. Many mobile phone manufacturers have adopted new designs for their mobile phones in order to support dual-SIM dual-standby functions, but HTC has prepared space for dual-SIM dual-standby from the beginning.

If you have used the original HTC One, the back of the new model will look very familiar to you - curved back shell, flash, camera, logo, horizontal brushing... However, it has 2 "Camera" and 2 LED flashes (more on this later). There is a 5-megapixel front camera on the top of the front and virtual navigation buttons and logo on the bottom. According to HTC, the BoomSound speaker uses a new amplifier, introduces a new DSP and deepens the sound chamber, making the sound effect richer and more powerful.

The display resolution is the same as the old version and the screen has been increased to 5 inches, but the reduction in pixel density is difficult to detect with the naked eye. Just like the old version, the image is sharp, the colors are bright, and the viewing angle is wide. The screen brightness can be adjusted to more than 75% and can be easily viewed under direct sunlight.

The screen protection material uses the scratch-resistant Corning Gorilla Glass 3. The glass plate slightly protrudes from the body, but Croyle said HTC used a special protective coating to enhance it. Its scratch resistance and strength.

Internally, the M8 is equipped with a 2.3GHz quad-core Snapdragon 801 chip (2.5GHz in some regions), 2GB DDR2 memory, 2600mAh battery, dual-band 802.11a/ac/b/g/ n WiFi and Bluetooth 4.0 with aptX. There are six versions of data connection methods: one for each of the four major US carriers, one for Asia, and one for Europe/Middle East/Africa. All six versions are the same quad-band GSM/EDGE (850/900/1800/1900) .

Finally, one of the most interesting new pieces of hardware is the low-power, always-ready "Smart Sensors". The accelerometer can be used by apps all day long without significantly draining battery power. HTC has opened APIs for these sensors to facilitate application developers to directly call sensor information. HTC has also partnered with Fitbit to launch a custom app pre-installed on the M8 phone, allowing users to record steps without a Fitbit wristband - we tested the app and it worked well, recording steps and a standalone wristband The recording results are not much different. Although it cannot completely replace the wristband (for example, it is inconvenient to carry such a large phone while exercising and running), we expect to see more applications that can sense motion in the future.

2. Sense UI 6.0 interface

HTC calls the new interface "Sixth Sense".

The M8 home screen is the same as most KikKat Android desktop launchers. The transparent top status bar and bottom virtual navigation bar make it feel wider. The three soft keys are rear, home screen and recent applications. . In addition, HTC pays more attention to themes and colors this time, and most Sense applications and functions are tonally consistent with the color theme selected by the user.

BlinkFeed is still on the left, and up to 5 panels can be added on the right. The application menu is still in its original position but the Sense clock at the top has been removed. Long press the application to put it directly on the home screen. There are no folders in the application menu, but unwanted icons can be easily hidden. In addition, users can still choose the 4*5 or 3*4 icon arrangement.

Although the new version of Sense interface has made some changes, all the basic principles are still the same as the previous version, so people who have used Sense 5 can basically get started without any effort. Much of the Sense 6 interface uses thinner, larger, and more modern-looking fonts, making good use of the larger screen space.

On Sense 6, HTC has launched some exclusive applications that can be downloaded from the Play Store. The prototype obtained this time includes Gallery, Zoe and Sense TV. This will allow HTC to push updates to Sense devices at any time without having to wait for firmware updates that can take weeks.

There is a new gesture function called "Motion Launch", which draws on the double-click unlocking of Nokia and LG and adds a sliding gesture. Users can double-click to wake up the lock screen interface, or they can slide in different directions. Use your fingers to skip the lock screen and directly access specific functions - swipe up to go to the home screen, swipe to the right to go to BlinkFeed, swipe to the left to reveal the widget panel, and swipe down to activate voice dialing. In landscape mode, hold down the volume button and lift the phone up to take a photo.

Motion Launch is a little too sensitive to gestures, and users sometimes wake up the phone if they put the phone in their pocket or place their finger motionless on the screen. In addition, it would be better if it could be personalized and allow users to directly access common applications such as email through gestures.

However, given that HTC has made many improvements and strengthened personalization since launching BlinkFeed, I believe that Motion Launch will also be improved and launched with personalized settings in future updates.

Sense 6 also has a "Do Not Disturb" mode, which can turn off push notification sound reminders when users are sleeping or do not want to be disturbed, and users can set Do Not Disturb for a specific day. time period.

HTC continues the tradition of providing users with cloud storage space, but it has changed from Dropbox to Google Drive. Users who agree to the relevant terms of service can get 50GB of free storage space for two years. In addition, HTC has promised to keep the M8 firmware updated for two years.

3. Camera

Compared with last year’s Nokia Lumia 1020, Sony Xperia Z1 and the upcoming Samsung Galaxy S5 and Oppo Find 7, which are good at taking pictures, we still can’t It remains to be seen whether the M8 can beat the pack in terms of license plates, but it does have some innovations.

First of all, it adheres to HTC’s “UltraPixel” concept and uses a BSI sensor with 2-micron pixels (many smartphones have 1-micron pixels), which increases light absorption by 330%, while ImageChip 2 And the 28mm f/2.0 AF lens also helps capture more light. HTC believes that the key to taking good photos is not the high resolution of the sensor.

The M8's camera effect is generally satisfactory, but we hope HTC can improve its camera resolution. After all, the 8-megapixel camera is not outstanding, and the optimization of the depth-of-field sensor and software is still too much. People are a little disappointed. Even more disappointing is the absence of optical image stabilization (OIS) - HTC's explanation for this is due to functional improvements (such as faster autofocus), overall cost and space constraints. In addition, OIS is said to be incompatible with the M 8’s “Duo Camera” technology.

However, the autofocus function is still great. The 0.3-second autofocus speed is on par with Samsung's Galaxy S5, but it is not a significant improvement compared to the old HTC One. The M8 is also equipped with dual LED flash, which can remove glare and make night photography more natural.

Although the resolution of the rear camera has not changed, the front camera has been upgraded to 5 million pixels, f/2.0 wide-angle lens, BSI sensor, HDR function and 1080 high-definition video shooting, and a "selfie mode" has been added , which is far better than the Galaxy S5’s 2-megapixel front camera in taking selfies.

The camera application adopts a new and simpler user interface with fewer options on the surface. In the lower right corner, you can choose video, selfie, 360-degree panoramic photo, dual camera photo and Zoes mode. The four corners of the viewfinder There's a shortcut icon for each (Flash, Settings, Mode, and Gallery), and the shutter button is centered on the right. When the user selects settings, a row of options will appear at the bottom of the viewfinder, including ISO, exposure, white balance, filters, random settings and scenes. In the scene, there are 11 modes for users to choose from, including HDR, night, and manual.

Manual mode reminds people of Nokia’s camera application. White balance, exposure, ISO, shutter speed, focus and other options have very intuitive adjustment sliders for users to easily adjust and see the effect in real time. . Additionally, users can save their manual settings for easy use later.

4. Duo Camera

The Duo Camera is the biggest highlight of the M8 in taking pictures. This "dual camera" is not used for 3D stereoscopic photography, nor is it two cameras in the true sense. In fact, one of the "cameras" is not a real camera at all, but a depth sensor that can calculate the distance of objects.

What are the benefits of a depth of field sensor? It cannot improve the quality of photos, but it can show certain advantages in post-processing, allowing photos to produce some beautiful, professional-looking effects.

The first is UFocus. Some mobile phones from Nokia and LG also allow users to "take pictures first and then focus" similar to the light field camera Lytro, but it takes a few seconds to enter a specialized mode, and when users record fleeting moments in real life, It is often too late to enter these modes. HTC's dual cameras can directly record depth of field information without the user entering a special mode, making it easier for users to perform refocusing and background blurring.

The UFocus function allows users to select two or three different focus areas in the picture, and the remaining areas will be blurred. If the user is not satisfied with the processing effect, he can also re-edit the original photo.

In addition to distinguishing objects in the front and behind, other functions of the M8 dual camera also include: desaturation and color differentiation processing of images (can create artistic or cartoon-like images) effect), copy elements in the photo (such as a hat someone is wearing), and give the photo a 3D parallax effect by changing the camera tilt.

The Zoe dynamic image function exits the viewfinder and becomes an independent shooting mode. In Zoe mode, users can do three things with the same shutter button: press once to take a normal photo, press for a few seconds to capture Zoe dynamic pictures, and press and hold to capture a video.

In addition, Sense 6 allows users to import photos shared by others to create special editions.

5. Camera performance

If you need professional-level picture quality, then HTC One is not suitable for you, but it is very good at fast photography and post-effects. Natural flash is great, but the beauty of Super Pixel technology is that you can take great photos in low light without a flash. The performance of the M8 in low light is comparable to that of the Lumia 1020, but there are advantages and disadvantages: the advantage is that there is less noise than the Lumia 1020 in low light, but the disadvantage is that the noise reduction method used can blur some details.

The daytime photo performance is almost exactly the same as that of the original HTC One, but the actual image quality has not improved much - which makes us a little disappointed. It seems that HTC is putting all its resources into developing dual cameras. In short, the photos taken by HTC One are still very good for viewing and sharing on the phone, but they are not good enough to be put in a photo frame and hung on the wall. In addition, you have to adapt to the 16:9 aspect ratio when using the dual camera function.

6. Performance and battery life

High-end smartphones are often equipped with the most powerful chips at the moment. Although the M8’s 2.3GHz quad-core Snapdragon 801 processor is compared with the 800 The improvement is not huge, but it is still the best in the industry, and the 2GB of memory and the 578MHz Adreno 330 GPU help reduce the burden on the main processor.

Personally, when judging the performance of a certain chip, a good criterion is whether it can prevent us from noticing it, that is, whether it can be so fast and smooth that we can ignore the background process. . The M8's Snapdragon 801 did it - we tried to crash it with countless processor-intensive tasks and graphics-heavy graphics, but it still remained impeccably smooth.

The new version of HTC One also has another significant advantage over the old version, that is, it does not overheat - even when the M8 is running at high load, the heat level is acceptable and will not be as hot as the M7. .

In terms of battery life, the M8’s 2600mAh is 300mAh more than the M7. We originally thought that the M8’s battery life would be basically the same as the M7 due to the enlarged phone screen and improved processor performance. In a week-long daily use test, the M8's power will generally remain about 30% after a day of normal use from morning to night. It will also consume more power when used intensively, but it is a big improvement over the M7. In our standard continuous video playback test, the M8 could loop HD video for nearly 11.5 hours, while the M7 could only play for 6.5 hours in the same test.

In terms of overall call quality, our European evaluation team also came up with good results. BoomSound makes the speaker easily competent for conference calls. Its volume is louder than M7, and the music effect is clearer and more pleasant.

The only shortcoming we found was the GPS - the blue dot would often freeze and although it would usually catch up with us after 20 to 30 seconds, we sometimes had to exit the map and restart the app. Let it find our new location.

7. Competition

The release time of the M8 varies in different regions around the world, but it is released immediately after launch in the UK and the United States.

In the United States, Verizon's retail stores will sell the M8 at the earliest. AT&T, T-Mobile and Sprint will open online pre-orders today, while physical stores will not be available until April 11. The bare machine sells for US$650 without a contract, and the contract machine sells for between US$200 and US$250. The Google Play version will be on sale today on the Play Store for $700, while the developer version will be on sale on HTC’s official website today for $650.

Since the Samsung Galaxy S5 will be released on April 11, direct competition with the HTC One is inevitable. Whether the disadvantaged HTC One can win in this fierce battle is still unknown.

8. Summary

Advantages:

-Beautiful design

-Dual camera imaging effect is good

- Powerful performance

- Long battery life

Weaknesses:

- Slippery feel and difficult to grip

- Display and "Super pixel" technology has not been improved

- GPS is not easy to use

Conclusion:

The new version of HTC One has beautiful appearance and powerful performance, and is better than the old version in many aspects Improved, but the polishing process makes it difficult to grip. Additionally, we expect improvements to its display and "Super Pixel" technology.

Reference materials

HTCM8. Tencent Digital [cited on 2018-1-26]