HTC One E8 First Impressions & Hands On!

HTC has created an empire with its One series. The One M7 was shrouded with awards last year and the One M8 is on its way to becoming one of 2014’s best smartphones, with unparalleled build quality and an experience that can be challenged by very few.

You might like: The best HTCOne (E8) cases & covers.

For all intents and purposes, this device is a non-metal HTCOne M8, made with affordability in mind. Can the Taiwanese giant accomplish the same without the metal construction, though? The HTCOne E8 is here to prove polycarbonate (aka plastic) can be just as good!

First impressions

Seeing that build quality is the major differentiator between the One E8 and the One M8, it’s important to note that while more affordable, the HTCOne E8 is far from feeling cheaper. The polycarbonate material offers a smooth, soft touch feeling that you won’t find in average plastic smartphones.

The two-tone coloring makes the device very good-looking. Our unit displays a golden film surrounds the power button, lens, flash and HTClogo, making for a very elegant and simple look. All ports and buttons can be found around the edges of the device, but there is one hardware factor that may stick out to us Americans. The HTCOne E8 comes with a dual nano SIM slot, aside from the micro SD card slot.

Another substantial difference between this phone and the M8 is the absence of the dual-camera set-up. Instead, users can enjoy a more traditional 13 MP camera that may or may not improve picture quality. We need to put it through the test. What does stand out is the gorgeous 5-inch 1080p display with 441 PPI pixel density (though some may find it a bit over-saturated).

We can’t yet pass judgement on the device’s performance, but Android 4.4.2, Sense 6 and the device’s hardware seem to be working very well together. The device offers an experience very similar to any other high-end smartphone, with insignificant lag even when playing the most demanding of games.

And we can’t forget the manufacturer’s now-iconic BoomSound technology, which is definitely not missing here. Stay tuned for the official review! We are putting this phone through our most challenging tests, so we will give you every detail your little heart desires.

Specifications

• Android 4.4.2 with Sense 6
• 5-inch 1080p display
• 2.3 GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 processor
• Adreno 330 GPU
• 2 GB of RAM
• 16 GB of internal storage
• MicroSD up to 128GB
• 13 MP rear-facing camera
• 5 MP front-facing camera
• 2,600 mAh battery

Gallery

Stay tuned for the full review! Do you wish the original One M8 had this 13MP shooter?