News - HTC One M8 with 'Duo Camera' officially announced

[HEXUS]

Android smartphone features a depth sensor, bigger screen and louder speakers.

Read more.

[abychristy]

And as usual not cheap !

[crossy]

Hmm, I think I quite like this - only thing I can see that'd steer me towards a Galaxy S5 instead would be the latter's removable/replaceable battery - and maybe I could live with that "restriction". But I'd have to be able to use an alternate launcher - I loathe Sense, much preferring native Android (or basically anything else).

Nice to see that HTC resisted the temptation to go for some stupid sized screen (5" is my sweet spot for being able to actually use the damned thing), and the design looks good.

Have to trawl and see if there's a head to head v's the Xperia Z2.

[Brewster0101]

Have to trawl and see if there's a head to head v's the Xperia Z2.

http://www.pocket-lint.com/news/1280...the-difference

[Meowdance]

U wot M8.

Looks good though. I'm due for a new phone and fancy an android. This could be it, though I suspect it will be twice the price of the Nexus 5 that is the current favourite.

[george1979]

And as usual not cheap !

Not cheap but it at least doesn't look cheap! If your gonna get a premium phone it should at least look premium. Just look at the new S5 in the other story on here today - just no comparison.

Personally I wouldn't pay this type of money again. Got a Moto G and I'm extremely pleased with it. I see no need to spend 4 times the cash when I'm not getting anything close to twice the functionality, never mind 4 times.

[crossy]

U wot M8.

Looks good though. I'm due for a new phone and fancy an android. This could be it, though I suspect it will be twice the price of the Nexus 5 that is the current favourite.

Depends what you want, remember that Nexus devices usually don't - for example - have particularly good cameras. So if snapping pics is your "thing" then a Nexus might not be the best choice. On the other hand you do get the updates the way it should be (direct!), and there's no nonSense () like TouchWiz, UXP, etc getting in the way of you using the phone and slowing it down.

http://www.pocket-lint.com/news/1280...the-difference

Thanks, saved me the Google search time.

[CAT-THE-FIFTH]

Get a Nexus5/MotoG,an external battery pack and spend the rest on a decent compact??

[this_is_gav]

Nice to see that HTC resisted the temptation to go for some stupid sized screen (5" is my sweet spot for being able to actually use the damned thing), and the design looks good.

Don't mind a large screen too much, but as a device the One M8 is huge. Granted the speakers use up quite a bit of bezel, but I'm curious what excuse HTC has for the black "HTC" bar now.

The Z2 has the same issue - massive bezels. I'd grab both over an S5 though... heck, I'd take the original One over the S5.

[virtuo]

I'm starting to like HTC again after not really having anything good since the Hero. Saw a demo of the depth sensor on the camera - it's actually the first decent looking 'gimmick' I've seen on a phone. and no "me-too" fingerprint scanner either.

Having said that, I don't think I'd stretch to buying it. Hopefully it'll mean the first One can be had at a decent discount.

[zdn1042]

Is the 4.1 ultra pixel camera, just the same with their previous flagship phone?

[slipthemonkey]

I've always been happy with HTC for my phone. Previously has a Desire and currently on a HTC One X, I'm not sure why they have done so bad comparatively to Apple and Samsung. Although that being said I am leaning towards getting the Nexus 5 for my next upgrade...

[crossy]

Don't mind a large screen too much, but as a device the One M8 is huge. Granted the speakers use up quite a bit of bezel, but I'm curious what excuse HTC has for the black "HTC" bar now. The Z2 has the same issue - massive bezels. I'd grab both over an S5 though... heck, I'd take the original One over the S5.

Hmm, I'm not that bothered about the length/height (desk/in-hand) of the phone - it's more the width, because I loathe having those edges cutting into my hand. The S5 - at 5.7"+ - isn't a phone to me, that's a phablet. And that's the most obvious of the S5's disadvantages to me.

Reading the Z2's review on Pocket Lint and there's a similar comment on there. Reply was that Sony obviously decided to make a longer/higher phone to put the camera in and keep the phone thinner. Personally I've always scorned the "thinner is better" marketing b.s. - if they want to slap 2-3mm on a phone to give me a 4,000mAh battery then that's a trade I'd do.

I'm starting to like HTC again after not really having anything good since the Hero. Saw a demo of the depth sensor on the camera - it's actually the first decent looking 'gimmick' I've seen on a phone. and no "me-too" fingerprint scanner either.

+1 on this, I thought the fingerprint scanner on the iPhone5s/c were daft, and Samsung were even stupider for "copying" this idea. Then again, I don't use all the S- stuff on my S3 - don't like needless gimmicks.

Is the 4.1 ultra pixel camera, just the same with their previous flagship phone?

According to various stuff I've seen yes, e.g.

The company decided to opt out of the megapixel race for ever higher and higher numbers of pixels for the original HTC One, instead fitting it with a 4.1 "ultrapixel" camera. The sensor that had physically bigger pixels for capturing more light per pixel, therefore making a brighter and more colour-rich image, especially in low-light conditions.

HTC has further developed the Ultrapixel idea by coupling the same 4.1 megapixel camera to two image processing chips for faster and crisper image capture, while adding a secondary camera that captures depth information at the same time as the main camera snaps a photo.

The "duo camera" design captures spatial information and allows several post-capture image processing functions. These include the ability to refocus a photo to any point in the image – not limited to certain plains within the image like Samsung's multi-capture efforts on the Galaxy S5 – much like a Lytro lightfield camera.

[crossy]

I've always been happy with HTC for my phone. Previously has a Desire and currently on a HTC One X, I'm not sure why they have done so bad comparatively to Apple and Samsung. Although that being said I am leaning towards getting the Nexus 5 for my next upgrade...

My eldest loves her HTC One S, and her sister likes her HTC 8S - the only real problem with that latter one being that it's got a pathetic amount of internal storage. So if you're an app collector then this is "not the phone that you are looking for".

Not fancy a Nexus 6 for Christmas? Rumour specs - like these ones - look reasonable, apart from the stupid sized screen.

[slipthemonkey]

Not fancy a Nexus 6 for Christmas?

Those specs do look pretty tasty but even with just an extra half and inch on the display it might push the overall phone size over something I'd want in my pocket, especially if I put a case on it. Also depends on how much it ends up costing too.

[shaithis]

Now to see what haggling will be required with EE to upgrade my One!