As with last year’s HTC One, now called the M7, we’re all expecting HTC to release difference variants of the M8 this year. So far, we’ve heard about the HTC One Mini 2 and an unknown HTC M8 Ace that could be a high-end device with a lower price tag due to the lack of the metal casing used on the HTC One. A Mini version of the HTC One (M8) is to be expected as not everyone wants to spend that sort of money on a smartphone and more choice, is well, more choice. We’ve heard that the device is going to feature a number of key features from the M8, and we’ve even seen what could be press images of the device.
Now, the device has been spotted online in Europe, with a pair of online retailers listing the HTC One Mini 2 for release as early as next week. How likely is this? Well, not all that likely after all HTC has been pretty quiet on the whole ‘mini’ front, but these listings do help to confirm that the One Mini 2 is coming to market. Finnish website Systemastore is listing the “M8 Mini” with a price tag of €521, and says it’ll be available 14th of May, but doesn’t list any other information besides that. The same can be said for another Finnish site, Multitronic that lists the M8 Mini for €522, but doesn’t list a release date of any kind.
Without any specs to go on, all these latest findings show us is that the device is on the cards to be released a little later on this year. On the specs front, we’re not expect to see anything brilliant from the One Mini 2, but last year’s HTC One Mini was a decent device that had a good screen and a lot of what made the M7 such a great device. If the One Mini 2 has similar build and such to the M8 we recently reviewed, they could have a quality device on offer. With the Galaxy S5 Mini apparently on the approach, will the One Mini 2 have what it takes to combat Samsung at the lower-end of the market?