On the very day that HTC launched the HTC One (M8), we started to hear about different variants of the company’s new device. We’ve already seen one of those launch in the One Mini 2 and now, the HTC One Ace is an officially official device of HTC’s, dubbed the HTC One (E8). We knew it was coming and now HTC has taken wraps off of the new device that HTC is hoping will appeal more to the average consumer that just wants a great phone, regardless of what it’s made out of. As you’ve probably already guessed by now, the E8 shares a lot of DNA with the M8, but there are important differences, besides their build.
Starting off with what’s the same, the HTC One (E8) has the same internals as the M8, including that Snapdragon 801 and 2GB of RAM, Sense 6 is still here atop Android 4.4.2 KitKat and special features like BoomSound and the motion launch gestures from the M8 are here, too. The display is still that same 5.0-inch 1080p panel, but that’s about where the similarities end, really. There’s no DuoCamera here, which means they’ll be no funny refocus tricks for the E8, instead there’s a standard 13-megapixel camera around the back with a single LED flash, but the 5-megapixel front-facing camera is still here for those selfies.
The Taiwanese company is really talking up the design of the E8, calling it a “Dual Curve” design with they’re not so subtly calling “an ergonomic masterpiece”. The M8 was much easier to hold in the hand than the original HTC One was and with soft plastic we can imagine the E8 being a little more gentle in hand. To lose the M8’s main selling point for a lot of people though, its build, the E8 will need to be priced very attractively, indeed.
HTC is saying that the E8 is to be “very competitively” priced, and the polycarbonate build and lack of third camera module probably makes this possible. It seems that HTC is hoping that the E8 will appeal to those looking for a more fashionable device rather than a great feat of engineering like the M8 appears to be. It’ll be available in Polar White, Electric Crimson, Maldives Blue, and Misty Gray colors starting “early June” according to the company. HTC is also promising Dot View cases – like the one for the M8 that we reviewed – just for the E8 and those in Asia will be able to enjoy dual-SIM capabilities as well.
