HTC One mini 2 vs HTC One (M8)

Introduction

Hesitation, it’s not something we’ll be seeing much from HTC this year, seeing that they’re aiming for a more aggressive approach this year. In comparison to last year, HTC isn’t wasting any time at all in bringing to market its line of prized smartphones. In fact, they were quick to launch the HTC One M8 before most of the competition, but in doing so, they’re fully aware that diversity is essential in giving consumers choice. Not surprisingly, that’s where the HTC One mini 2 comes to mind, as it launches in a relatively close time frame to HTC’s flagship. Having two options available, the question that remains is which of the two to side with.

Design

Okay, the difference between these two isn’t all that shocking. Quite simply, it’s a matter of size preference, so those who don’t like the larger size of HTC’s flagship will appreciate the more form-fitting nature of the HTC One mini 2. Employing the same design language, there isn’t any shortage with their premium constructions – so there’s no compromise to their beautiful, awe-inspiring looks. We definitely like the two equally, but as we’ve mentioned already, it ultimately boils down to size preference.

Besides the obvious size disparity, the other notable differences are mostly cosmetic – like the placement of their 3.5mm headset jacks and power buttons. However, it should be noted that the HTC One mini 2 lacks an IR blaster – reducing its functionality over its esteemed sibling. At the same time, we have different cameras in two with them, which we’ll expand on more later. Aside from that, they both feature dual front-firing speakers with HTC BoomSound, microSD slots, nanoSIM slots, and 5-megapixel wide-angle front cameras.

Display

Bearing that “mini” name, the HTC One mini 2 packs along a smaller 4.5-inch 720p display – where as its beefier sized sibling bears a mightier 5-inch 1080p one. Naturally, the HTC One M8’s display is sharper and crisper looking, but details are still plentiful with the HTC One mini 2’s display.

Interestingly enough, they employ Super-LCD 3 technology, so it’s not surprising to us that they deliver nearly the same potent brightness output – allowing us to make out their screens with the sun present. Looking at them straight on, colors have a punchy tone to them, but it seems as though the One M8’s display has the better viewing angles. Overall, they nearly match one another in many areas, but to our eyes, the One M8’s screen still proves to have the charm to catch our attention.

Interface and Functionality

Out of the box, they’re running the most up-to-date customized Android experience from HTC – Sense 6.0 on top of Android 4.4.2 KitKat. Therefore, we’re presented with the same fantastic and modern looking interface that proves to be a cut above most others. In addition, we’re given access to the same social networking aggregation service of HTC BlinkFeed from the homescreen. However, the HTC One M8 benefits by having the various Motion Launch gestures that provides us with the quick peek/access functionality that isn’t present with its pint-sized sibling.

Running the same Sense 6.0 interface, their various organizer apps look and function identically to one another. Of course, things are supplemented thanks to the usefulness we get from Google Now.


Even though there isn’t any issue typing stuff up with the on-screen keyboard of the HTC One M8, those who prefer one-handed operation will find the keyboard of the HTC One mini 2 to be more agreeable – partly because our thumb is able to encompass the layout more easily.

Processor and Memory

Despite being out spec’d, the HTC One mini 2’s quad-core 1.4GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 chip with 1GB of RAM is able to carry out basic tasks with the same responsiveness we see from the One M8’s more prized quad-core 2.3GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 SoC with 2GB. For the more demanding users, or those who intend to play today’s 3D games, the HTC One M8 is more equipped to handle the rigorous operations without any hitch to its performance.

Blessing both smartphones with an ample 16GB of storage, it’s nice that HTC outfitted them also with microSD slots to give us more flexibility.

Internet and Connectivity

In all fairness, the two are equipped to provide us with stellar web surfing experiences – thanks to their speedy LTE speeds and responsive navigational controls. What separates them, of course, is the sharper and larger display of the HTC One M8’s screen, which some people will find more suitable for the experience.


Considering it’s the flagship smartphone between them, you can expect to find the HTC One M8 to be offered by more carriers around the world. Still, they feature nearly the same connectivity features – such as aGPS, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, NFC, and DLNA. Then again, the HTC One M8 is outfitted with video-out functionality and an IR blaster to appease hardened multimedia buffs.

Camera

Hardcore shutterbugs will gravitate to the HTC One M8 more, simply for the fact that it offers additional shooting modes that aren’t present with the HTC One mini2 – they include the dual camera, 360 pan, and Zoe modes. Nevertheless, they deliver the same set of manual controls.

What’s surprising between the two is the extreme differences with their cameras. As we’re all aware now, the HTC One M8 is unique for its 4-megapixel ‘Ultrapixel” camera, which is accompanied by an unsuspecting secondary rear camera that measures depth information. In contrast, the HTC One mini 2 goes in the complete opposite direction with its 13-megapixel camera.

The biggest weakness of the HTC One M8’s camera, as we know, is its inability to capture a lot of fine detail. Fortunately, that’s been addressed with the HTC One mini 2, seeing that it absolutely captures the details we were desperately hoping to find with HTC’s flagship. Naturally, we gain the flexibility of cropping our photos, but despite that, we continue to like the quality put out my HTC’s flagship. In particular, it performs a whole lot better under lower lighting situations – while its various Duo Effects give our photos that professional touch.



Breaking down the quality of their 1080p video recordings, we can’t say that we greatly prefer one over the other. Details are good, but nothing too astounding. Yet again, though, the same qualities are present here – where the HTC One M8 is better at recording under lower light.

Multimedia

The Sense 6.0 music player is what’s available with these two phones, so there are no differences to their functions and presentations. Armed with dual front-firing speakers with HTC BoomSound, there’s no denying that they churn out poppy and commanding volumes – though, it’s noticeable that the HTC One M8’s set are stronger in tone.

We like that they’re able to play a wide array of 1080p videos very smoothly, but the larger and sharper display of the HTC One M8 is simply more ideal for the experience.

As we’ve mentioned earlier, the HTC One M8 packs a handy IR blaster, which turns the phone into a universal remote. It’s just one of those added features that comes in handy when the remote inexplicably disappears.

Call Quality

Thanks to their powerful earpieces and speakerphones, we have no problems whatsoever trying to make out voices in noisy environments. However, we find the call quality of the HTC One M8 to be better, since voices have a clearer tone to them.

Battery

After exposing the two to our battery benchmark test, we have a clear winner in which of them has the stronger endurance. Stuffed with the larger 2600 mAh battery, the HTC One M8 eclipses its sibling by producing an astounding 7 hours of juice on our test. In contrast, the HTC One mini 2’s 2100 mAh battery churns out close to 6.5 hours.

Conclusion

We’ve dissected these two extensively, but at the end of the day, it boils down to size preference. By sticking with the HTC One mini 2, you merely get a phone that matches its siblings premium construction, but in a compact package that’s more manageable to operate with one hand. It’s that and the fact that you’ll save some money on picking up too!

Even with the added savings, there are some obvious compromises by choosing to go with the HTC One mini 2 – like its watered down specs and missing software features. Honestly folks, that’s not all that surprising to us, seeing that the HTC One M8 is meant to provide us with the best experience. Indeed, you’ll be forking over more cash to pick it up, but at the end of the day, we gain something that’s synonymous of a flagship smartphone.