HTC One mini Review

Introduction

With the “mini” version of the One, HTC is jumping on the trend to shrink flagship phones in size and specs, then slap a lower price on them, capitalizing on the name recognition built around the annual high-end device already.

At first look the HTC One Mini has more to do with its larger namesake then Samsung's mini version with the Galaxy S4, for example. All stand-out features from the flagship One, like a svelte aluminum chassis, BoomSound stereo speakers at the front, and the UltraPixel camera, are present on HTC's mini version as well. Is there anything significant, save for screen diagonal, that HTC sacrificed on to reach the lower price of the One mini? Read on to find out...

In the box

• In-ear stereo headphones
• Wall charger
• MicroUSB cable
• Warranty and information leaflets

Design

There is nothing in the midrange Android category, save for the Huawei Ascend P6, that can match the exclusive aluminum chassis of the HTC One mini. Keeping all design cues from the flagship One, the Mini-Me version is exactly that – a more compact version with the same premium looks.


The brushed metal back is tapered and fits well in the hand, albeit a bit slippery to hold. The One mini bets on an elongated profile, which has to fit the BoomSound stereo speakers at the front and their signature perforated grill, making the phone pretty tall for the screen size. At the same time, however, it is quite narrow, so it is comfortable to operate with one hand.


What's not comfortable are the side keys, though. The power/lock button at the top is too small and flush with the surface to feel and press without finger-wandering. Even when you get to it, the tactile feedback is very shallow and mushy. The same goes for the volume keys on the right, so it takes quite a bit of adjusting before you stop looking and thinking each time you need to press a physical button on the HTC One mini. Unlike the clicky ones, the capacitive navigational keys below the display are responsive and well backlit so you never skip a beat with them.

The micro SIM card tray on the left hints at a sealed design, and that's precisely what HTC is offering, as usual lately – sealed battery compartment and no memory card slot. An LED notification light is present underneath the top speaker grill, though rather smallish to be viewed comfortably.



Display

The One mini flaunts a 4.3” Super-LCD3 panel with 720x1280 pixels HD resolution. The 341ppi pixel density is top-notch for the class, and the display sports very natural color representation. It is not Full HD, like on the flagship One, but has borrowed all other great features from it, like the high peak brightness, excellent contrast and ultra wide viewing angles.

In fact, when we add the very low mirror reflectance, which helps significantly with sunlight visibility, we'd wager to say HTC has graced the One mini with one of the best phone screens out there.