HTC launches 4.5in One Mini 2 ahead of Apple event

Telstra jumps on the 700MHz sibling to the premium One (M8)

Tony Ibrahim (PC World) on 01 September, 2014 12:30

HTC is launching the 4.5in variant of its flagship, the One Mini 2, in Australia ahead of Apple’s 9 September event and this week's IFA trade show in Berlin.

The One Mini 2 upholds the strong multimedia repertoire of its One (M8) sibling, with a 5 megapixel camera, a 326 pixel-per-inch screen and amplified front stereo speakers. Brushed metal accounts for the body, but a high resolution 13 megapixel camera replaces the controversial DuoCamera.

Carrier Telstra will launch the 4.5in smartphone first at $528 outright — which is below its $599 recommended retail price — or on a 24 month contract for a total of $60 per month.

The 4G smartphone will support the Telstra’s 700 megahertz network, which is scheduled to deploy across Australia from January 2015. The lower frequency spectrum should result in better coverage within buildings and an increase in internet speeds.

Most of the differences between the Mini 2 and One (M8) take place beneath the metal body. Inside is a 1.2GHz quad-core CPU, 1GB of RAM, a 2100 milliamp-hour battery and 16GB of internal storage, which can be expanded to 128GB by accommodating a microSD memory card.

The Android 4.4 smartphone will run HTC’s Sense 6 user interface complete with its BlinkFeed news aggregating software.

Connectivity on the mini smartphone remains solid with 4G, dual-band Wi-Fi (802.11n), Bluetooth 4.0, GPS and support for NFC.

Telstra will start selling the One Mini 2 from 2 September in brushed gunmetal gray and amber gold. Detailed pricing follows as per Telstra’s press release.

Personal pricing

Customers can purchase the HTC One Mini 2 on a $55 Mobile Accelerate plan plus $5 per month handset repayments when they stay connected for 24 months, which includes 1.5 GB of data (excess usage $0.03c/MB) for use in Australia ($60/month – minimum cost over 24 months is $1680. 2 minute standard call $2.38).

Business pricing

Business customers can purchase the HTC One Mini 2 on a $65 Easy Share Business Plan, plus $2 per month handset payment when they stay connected for 24 months. Includes 1 GB of data to use in Australia. Minimum cost is $1608 ($67/month, 2 minute standard call $2, excess data is 3c/MB).