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The One M8 OK, yes, most of the pertinent details have long since been leaked, but today – it's official! The successor to last year's critically acclaimed HTC One has been released, and it's called the HTC One M8. While many of the improvements over its predecessor are incremental, under-the-hood changes, the newest One also packs some brand-new features that are worth a look.
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Too much metal for one hand The new model boasts even more metal construction than its predecessor, swapping out the matte back on the old model for a brushed finish. It's a little more than half an ounce heavier as a result, however.
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"Bouquet effect" The dual rear-camera system on the One M8 is one of the most noticeable new features on the device. The secondary shooter provides some interesting new abilities, including the "bouquet effect" that HTC demonstrated at the launch event. Essentially, this allows users to re-focus an image after it's been taken.
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The sixth Sense Sense 6, the latest version of HTC's custom Android software, is the OS running on the One M8. Improvements in streamlining the Blinkfeed social media and news aggregator are the highlight of the new version, and HTC has also released an SDK so that new content can be included.
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Gesture commands HTC has hopped on board the gesture command bandwagon (commandwagon?) with the One M8, which allows users to swipe near the screen to unlock, and even answer calls just by putting the phone next to their ear. How it knows what part of your body it's touching, I'm not sure, but it's still pretty neat.
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Improved hardware The One M8 runs on a Snapdragon 801 SoC, which boasts a quad-core, 2.3GHz CPU and Adreno 330 GPU. It also adds Gorilla Glass 3 to protect the 5-inch main screen, which is 0.3 inches bigger than its predecessor.
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Battery life In addition to a bigger battery, HTC says it's come up with some innovative new ways to save energy, claiming that the One M8 will provide about 40% better battery life than the 2013 model.
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Louder speakers The robust, high-quality front-mounted speakers were one of the original HTC One's more noteworthy features, and HTC has gone out of its way to improve them further – adding new speakers and amplifiers for additional volume and clarity.
In Pictures: The HTC One M8 smartphone
8 Photos
HTC One M8 is finally here! Everyone try and act surprised!
