HTC’s One M8 is an incredibly desirable smartphone, with a stylish metal-clad design, fast performance and some excellent hardware features, but you’ll be wasting your money if you buy this smartphone. We explain why in our HTC One M8 vs HTC One E8 comparison review. Also see: 31 best smartphones.
HTC One M8 vs HTC One E8: UK price and availability
HTC’s One M8 has been around since 25 March, yet its price has fallen only £30 from its £549 RRP. Its ability to hold its value is not in itself a bad thing, it’s simply that the faster competitors such as the Samsung Galaxy S5 fall in price (now as little as £449 in white), the less appealing a purchase it becomes. If you’re going to pay the full cost up front, be sure to check out our Best SIM-only deals and Best HTC One M8 UK deals to help you get the HTC One M8 at the best price. HTC has not yet unveiled official UK pricing for the HTC One E8, which you might know as the HTC One M8 Ace or Vogue Edition. However, in China it will cost CN¥2,799, which is a straight conversion to £267. That means it could cost just half the price of the HTC One M8 and, given its very similar specification, that would make it a blinding deal. In this article we’ll look at the ways in which HTC has cut costs with the E8, in order that you can decide whether you’d be wasting your money on the HTC One M8. Also check out our full, in-depth HTC One M8 review. HTC expects the HTC One E8 to launch in early June. Keep an eye on PC Advisor for more details as they emerge.
HTC One M8 vs HTC One E8: Design
Design is a key area in which HTC One M8 and E8 differ. While the HTC One M8 has a stylish 90-percent metal unibody chassis, the HTC One E8 has a polycarbonate shell with a dual-curve design, which should ensure a more natural fit in the hand, according to HTC. The two phones are also available in different colours: whereas the M8 comes in ‘Metal Grey’, ‘Arctic Silver’ and ‘Amber Gold’, the E8 will be available in ‘Polar White’, ‘Electric Crimson’, ‘Maldives Blue’ and ‘Misty Grey’. The HTC One E8 is a tiny bit chunkier than the M8, at 9.85mm versus 9.35mm, but its plastic shell means it weighs less, at 145g to the M8’s 160g. Both phones are 146mm tall and 70.7mm wide. All other aspects of design are the same, including the front-facing BoomSound stereo speakers with built-in amps. This means, if you’re intending to stick your HTC One M8 in a case to protect it (see Best HTC One M8 cases and covers below £20), you’ll have just paid double what you needed to spend, given that it’ll look no different in its case to the HTC One E8.
HTC One M8 vs HTC One E8: Display
Both HTCs have 5in (1920×1080, 441ppi) Super LCD 3 displays. HTC hasn’t cut any corners in this department in order to bring down the HTC One E8’s price. Also see our HTC One Mini 2 vs HTC One M8 comparison review.
HTC One M8 vs HTC One E8: Processor and performance
HTC’s One M8 is fitted with a 2.3GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 processor, 2GB of RAM and Adreno 330 graphics. Although we take all benchmarks with a pinch of salt (they’re too easy for manufacturers to cheat using benchmark-boosting software), the M8’s fantastic performance in our tests is backed up by our impressions of it in real-world use – which is all the more pleasing given that the M8 was the vehicle on which HTC Sense 6.0 debuted. It’s an incredibly fast phone, with all the performance you need. In Geekbench 3 the HTC One M8 scored 962 points in the single-core test, and 2761 points in the multi-core test. In Sunspider we measured 583fps, and in GFXBench’s T-Rex test the HTC One M8 managed 30fps. You can compare this performance to that of all the phones we’ve recently tested in our article, What’s the fastest smartphone 2014: Processor, web and graphics performance comparison. The processor, memory and graphics are identical in the HTC One E8, so expect similarly fast performance.
HTC One M8 vs HTC One E8: Storage
HTC One M8 vs HTC One E8: Cameras
Cameras is one area in which HTC reveals its cost-cutting in the One E8. The M8 is fitted with two rear cameras, in an arrangement known as the Duo Camera. It pairs its 4.1Mp Ultrapixel camera with a second camera able to capture depth, allowing you to alter a shot’s focus after the event. In the HTC One E8 you get a single 13Mp rear camera. Both feature 5Mp wide-angle front cameras for video chat and selfies, with a countdown timer to help you perfect your pose just in time. Also see: 30 best Android phones.
HTC One M8 vs HTC One E8: Connectivity
The HTC One E8 shares many of the same connectivity options of its more expensive sibling, including dual-band Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0 and NFC. In some territories it also features dual-SIM operation (see our Best Dual-SIM phones), which will be useful if you currently carry separate devices for work and leisure. Meanwhile, the HTC One M8 adds an IR blaster and 4G connectivity. The latter is not available everywhere just yet, but may be useful when you are out of range of a Wi-Fi signal if you can get it (Also see: What is 4G?). And how many people use the IR blaster on their phone? (I am genuinely interested, because I don’t – let me know in the comments below.)
HTC One M8 vs HTC One E8: Software
Both HTC One M8 and E8 are Android 4.4 KitKat phones. HTC also preinstalls its Sense 6.0 interface and BlinkFeed.
HTC One M8 vs HTC One E8: Battery life
With the same display, hardware and software, the 2,600mAh non-removable battery fitted to both the HTC One M8 and E8 should offer exactly the same runtime. In our tests, that’s roughly 24 hours, although an Extreme Power Saving mode can eke 30 hours out of the M8’s final 10 percent of capacity. It isn’t clear at this time whether the HTC One E8 also features this Exteme Power Saving mode, although we expect that it will.
HTC One M8 vs HTC One E8: Verdict
Until we have an exact UK price for the HTC One E8 it’s a little difficult to make any firm conclusions. However, if we are to believe that it will come in with a mid-range price tag – say, no more than £300 – it’s very difficult to justify the extra cost of the £519 HTC One M8. Go for the flagship and you get a better rear camera and a more-stylish metal design. Stick it in a case and you’ll conceal its gorgeous design, so how much is the camera really worth to you? (And if the camera is that important, check out the 20.7Mp Sony Xperia Z2.) In our opinion, you’ll be wasting your money on the HTC One M8. Looking for a cheap smartphone? Also check out our best budget smartphones. Follow Marie Brewis on Twitter. Marie is Editor in Chief of Tech Advisor and Macworld. A Journalism graduate from the London College of Printing, she’s worked in tech media for more than 17 years, managing our English language, French and Spanish consumer editorial teams and leading on content strategy through Foundry’s transition from print, to digital, to online - and beyond.
