HTC One mini REVIEW
The HTC One mini is, in many respects, very similar to its larger, older sibling, the HTC One. It has a [mostly] aluminum body, BoomSound speakers and HTC's Ultrapixel camera. It runs Android 4.2.2 with Sense 5, and its 720p S-LCD2 display with Gorilla Glass 3 is breathtakingly good for a "mid-range" PHONE
The front-facing camera has been changed to a cheaper 1.6MP unit. There are only 16GB of internal storage and a mere 1GB of RAM. It uses a Snapdragon 400 dual-core processor. The battery has been reduced to a capacity of 1800mAh.
Key Features
Full HD Recording
UltraPixel Primary Camera
1.6 MP Secondary Camera
Android OS
4.3-inch Capacitive Touchscreen
Wi-Fi Enabled
1.4 GHz Dual Core Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 Processor
Click Here for full specification
DISPLAY:
When you first pick up any smartphone, you’ll most likely first look at its screen, so let’s start from there. The HTC One Mini has a 4.3-inch screen with a black bezel surrounding it. The side bezels look to easily measure in at less than ½ an inch, while the top bezel is around ½ an inch. The bottom bezel is a bit thicker at around 1 inch as it features two capacitive buttons and the HTC logo.: http://www.ubergizmo.com/2013/09/htc-one-mini-review/
Since the HTC One managed to include the highest-resolution display ever on a phone, it’s no surprise that this smaller phone doesn’t match it. Where the One has a remarkable 468 pixels per inch, this phone only manages 342ppi. That’s a big drop, but it still beats the iPhone’s Retina display. And it looks great.
Sure, it’s not Full HD like the HTC One, Samsung Galaxy S4 or Sony Xperia Z. But this is a noticeably smaller screen than those and the 720 x 1280 resolution seems more than enough.
CAMERA:
The only real difference between the camera on the HTC One and the One mini is optical image stabilization (OIS) - the One mini doesn't have it.
The HTC One mini features a camera that’s largely the same as the HTC One’s: it uses HTC’s ‘Ultrapixel’ sensor – a four megapixel 1/3” backside illuminated unit with 2.0 µm pixels – and a 28mm f/2.0 lens. I say “largely” the same because one key aspect of the HTC One’s camera, optical image stabilization (OIS), has been inexplicably removed. The large pixels and wide aperture will still facilitate low-light photography, but no OIS is sure to have an effect.
The One mini is capable of 1080p video recording, HDR video recording, 1.6 megapixel front-facing photos, and there’s also an LED flash. Zoe mode is also seen in the mini, which I had first experience with in the HTC One. Marketed as being a hugely important part of the One series’ feature set, Zoe allows you to take a four second full-resolution burst shot (with audio) of any scene, capturing one second before and three seconds after the capture button is pressed. The idea is that a Zoe shot is more than just a photo, enabling interesting editing features such as erasing unwanted objects in a scene, and creating action shots.
The Ultrapixel sensor is able to produce a very nice image within a 4MP camera.:
DESIGN
HTC One Mini has a dual core Snapdragon 400 processor, 1GB of RAM and 16GB of internal storage. The screen is a 4.3-inch option, running at 720p rather than the Full HD level of the original One.
This is where the One mini loses me - it's the RAM. 1GB is not enough for a modern, mid-to-high-end Android device.The One mini is running a slightly updated version of Sense 5 based on Android 4.2. The One has / will receive this updated Sense version, though US and Canadian Ones will be going straight to Android 4.3.Even so, the phone was nippy at all times and its performance seems as strong as the bigger HTC phone and other handsets like the Galaxy S4. And the metal back, like on the earlier model, was no impediment for the phone signal which was strong and consistent. Call quality was good, to boot.
The HTC One Mini has been downgraded in terms of battery size to 1800mAh, which is a far cry from the 2300mAh option lobbed into the HTC One. Battery life on the HTC One Mini is good, though not as long-lasting as the bigger One or phones like the Nokia Lumia 925. It’ll get you through the day with no problem, but daily recharges are recommended.
conclusion:
positive:
Great screen
Camera
Great design
Negative
Shorter battery life
Storage too low at this price.
RAM not enough.
The front-facing camera has been changed to a cheaper 1.6MP unit. There are only 16GB of internal storage and a mere 1GB of RAM. It uses a Snapdragon 400 dual-core processor. The battery has been reduced to a capacity of 1800mAh.
Key Features
Full HD Recording
UltraPixel Primary Camera
1.6 MP Secondary Camera
Android OS
4.3-inch Capacitive Touchscreen
Wi-Fi Enabled
1.4 GHz Dual Core Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 Processor
Click Here for full specification
DISPLAY:
When you first pick up any smartphone, you’ll most likely first look at its screen, so let’s start from there. The HTC One Mini has a 4.3-inch screen with a black bezel surrounding it. The side bezels look to easily measure in at less than ½ an inch, while the top bezel is around ½ an inch. The bottom bezel is a bit thicker at around 1 inch as it features two capacitive buttons and the HTC logo.: http://www.ubergizmo.com/2013/09/htc-one-mini-review/
Since the HTC One managed to include the highest-resolution display ever on a phone, it’s no surprise that this smaller phone doesn’t match it. Where the One has a remarkable 468 pixels per inch, this phone only manages 342ppi. That’s a big drop, but it still beats the iPhone’s Retina display. And it looks great.
Sure, it’s not Full HD like the HTC One, Samsung Galaxy S4 or Sony Xperia Z. But this is a noticeably smaller screen than those and the 720 x 1280 resolution seems more than enough.
CAMERA:
The only real difference between the camera on the HTC One and the One mini is optical image stabilization (OIS) - the One mini doesn't have it.
The HTC One mini features a camera that’s largely the same as the HTC One’s: it uses HTC’s ‘Ultrapixel’ sensor – a four megapixel 1/3” backside illuminated unit with 2.0 µm pixels – and a 28mm f/2.0 lens. I say “largely” the same because one key aspect of the HTC One’s camera, optical image stabilization (OIS), has been inexplicably removed. The large pixels and wide aperture will still facilitate low-light photography, but no OIS is sure to have an effect.
The One mini is capable of 1080p video recording, HDR video recording, 1.6 megapixel front-facing photos, and there’s also an LED flash. Zoe mode is also seen in the mini, which I had first experience with in the HTC One. Marketed as being a hugely important part of the One series’ feature set, Zoe allows you to take a four second full-resolution burst shot (with audio) of any scene, capturing one second before and three seconds after the capture button is pressed. The idea is that a Zoe shot is more than just a photo, enabling interesting editing features such as erasing unwanted objects in a scene, and creating action shots.
The Ultrapixel sensor is able to produce a very nice image within a 4MP camera.:
DESIGN
HTC One Mini has a dual core Snapdragon 400 processor, 1GB of RAM and 16GB of internal storage. The screen is a 4.3-inch option, running at 720p rather than the Full HD level of the original One.
This is where the One mini loses me - it's the RAM. 1GB is not enough for a modern, mid-to-high-end Android device.The One mini is running a slightly updated version of Sense 5 based on Android 4.2. The One has / will receive this updated Sense version, though US and Canadian Ones will be going straight to Android 4.3.Even so, the phone was nippy at all times and its performance seems as strong as the bigger HTC phone and other handsets like the Galaxy S4. And the metal back, like on the earlier model, was no impediment for the phone signal which was strong and consistent. Call quality was good, to boot.
The HTC One Mini has been downgraded in terms of battery size to 1800mAh, which is a far cry from the 2300mAh option lobbed into the HTC One. Battery life on the HTC One Mini is good, though not as long-lasting as the bigger One or phones like the Nokia Lumia 925. It’ll get you through the day with no problem, but daily recharges are recommended.
conclusion:
positive:
Great screen
Camera
Great design
Negative
Shorter battery life
Storage too low at this price.
RAM not enough.
Comments