Given the buzz surrounding Apple’s new iPhones and Xiaomi’s rising popularity in the fiercely contested Indian mobile phone market, one might expect other handset vendors to be in a tight spot, right?. Not quite, especially in the case of Taiwan’s HTC. In recent months, this fighting-fit firm has introduced a slew of beautiful smartphones with a good mix of hardware and software in order to attract consumers. What’s more, it has also priced its offerings competitively to make them accessible to a large proportion of consumers.
The net result: HTC has managed to translate positive reviews of its devices into strong sales in India, especially with regard to the HTC One and HTC Desire devices. The phone company, which once sold one out of every 10 smartphones worldwide, is channelising its energies to increase its market share in the Indian smartphone market, from 7% at present to 15% in the next two years. With a spate of new launches, the
company’s growth strategy is clear that new products will help it achieve this. We take a look at two recent HTC introductions.
* HTC ONE (M8 EYE)
Last year’s HTC One won rave reviews. The all new HTC One (M8 Eye) is beautifully designed inside and out. The design and quality of the phone’s body creates a stunning and chic look. The design is an incredibly crafted, durable, high quality metal unibody that flows right up to the 5-inch, full HD (1080p) display, tapering to thinner edges, with softer curves for a smoother, more natural grip. Frankly I have never seen a handset look so good, and I have handled a lot of mobile phones.
Basically, the HTC One (M8 Eye) builds on the success of the HTC One (M8). This latest addition to the HTC One family comes with a 13 megapixel Duo Camera, HTC’s new HTC Eye Experience software and Zoe app integration—key additions that will bring to the consumer an all-round good smartphone experience. Probing the innards, the phone is supported by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 processor with 2.3 GHz quad-core Krait CPUs. It runs on Android 4.4 KitKat and features the all-new HTC Sense 6, which features bold, customisable colour themes and delivers a more intuitive, personalised user experience.
Without doubt, the HTC One (M8 Eye) offers a leap forward in smartphone imaging. It brings a totally different dimension to mobile imaging by combining the world’s first smartphone with a 13 megapixel Duo Camera that features a LED Dual Flash and full 1080p HD video recording, producing incredible images in all lighting conditions and rich, high-quality video. A 5 megapixel wide-angle front facing camera also captures superior selfies with ease. The Duo Camera boasts a depth sensor in addition to the main 13 megapixel module, capturing detailed depth information from a scene and enabling a range of beautiful and creative effects that allow you to do more with your images than ever before.
The advanced camera technology also works behind-the-scenes capturing images right from launch, so that when the shutter is activated, the sharpest possible image is instantly displayed. The camera autofocus operates at a speed of 300 seconds, producing beautifully crisp images of split-second action and when the flash is required, the intelligent LED Dual Flash automatically selects the exact colour tone and light intensity for more natural skin tones and a professional-looking shot. Pretty amazing, isn’t it?
It’s not just about the hardware though. The HTC Eye Experience takes mobile imaging software into a new league with unique features guaranteed to make you look your best. Taking video chat and conference calls to a new level of quality and performance, the HTC Eye Experience’s face tracking keeps you perfectly framed at all times. And because staying in touch means more than just talking to a single person, upto four people in the same room can also be tracked comfortably, with each face cropped and positioned on the screen for maximum clarity.
From the moment I picked up the HTC One (M8 Eye), I knew the phone had a lot going for it. Its big 5-inch screen is of high-quality with a pleasing amount of brightness, rich colours and good wide viewing angles. Photos, videos and text are crisp on the phone and the OS brings a cleaner, less cluttered layout, plus faster performance. All in all its a very well constructed and beautiful phone with good sound and speed. Take my word, if you decide to purchase this Rs 38,990-a-piece device, you’ll be a satisfied customer.
Estimated street price: Rs 38,990
* HTC DESIRE 820
HTC Desire 820 is a successor to the popular HTC Desire 816 and it (Desire 820) takes big-screen performance to the next level. Available in an array of colours and featuring HTC’s iconic unibody design, the robust polycarbonate device is not only stylish but also boasts the excellent build quality that has become synonymous with HTC.
The latest member of the Desire family is powered by the Snapdragon 615 processor Octa-core CPU with a 64 bit processing capability. For high quality selfies, the device features an 8 MP front-facing camera, delivering impressive solo poses and effortless group shots. Enhancing the imaging experience, it also offers software that allows you to merge your features with those of a friend or celebrity for a completely original look, real time Live Makeup, which allows you to preview the image and set the desired level of skin smoothing before the image is captured and Photo Booth, where you can capture several moments in a single image.
Offering high-performance imaging, the phone’s rear camera, with f/2.2 aperture and a 13 MP BSI sensor, captures quality images in both daylight and low light, so your photos will be bursting with detail even as the sun goes down. If photography isn’t your strength, press and hold the shutter for rapid-fire and continuous shooting—ideal for capturing fast moving objects or for selecting your best image at a later date.
Bold, bright and sleek, the newest addition to the HTC Desire range features HTC’s double shot colour technology, which allows a user to create a two-tone colour uni-body, that is not only perfect for reflecting both personality and style, but that also improves device quality. With distinctive colour trims around the camera, buttons and flash, the two colours merge seamlessly into one another creating a slick look.
In my usage, I really liked the HTC Desire 820’s Dot View feature. This provides instant access to your phone without opening the cover. With a range of functions from answering calls and receiving and dismissing notifications with a simple swipe, this retro style case can be customised to suit any situation, with the ability to create your own wallpaper by selecting images from your gallery or from 18 different themes. All in all, the new Desire 820 is a pleasing phone and it is good to hold as it to use.
Estimated street price: Rs 24,990
