The Moto G is by far the least impressive handset on this list, but it changed what phones were capable of. It didn't have an impact on the top-end like the HTC One M8 or the iPhone 5S in 2013, but instead it changed the bottom of the market. HTC Butterfly 2, is a variant of the One (M8) with similar specs encased in a polycarbonate body. It is water resistant, and has a dual rear camera (13-megapixel main camera and 2-megapixel secondary camera) The white plastic of the silver edition is a terrible dirt magnet, though – it’ll be fine one minute and covered in dark smudges the next. Unless your personal hygiene is much better than ours, of course. Staying the same isn’t necessarily a bad thing, as the small refinements HTC has made to the One M9 make it an instantly more appealing handset than its predecessor. For instance, it’s now far more angular around the edges and the distinct lip around the side of the phone makes it much easier to grip and hold securely – unlike the One M8 which constantly felt like we were about to drop it.

HTC One wins best new device at Mobile World Congress". betanews.com. 28 Feb 2013. Archived from the original on 2013-03-05 . Retrieved 2 Mar 2013. While critically acclaimed, the 2012 One series had not received much consumer attention and sales were disappointing. For one, HTC has been outspent on marketing by Samsung and Apple, as HTC instead had relied heavily on carriers to promote its products. [1] Also, while HTC made many carrier-specific devices, Samsung and Apple were able to concentrate their resources on single flagship handsets such as the Samsung Galaxy S III and iPhone 4S to attract the attention of the consumers. Lastly, while HTC handsets were seen as better quality than Samsung's plastic devices, Samsung was able to successfully distinguish itself from other Android manufacturers with manufacturer-specific software tweaks (as well as marketing to promote its brand) while HTC could not. [2]Much like an iPhone 4S or a Nokia Lumia 720, the HTC One has a discreet microSIM tray that needs to be popped-out with the help of a paperclip – or the tool HTC supplies in the box.

Android 4.1.2 (Jelly Bean), Android 4.2.2 (Jelly Bean), Android 4.3 (Jelly Bean), Upgradeable to Android 5.0 LollipopIt's easy to forget how exciting the Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge was. We'd seen the bent screen technology debut the year before in the Galaxy Note Edge, but this was the second iteration and it was vastly improved for the flagship S7 phone.

HTC One X + Overview - HTC Smartphones". Htc.com. Archived from the original on 2013-05-23 . Retrieved 2013-07-21. HD video recording, video stabilization, slow motion video capture (768 x 432 pixels), HDR video recording.camera with auto focus, smart LED flash, BSI sensor, F2.0 aperture, 28mm lens, dedicated imaging chip 2, continuous shooting, optical image stabilization It also doesn’t help that the HTC One M9 has exactly the same kind of display as the One M8. Rather increasing the resolution to 2,560 x 1,440, the One M9 has a 5in, 1920 x 1,080 display – where if you want an HTC phone with a higher-end display, you’ll have to go for the newer HTC 10. Part of this is down to the way the phones are made. The HTC One has an aluminium frame with plastic inlays, but the Mini and Max look and feel more like plastic phones with some aluminium plates grafted onto them. They are not as classy or immaculate as the phone that inspired them, the HTC One. The One Max in particular looks like a bit of a mess next to it.

Build quality is excellent too. The seams between the HTC One’s plastic and aluminium layers are tight aside from a tiny gap on the top edge of our review sample, and there’s none of the flex you’d see in a plastic-bodied phone. In-hand it feels much more expensive than the top Sony and Samsung phones. This is certainly one of the most attractive phones availale, with a more striking, cohesive look than either the Sony Xperia Z or the Samsung Galaxy S4. It’s only the slightly aggressive styling that makes this feel like an HTC-designed device, rather than the one that could have slipped out of Apple’s labs. There are some moments in a tech journalist's career when you know you’re seeing something that absolutely represents the very best of the best - holding the HTC One M8 for the first time was one of them.Looking at the One M9 (left) and One M8 (right) side by side, you’d be hard pushed to tell them apart HTC One M9 review: Design and build quality The "One" devices released in 2012 consist of the following, with devices in similar price segments usually sold by different carriers: However, one feted trip to the bar and one lost iPhone later, the world glimpsed the new iPhone 4 for the first time. Whether this was intentional or not, we’ll never know, but the hype it generated was off the charts. Sure, it might not have dramatically exceeded the specs of the previous model, but that was a revolutionary device - the One M8 showed that it’s possible to bring amazing refinement and improvements in key areas, and that’s why it’s still a phone we’d love to see rebooted and brought into the 2020s.