It’s the worst kept secret in tech since the iPhone 5 launched, HTC have made a Windows Phone variant of the HTC One (M8) and unveiled it to the world today in New York City.
Let’s get the bad news out of the way first, it’s only announced for Verizon in the United States, no word on a Europe/Ireland release just yet but don’t rule it out.
Called the HTC One (M8) for Windows, on the outside, it’s identical to the HTC One (M8) that we all know and love, with the same design and dimensions and it even works with the HTC One Dot Case.
Inside is where it changes, as it runs Windows Phone 8.1 (with Update 1) instead of Android and brings over HTC staple Blinkfeed but here it’s an app rather than a baked-in launcher.
The same ‘Ultrapixel’ Duo Camera is here too, along with the two front facing ‘Boomsound’ speakers and a 5MP front facing camera.
Specs-wise, you’ll find all of the flagship specs that the Android version has, including a 2.3 GHz quad-core processor, 5 inch, 1080p HD screen, 2GB of RAM and 32GB of storage with MicroSD card support up to 128GB.
Considering that the last HTC Windows Phone devices were launched almost two years ago and the market has been dominated by Nokia, more choice is better for consumers.
What do you think, will the great HTC One (M8) hardware convince you to switch to Windows Phone?
The full spec list is below.
General
- Size: 146.36 x 70.6 x 9.35 mm
- Weight: 160 grams
- Display: 5.0 inch, Full HD 1080p
CPU Speed
- Qualcomm Snapdragon 801, 2.3 GHz quad-core CPU
Platform
- Windows Phone 8.1.1 with Cortana
- HTC BlinkFeed
Memory
- 2GB of RAM
- 32 GB of onboard storage
- Expansion card slot support for microSD cars up to 128 GB
Network
LTE
- 700 MHz / AWS (B13 / B4)
CDMA:
- 1x/DO 800/1900 MHz
- Quad UMTS/HSPA/HSPA+ (850/900/1900/2100)
- Quad GSM/GPRS/EDGE (850/900/1800/1900)
SIM
- Nano SIM
Sensors
- Accelerometer
- Proximity sensor
- Ambient light sensor
- Gyro sensor
- Barometer sensor
Connectivity
- 3.5 mm stereo audio jack
- NFC
- Bluetooth 4.0 with aptX enabled
- Wi-Fi: IEEE 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac (2.4 & 5 GHz)
- DLNA for wirelessly streaming media from the phone to a compatible TV or computer
- Micro-USB 2.0
- Microsoft Project My Screen
- Miracast
- Support consumer infrared remote control
Sound
- HTC BoomSound
- Dual frontal stereo speakers with built-in amplifiers
Camera
Duo Camera
- Primary camera: HTC UltraPixel camera, BSI sensor, pixel size 0.2 µm, sensor size 1/3″, f/2.0, 28 mm lens
- HTC ImageChip 2
- 1080p Full HD video recording with HDR video
- Secondary camera: Capture depth information
Front camera
- 5 MP, f/2.0, BSI sensor, wide angle lens, with HDR capability, 1080p Full HD video recording
- Gallery with UFocus, Dimension Plus, Foregrounder
Multimedia
Audio support formats:
- Playback: .aac, .amr, .ogg, .m4a, .mid, .mp3, .wav, .wma
- Recording: .acc
Video supported formats:
- Playback: .3gp, .3g2, .mp4, .wmv, .avi (MP4 ASP and MP3), h.263, h.264
- Recording: .mp4
Location
- Internal GPS antenna + GLONASS
- Digitalis compass
Battery
- Capacity: 2600 mAh
- Embedded rechargeable Li-polymer battery
- Talk time: Up to 24 hours
- Standby time: Up to 387 hours
