HTC One M8 Harman/Kardon Edition, Black 32GB (Sprint)

by HTC

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 2.8 x 0.4 x 5.8 inches ; 5.6 ounces
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B00JX4MD3G
• Item model number: One (M8)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (94 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #10,471 in Cell Phones & Accessories (See Top 100 in Cell Phones & Accessories)
  • #42 in Cell Phones & Accessories > Contract Cell Phones

Product Description

Amazon.com

UMATCHED AUDIO QUALITY

Premium Design

The new HTC One (M8) has been precision crafted to fit perfectly in the palm of your hand with the zero-gap, all-metal crafted unibody, tapered edges and soft curved body. The HTC One (M8) Harman/Kardon edition features an exclusive brushed black finish with champagne accents.

The HTC One M8 ensures you're never out of touch with your world (view larger).

Clari-Fi

Clari-Fi is a revolutionary Harman technology that restores all types of compressed digital music and “rebuilds” what was lost in compression. Clari-Fi gives new life to compressed media files. Music simply sounds better.

LiveStage

A Harman technology that provides a more life-like headphone listening experience. It’s like being at the show without being there.

Lossless Audio Playback for Studio Master Sound Quality

Lossless audio ensures you’ll experience music that is identical to the studio master recordings, soundstage mixes, or concert recordings.

Front-Facing Stereo Speakers with Built-in Amplifiers

The HTC One (M8)’s camera is 50 percent faster than before, with a top focusing speed of less than 300 milliseconds. After you take a photo, the UFocus capability uses the depth information collected by the dual lens camera to give you professional-looking portraits. You can easily add an artistic blur known as ‘bokeh’ around your subject with just a tap. You can also refocus the shot on any person in the photo.

Harman/Kardon AE-S In-ear Headphones

The Harman Kardon in-ear headphones were developed exclusively for HTC and Sprint. These headphones blend sophistication and simplicity, with acoustic and aesthetic.

HTC DUO Camera

Some of the most prominent new features of the HTC One (M8) have to do with its ability to take truly stunning portrait photography and pictures with unique, fun and creative special effects. In a smartphone first, HTC’s Duo Camera features a dual lens that captures depth of field information and provides an entirely new set of editing tools.

Spec Highlights

• 3G/4G LTE connectivity
  
  Sprint 4G LTE network is available in limited markets
  
  
• Android 4.4.2 (KitKat) with HTC Sense
  
  
• 2.3GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 quad-core, 8974 quad-core
  
  
• 5.0-inch Full HD 1080p with 440ppi display
  
  
• Dual camera with UltraPixel
  
  
• Front 5-MP camera with 1080p video
  
  
• 32 GB storage + 2 GB of RAM
  
  
• Wireless-N Wi-Fi + Bluetooth 4.0 + NFC
  
  
• 2600 mAh battery capacity
  
  
• See full specs below

Zero-gap aluminum unibody with tapered edges for a smooth grip (view larger).

UFOCUS: Never Lose Focus

The HTC One (M8)’s camera is 50 percent faster than before, with a top focusing speed of less than 300 milliseconds. After you take a photo, the UFocus capability uses the depth information collected by the dual lens camera to give you professional-looking portraits. You can easily add an artistic blur known as ‘bokeh’ around your subject with just a tap. You can also refocus the shot on any person in the photo.

ZOE Video Highlights: Multiple Points of View

Now you can share your Zoe Video highlight reels with your friends and have them add their own photos, music or themes to create completely new highlights. Enjoy the same event photographed by different people from multiple angles for a true creative collaboration and a richer way to relive special moments.

Motion Launch

Unlock your phone, access your home screen, and launch apps with Motion Launch. Built-in motion sensors detect when you pick up the phone, and with a single swipe or double-tap you can unlock your screen or launch an app, without even hitting the power button. Swipe left to access Widget Home. Swipe right to go to HTC BlinkFeed. Swipe up to launch the previous app. Or access the camera by holding the phone in landscape and pressing the volume down key.

Extreme Power Saving Mode

Finally, a battery that can keep up with you. The battery in the HTC One (M8) lasts 40 percent longer than before. Extreme Power Save mode gives you up to 2 weeks of standby time while still giving you manual access to calls, email, texts, and other basic functions. Even with just 10 percent battery, you’ll have 30 hours of standby time with Extreme Power Saving Mode.

HTC ADVANTAGE

You bought the best and HTC believes in keeping it that way. Be confident knowing your smartphone will always have the latest software updates. If your screen breaks it will be replaced for free within the first 6 months from purchase. HTC also offers free storage plus back up and restore so you’ll never lose your content.

What's in the Box

HTC One M8 smartphone, 2600 mAh battery, USB cable, wall charger, stereo headset, quick start guide

Specifications

Design
Display	5 inch, Full HD 1080p with 440ppi (1080x1920)
Speakers	Dual frontal stereo speakers with built-in amplifiers; HDR Microphone
Sensors	Gyro; accelerometer; proximity; ambient light; barometer

Network and Connectivity
Cellular connectivity	3G - WCDMA: 850/1900MHz with HSPA up to 14.4 Mbps; Roaming 2100 MHz --3G – CDMA: 800/850/1900 MHz -- 4G – LTE: FDD 800/1900 MHz , TDD 2600 MHz
Networking	Wireless-N (802.11a/ac/b/g/n);
Bluetooth	Bluetooth 4.0 with aptX high-quality audio streaming codec
Near Field Communication	NFC technology enables communication between NFC-enabled smartphones
DLNA	Wirelessly stream media from the phone to a compatible TV or computer
GPS	For navigation and location-based apps; GLONASS support; digital compass
Ports	Micro-USB 2.0 (5-pin) port with mobile high-definition video link (MHL) for USB or HDMI connection (optional cable required for HDMI connection); 3.5mm stereo audio jack

Multimedia
Audio formats	.AAC, .AMR, .OGG, .M4A, .MID, .MP3, .WAV, .WMA (Windows Media Audio 9); .AMR for recording
Video formats	.3GP, .3G2, .MP4, .WMV (Windows Media Video 9), .AVI (MP4 ASP and MP3), FLAC, Vorbis; .MP4 for recording

Processor & Memory
Processor	2.3GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 800, 8974 quad-core
Internal storage	32 GB
Memory expansion	Support for up to 128GB MicroSD
RAM	2 GB

Camera & Video
Rear camera	HTC UltraPixel Camera with BSI sensor; 2.0 µm pixel size; f/2.0 aperture; 29mm lens; flash
Front camera	5-megapixel; captures Full HD 1080p video
Duo Camera	Professional looking photos with more depth

Size
Dimensions	2.77 x 5.76 x 0.37 inches (WxHxD)
Weight	5.7 ounces

Battery
Capacity	2600 mAh (non-removable)

Extras
BlinkFeed	Live home screen delivers updates from social networks, news, and feeds you choose.
Sense TV	Personalized TV guide and remote control.
Boomsound	Dual frontal stereo speakers with built-in amplifiers

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

49 of 55 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars HTC M8 HK Edition is a solid all aroud 2014 phone minus some things... May 9, 2014

By A. Torres PR

Verified Purchase

What can I say about a device so beautifully built but plagued with small details, that may annoy users who use this on Sprint.

1 word: Impressed

HTC's design hits a grandslam and ups it a lil' with nice sound processing software from Harmon Kardon. They add headphones which perform well for being $150 headphones. HTC's Sense UI is cleaner and more refined as ever, Camera with a solid vision behind its specs....but on Sprint this device like the regular M8 suffers from connectivity issues that can annoy the living hell out of you. But there are workarounds to this that i can detail.

Design: Beautifully made aluminum design that gives the phone a nice heft and weight. When Apple included a aluminum design in its phone ppl went head over heels for it. Trust me this phone commands the same respect and more. It's a beautifully contoured phone for the hand, but I will warn slippery. The aluminum on the back has a refined polish feel that could leave it falling out of your hands. If you wish to protect it and show off its beauty, then protect it with a thin case....Plenty on Amazon, and I'm using a Kayscase which is awfully thin and provides a lil more grip. I will add that Aluminum has its negatives, if dropped it will dent easily, scratch easily, and probably bring down reception if the antennas are not properly placed on devices. Plastic can pull of the premium feel if the design of the phone is exceptional with just the right heft to it. So I am no fanatic for aluminum but this thing will catch your eyes. The Bezel with the HTC Logo has become a hefty issue within the android community. Called out as a waste of screen real estate, while HTC defends it as necessary to place components under it. After reading so many reviews it scared me to think it was big, but up close it is a bezel that isnt very large as many made it seem. I understand the communities hate for it at large but I think its not a horrible add to the phone. Because of it you may notice "Hey, I got to hold my hands a lil bit higher for typing on the screen" type of thing, but it goes away. The Asymmetrical design of the devices speaker grills have become a not-so-hot subject but for those with an eye for symmetry it may be awkward looking for them. On the Harmon Kardon Edition you might find its color to be very pleasing. Black Aluminum with Gold speakers grills give off a simple yet refined look. Many around you will be impressed with its design and color scheme. I sure dig the black and Gold look, its just plain beautiful. Now It's overall designs has minor questionable decisions on part of HTC but its far from an ugly device..... As a last message its not waterproof, DO NOT do it to urself and test it out no matter what videos you saw on youtube.

3G signal/Spark Signal: I must say we have a big issue here ranging from my own experience to seeing the experience many are going thru on forums. 3G and Spark Signals are just not holding well, many M8's cant decide to connect to one or the other. What I have deduced is that this is an multi part issue. The phone when placed on its power saving feature cuts the connection during periods of no use when screen-off, Sprint Connection Optimizer is trying to see which connection is best which in turn maybe forcing a hang up on which to choose, LTE is not holding because the other 2 are trying to do something else. U go into the settings and looking under "mobile data", and u have got domestic voice and data voice checked off...go into "roaming guard" and its got all kinds of things checked off in contradiction..Sprints Circuit Switch Fall Back technology forces a switch from 4G to 3G just so u can recieve texts and calls, thus taking away the feature of simultaneous voice and data sessions...all of this is culminating to issues on ppls Sprint M8's IMO. I started experiencing this and the only way to fix it was turning off Sprint Connectiions Optimizer, and unchecking the boxes under mobile data and roaming guard. That gave normalcy to the system. others claimed in unchecking the boxes under mobile data and roaming guard, it stopped the phone from attempting to roam on Verizon thus stopping the internal confusion. It's worked for me. and my 4G signals are holding and my texts and phone calls are coming thru as normal. Of course Sprint needs to jump its tower upgrades to relieve congestion in its most populated areas. if you havent gotten to accept slow 3G speeds on Sprint since 2011 so u can get unlimited, then i dont know what to say to you. Sprint 4G Speeds around Union City, NJ where I frequent are horrible .500Kbs to 5-8Mbs range and it fluctuates wildly, and dont be fooled by the sprint spark icon spinning, just cuz its on doesnt mean ur taking advantage of all of its LTE frequencies...in my area we are still getting its 1900Mhz signal on my phone. Being and sticking with Sprint as long as I have is an exercise in Faith and patience for a company.
Update 12/9/14: After substantial months of use Sprints expansion of LTE in NJ is slowly building and improving the all around data experience of this phone. Sprint is in dire need of using its newest and latest technology gains in this state to improve service. The CSFB(Circuit Switch Fall Back) technology that the M8 and other spark phones have no choice to use is hit or miss and ill explain. CSFB is used at the cell sites becuz newer phones have processors efficient enough to handle Voice and LTE connections, but it can only do these things 1 at a time. So if your on LTE and a phone call is attempting to route to ur phone, the cell site intelligently turns off ur LTE connection to allow a 3G voice connection to ring thru. This is why many are asking why they cant do simultaneous data on sprint phones now, and this is the reason why. Once the Voice call ends LTE turns back on. Its supposed to be seamless but I have seen otherwise. Though I do not make many phone calls, there remains a real problem where CSFB causes phone calls to take TOO LONG to make a connection. Ive seen the tech not allow a phone call to connect for almost 1min or 5 mins(just a test)forcing me to end calls and start over. It is pretty atrocious, and life threatening from a 911 standpoint. I think this an issue of this tech working seamlessly and efficiently at the Cell site itself and not the phone. Other then that 90 percent of my phone calls start up quickly and not to a detriment to me, and hopefully no one else.

Screen: I think we are at a point where we are jumping into HD ranges in AMOLED and LCD Screens that 1080p or 720p shouldnt be an issue. I will say at 1080p, 2k, 4k, screens may take up a lil more juice from the battery, but nothing major. 2014 phones will be awesome in the battery dept and even cranking the screen full brightness shouldnt be much of a problem. I will say the screen is extremely sharp at angles as well. Colors are vibrant, and im not into the whole color saturation thing...Blacks are blacks and whites seem white to me...better then the Galaxy Nexus tho...

Performance: even with its hang ups on signal, so far my Harmon Kardon edition hasnt shown vast overheating, or slow downs. This device is coded well, except for its signal searching abilities...Its processor opens up new screens and programs instantly. It is a device of 2014 flagship calibre. Wifi performance is top notch, tho I wished it had MIMO within like the S5. The S5's Wifi tech blows anything out of the water currently. A great add would have been a download booster to combine the LTE and Wifi signals but that is not a feature within this puppy. Opening up the camera is instant. It has USB Charging 2.0 abilites but we must wait for compatible chargers...Only way to charge the phone quickly is by placing the device in extreme power saving mode and letting it charge.GPS is spot on. Havent tested the tethering options and waiting to root and unlock the device for that feature.

Battery: Astounded..I came from a Galaxy Nexus, considered one of the worst Nexus devices with atrocious battery life. This battery, Snapdragon 801 processor, Sense UI, power save, and extreme power saving mode just work harmoniously. I noticed the Snappdragon works so well that when watching netflix for one straight hour it drains slowly. On my old phones it caused 30-40 percent drops...not on this puppy. ur probably seeing 2-10% or less drops during video sessions. That's phenomenal. Unfortunately there is not a removeable battery. Realistically I sat down and tried to honestly gauge whether this battery will degrade substantially in 2 years and I dont believe so...Im a power user of Android and a smart user as well, and I think the best way to honestly extend the life of this battery, is by using the extreme power save feature during moments u honestly know ur not going to use the full potential of the phone. Let the device die to 0% even if it take a 1 day and half or a few days for it to die. Maximizing its potential this way will allow u to recharge less often, thus keeping ur charging cycles to low levels and probably allowing u to enjoy the device past 2 years. Just my way of thinking....BTW I know of all the back and forth on whether letting it die is wrong or right.
UPDATE 5/12/14:To give a lil perspective, phone is currently at 20h 33min of battery. Yesterday took pictures and made a video for a bday party, texting thru the day, but no netflix, with a lil web usage, about 10 phone calls made under 5-10 mins each, and did not use extreme power saving mode till night time and deactivated this morning. Mostly used the standard power saver mode thru the day yesterday.
Update 5/28/14: My usage times are averaging 18-36hrs with occasional spurts of graphics demanding games. I will add that intensive games like Shadowgun:Deadzone tax the hell out of the phone,and drain power rather quickly. 15-25% drops or less in 1hr of gaming. Be realistic when considering your usage and the need for battery life and the need for a removable battery to expand capacity. The Snapdragon processor is more then capable of being efficient but games heavy in graphics and demanding data simultaneously will drain the phone. Sprints network also aggravates battery drainage due to their delayed network upgrades. Gaming, Data demands of games, if the game is coded to work efficiently, and solid network connections are all big considerations. Your mileage may vary across carriers.

Camera: No different from what other reviews have experienced on M8's..U have those who hate the low count on MP and me being an tech head, I see the issue with it. The camera is a fast beast capable of great shots as long as you dont need to zoom in or expand a picture to the size of a canvas. BUUUTTTT there is an issue with light being overblown in standard pictures...light sources tend to outshine everyone and tend to shine on ppls faces more brightly in doors. HTC is in desperate need of a software update to address that small camera issue. It would make pictures look so much better the first time u take one. Its lowlight photography is pretty great to at least capture those night shots. HTC's got that part of its marketing for the word "Ultrapixel" down pact, because thats what a larger sensor over each pixel is supposed to do, capture more light. It's HDR mode give the pictures a lil more pop and defines the colors well. I think HTC hit the nail on the spot on keeping a weaker camera but solid camera. This is not the device to catch gigantic defined 16MP shots because ur gonna get grain like artifacts, this is a device for the average consumer who takes pictures on minimal to average basis, with no zoom, who uses the camera to capture the moment in alot of social, darkly lit gatherings, uploader of facebook or instagram. There is a solidly built idea behind this camera and the effects you can place on its pictures that caters to a crowd who is capture-go-ProcessMaybe and not worried about MP's. U want defined pics to blow up then a 10-16MP shooter is on other phones....and to be honest, most cant catch a lick of good light in darker shots. The only thing blowing over this camera and others is the OnePlus One which currently wont be usable or purchasable thru CDMA carriers like VZW and Sprint.
Update 12/9/14: The flak the camera has been receiving all these months is justified from Definition/HighQuality standpoint. Using the basic camera settings in gatherings have proven quite fulfilling. My wife would rather I use my camera then her iPhone 5c. She is consistently impressed of the shots in low light settings in which it produces a shot clear enough for people to notice "hey this was taken in a low light setting, but the picture itself turned out average or well n better then what others can get". I dont know but I am realizing I am using the phones post processing software more often, and really digging the low light ability. It's a shame the rumors of the HTC M9 coming in 2015 most likely will not have the awesome low light abilities. I guess no one appreciated the Ultra pixels.

Harmon Kardon Software n Headphones: What a great combination, this is something u need to hear. Put on those $150 pair of headphones and appreciate the sound algorithms that Harmon Kardon popped on here. It's pretty darn good, not awesome but very good. The headphones perform close to what my bose in-ear headphones did.These heaphones paired with its livestage Clarifi algorithms make the tracks sound nice and varied, nice bass, nice highs, nice lows. It gives a great balance of full sound and works awesomely with uncompressed tracks along the 192Khz or higher range.

User Interface:Very responsive along with everything else. This phone is speed and HTC sense gives it that, tho I find it horrible for Sense to be bloated at close to 6GB worth of the phones internal memory. The settings menu is very simple to understand and no different from any other Android except for the Galaxy S5's menu; I hear thats a learning process in itself. Blinkfeed adds a Flipboard like experience that really is nice looking, it maybe colorful and overload your eyes, but the ability to add feeds for news simplifies getting the news and subjects that interest you. Blinkfeed supposedly, according to other reviews, doesnt drain massive battery, but it must cue for data consistently to allow you to see new articles. Expect battery life to be impacted a lil' more then usual. U can remove Blinkfeed from your homescreens if your anal about getting rid of useless apps that drain power.

Aside from the negatives I may have mentioned up top...There is one teany definite no-no committed on a phone of this calibre:

ClutterWare,Crapware,Bloatware galore. I understand Sprints Push for its services but its services are definitely not wanted by most users. Sprints music services are celebrated on their website, and if you have a Sprint Framily plan your able to enjoy 6 months free of Spotify(music service)because u have a HK edition, then stay on that service at a discounted price. Those not on framily plans who purchase this device, can get spotify at a discounted price then after it goes to its regular price...or something like that. Those of you who use spotify can look up the specifics to see if this benefits you when purchasing a HK Edition. Regardless, Bloatware should be eliminated if not given the option to uninstall all of it.

In Totality the HK Edition is an awesomely built phone no different from its Regular Breathren. This puppy just gives you a nice color scheme, Very good heaphones, a great sound algorithm pushing sound, and just awesome battery life depending on your use. This is the common man's sound pumping phone. This does not have a super camera but includes camera software to enhance enjoying your pictures, but not blowing them up to huge sizes. This is a phone with a vision for simplicity, quick enjoyment, solid performance, and to enjoy its design. This is not the Galaxy S5 and in direct competition features on the S5 can most definitely sway the populace. Both phones call different audiences, both provide awesome battery life, the S5 Provides a great camera and an effective design that is waterproof...something the M8 can not provide. If it did this phone would have been swayed many from purchasing the S5 regardless of a 16MP camera. Both phones are designed beautifully, one metal and one plastic, but I find that in the extreme effort to provide massive software abilities Samsung has overloaded everyone of their galaxy's with software that can lag a bit too much, while the M8 Provides a cleaner smoother experience. Many ppl hit the jackpot on the Galaxy's and find no slow down, but dont fully exploit its features. HTC's vision sticks with simplicity and elegance, yet I can only recommend this phone to users who are willing to accept missing a few conveniences such as wireless charging, removable battery, waterproofing, 10+MP camera. The only way to experience what I've mentioned is to go and test the M8's at ur respective carriers, Keep in mind this HK edition is for sprint only.

...... and if your android enthusiast whether you get one or the other, WE KNOW HOW TO ROOT'EM, EXPLOIT'EM, and remove the nonsense to make both these phones run to the best of their abilities. Read more ›

25 of 28 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars The (New)ONE to Rule Them All! Now Even Better! May 7, 2014

By Johnny Saigon® TOP 500 REVIEWER

I love HTC phones and I have both last year's One(m7) and this year's(m8). I am NOT affiliated with HTC or compensated by them in any way. I just feel that competition and the underdog companies are crucial and essential for a healthy free market economy, and ultimately, us consumers. I have had the iPhones 4 through 5s, Samsung Galaxy S3/S4 and Note 2/3, and several Nokia(n95-97, n84/85 and several lesser phones) and Sony/Sony-Ericsson(Xperia) phones over the years, and I have loved most of them. For a healthy and positive technological evolution, we NEED the small or struggling companies like HTC to succeed. If Apple and Samsung become duopolies, that will be a dark future indeed. Pick up an HTC One(M7 or M8) and any Samsung Galaxy phones and compare the quality and craftsmanship, and tell me why it's Samsung and not HTC that have more successful phones. It's all about the MONEY and marketing, the bigger guy trying to squeeze out the smaller guy, and that's NOT how a healthy free market economy should be.

Now that that is out of the way, let us get down to the nitty gritty. This is my direct comparisons to the iPhone 5s, Samsung Galaxy S4/S5 and Note 3, but mainly to the last HTC One(M7)(and yes, I am mainly updating keypoints from the m7 review).

Keep in mind that is this is the EXCLUSIVE Sprint version, which is different because it includes the Harmon Kardon audio hardware tweaks called Clari-Fi(details later in this review), and a pair of Harman/Kardon AE-S In-ear Headphones, which retails for about $70 separately.

The Good:

1) THE SCREEN: If there was such a better screen on a phone, I have not yet seen it. The iPhone 5s is lauded for its excellent screen, but at its current resolution, it trails behind the One's screen by far. Everything just POPS out at you. Even in direct sunlight, everything is CLEAR and BRIGHT. I really loved the 2013 HTC One's(M7) screen, but once again HTC has outdone itself and given us a true masterpiece in 5.0" 1080p(440ppi) form. The main difference between the M8 and the M7 is the color reproduction on the M8 is better and more true-to-life. This is THE BEST screen on the planet right now - WOW!!!

2) THE DESIGN/HARDWARE: Once again, the new One continues the HTC tradition of making really high-quality phones with high-class material and craftsmanship. This version has more of a matted-brushed aluminum finish than the glossier M7. The One feels THICK and TOUGH. I don't have to worry about carrying this around case-less(except from drops, which is a whole other issue). I will not be worried about this phone nicking and scraping like the iPhone 5/5s. Personally, it may not have the flair of some of the Sony and Nokia phone of the past, but in totality the One has the best combination of design and craftsmanship. It oozes style and sophistication, unlike the plastic-y feel of the Samsung Galaxy S4/S5. The One is one real looker!

3) THE DUAL FRONT-FACING SPEAKERS: We have all been desensitized to the modern smartphones nowadays with their crappy, tinny, mono speaker. I remember the days of the Nokia n95 and n84 with their stereo speakers - whatever happened to phones after that? Whoever agreed to a mono/solo speaker with all the smartphones thereafter?? FINALLY, someone has the senses to come back to reality - thank you, HTC!. Trust me, your ears will thank you and you will realize all phones should have been made like this. Especially when you use ringtones/alerts that were specifically created for this phone, the sound is loud, immersive, expansive, and POPs into your ears. It's simply a re-revolution. Compared to the M7, the M8 loses the Beats audio engineering, but it actually sounds louder than the M7, which although has really high-quality speakers as well, was known for being too soft in certain scenarios. The new moniker is just BoomSound.

* This exclusive Sprint version includes audio hardware tweaks by Harmon Kardon, which helps make the audio even better. Let me explain as concisely as possible how this works. In the days of CD music, each track was about 50-100mb, and the sound was not so compromised. With the advent of the mp3s, the size were shrunk down to about 1/10 of that, to about 5-10mb for each song. The sound was still good, but you can tell something was missing. To get the size down, the audio was compressed so that parts of the edges(the highs and the lows) are chopped off, so that you still have a decent sound, just not as full or with the high fidelity of CD and DVD-caliber files. Clari-Fi tries to ameliorate this by "filling in" those chopped off portions to create a richer and fuller sound. In reality, you will notice a better sound when you listen to certain types of mp3 or compressed music(the ones that are heavily compressed, such as at 96 or 128 kbps bit rates as opposed to something fuller at 320kbps and higher). But for notifications/ring tones and Internet audio, you will not notice it so much. Nonetheless, this is a welcome upgrade.
Secondly, you receive a free pair of Harman/Kardon AE-S In-ear Headphones, which are selling around $70 currently. These are really good earbuds, and by far much much better than anything you can get that are included standard with phones. You can read more about them at [harmankardon.com/estore/hk/us/products/AE/HARKAR-AE_HK_US].

4) THE CAMERA: I don't use my phone camera to make prints from photos, I have my dedicated cameras for that. So to me, the paramount function of phone cameras is the convenience/accessibility - it has to be able to capture what I want quickly and clearly, with decent enough quality to post online. Therefore, the 4MP size in the One's camera does not bother me at all. Who cares if the camera isn't THE BEST phone camera ever? Because it is not, but it is a GREAT low-light shooter, and to me that's more important than pixel count. The sensors in the camera are bigger than other phone cameras, therefore, it can capture a lot more light, which in laymen's terms it can give you better photos in more situations than other phone cameras can. Also, the touch spot focus is almost instantaneous - this camera is quick, quick, quick! What's really cool about the new camera is the duo camera functionality - each photo you snap is recorded from both cameras, so afterwards, you can re-focus the image, ala Lytro camera style. This is really cool and quite revolutionary for a phone camera. So in the real world, this means no more out-of-focus photos! You can now always re-focus your photos after the fact, so you will not have to regret missing out on a great memory because your photo was out of focus - awesome!

5) For a phone with a 5" screen, it's quite svelte, at least at the girth. It's easier to hold in the hand than the Samsung Galaxy S4/S5, and for sure a heckuva lot better than the Note 3. It fits in your hands nicely and securely, with just the right combination of size, weight, and balance. However, it is very TALL, even taller than the M7, so trying to reach the power button with one hand while your holding it in a normal position is almost impossible. HOWEVER...

6) The One borrows the features of the LG G2 where you can double tap on the screen while it's off, to turn it on! While the screen is off, you can swipe left to turn it on to see Blinkfeed, which is HTC's version of Flipboard/news reader, and swipe right to turn it on to the home screen. The one thing HTC forgot though, is you can't double-tap the screen while it's on, to turn it off, which the LG G2 CAN do.

7) The user interface(UI) and software design is now even more polished,minimal, and simplistic. Sense 6.0 is the on-going improvement from the previous versions. It's really quick and light, not bloated like Samsung's TouchWiz UI. It improves on the older, but still good, Sense 5.0 and 5.5. You can move from one screen to the next lightning quick, almost as good as the iPhone UI.

8) And FINALLY, HTC has included a microSD slot so you can add your own memory card for more storage(the HTC DNA/Butterfly and M7 didn't have any). You can add up to 128gb more!

The Bad and Ugly:

1) The battery is only 2600mAh - I wish it was bigger because I'm one of those paranoid people who always needs my phone at fully charged, just in case, of you know, something. But so far it's been holding steady at about 40% at the end of the day(from 9am-6pm). I check emails, read the news, text, Facebook, etc. throughout the day - I would say that I'm a moderate to heavy user. At least it is a lot better than the M7's 2300mAh battery, which drains super quick, yet charges SUPER SLOW.

2) Comparing features with the Samsung S4/S5, the One is not as good. It's not a deal breaker, but for those who like fancy functions, the One will not make you as happy. The HTC One is very simple in its feature set. The one feature I miss most from the new Samsung phones is Smart Stay, where the phone can sense that you're looking at the screen, and won't dim/turn off the screen - that was a HUGE convenience for when you're watching a movie or reading the news. The coolest feature so far for the One has been the tap/swipe to turn the screen on.

3) Like I wrote earlier, the size is both good and bad, and it's also heavier than most similar phones. It's taller than the S4/S5, and with the power button up on top, it's almost impossible to do one-hand phone operations without shifting your hand up and down to accommodate both the screen gestures and buttons. The buttons(power and volume) don't protrude enough to make it easy to press them.

All in all, I feel the combination of the One's screen, design/craftsmanship, and audio experience trumps over the Samsung S4/S5's fancy functions. The S5's screen is almost just as good - AMOLED screens are known for their deep blacks and saturation, while the One's is much better in direct light, and with a more true color reproduction. The S5 has a higher MP camera, therefore able to take better photos in broad daylight, while the One's camera is more versatile and better in low light conditions. The One has a much better audio experience, while the S5 gives you better convenience with its features - userability goes to the S5 for sure.
But in the end, considering the totality of things, I feel the new HTC One provides me the best TOTAL experience, and is the king of the smartphones(at least for now!).

If you can get this Spring exclusive at the same price as the other versions(which are now as low as $100 on-contract), then it is definitely worth it - you're getting a better phone, plus a free pair of $70 earbuds! Read more ›

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars HTC is BACK!!! June 19, 2014

By Mark Hyatt VINE VOICE

Vine Customer Review of Free Product (What's this?)

The choice was difficult on paper but once I actually used both the HTC One M8 H.K. Edition and the Samsung Galaxy S5, and I don't regret going with the M8 at all and intact I'm more than satisfied. The phone is quick, responsive, easy to use and the speakers are unreal. The free HARMAN KARDON ear device is worth the extra money. The phone is truly a beautifully package. The sound is unreal and far surpasses anything I've seen and heard on today's market. Unless the upcoming iPhone 6 has two large speakers, large screen, software and hardware to match this HTC One m8 HK edition, I will stay with this phone.

This phone has been advertised well in the month of June, especially on MTV and I have already seen a spike in sales from CNET, friends and even my local Sprint store. The product description and website has several videos that offers anyone the specs on this phone and I will not bore you with everything but I will mention HTC Advantage. It offers a broken screen replacement free. All you need to do is to agree with the terms upon registration of the phone. It also offers 50Gb of could storage. Also I love the built in memory of 32 GB and an additional storage card up to 128GB. This phone is like a computer. I seldom use my laptop because of all the capabilities of this HTC. The SIM card is the newer NANO, like the iPhones. Too many remarkable things to say and I am trying to keep this review short. If you get this phone, I promise you will be amazed.

"The metal case makes the phone feel really solid. The HTC transfer tool took all of the settings, messages, and media from my old Motorola Droid Razor phone and transferred it to the new phone without any problems. Very impressive.
The battery seems to be very good. After a day of moderate usage, I still have 50 percent left on the battery.
The call quality seems on par with phones I've had in the past. Not significantly better or worse."

One thing that other phone manufacturers are slamming HTC M8 over the Mega Pixels. IE.... Comparing Apples to Oranges. The HTC has a newer technology using two lenses on the back on the device. HTC uses the term "Ultra Mega Pixels" because it's a different technology. The pics I took are great. Go to CNET for a full explanation on the camera quality.

PROS: 32GB standard, Quality, Speaker, Wi-Fi Capable, Menus, Battery Life, Tools, Speakers, Headpiece, Ergo Design for look and feel.....

I have never had a phone that comes close to the HK HTC One M8!!! It deserves at minimum of FIVE STARS!!!!! Thanks for reading my review and email or comment for any questions or concerns.

***UPDATE*** IMPORTANT IF YOU HAVE THE UNLOCKED $700 VERSION......AUGUST,

If you have this particular unlocked phone, you can have it tweaked without voiding the warranty or TAMPERED showing. I rooted mine about 3 months ago but still couldn't change carriers. It seems that if buy this $700 Unlocked phone you own the phone and have it activated to any carrier. This was not the situation in the HK edition. You had to only use Sprint and this completely defeats the purpose. We might as well went with the contract phone and saved $500. Thanks to our FED GOV!

However as of recently our federal gov seems to have changed the rules and now will allow any person that has an off contract phone, old phone from another carrier or this unlocked HTC HK M8 to be used in several modes, such as Lte, LTE 4G and even what you wanting to use, GSM. With that said, even today if you order this phone it will only work with Sprint. You need to take it to your carrier or if they refuse to change the settings, take it to any tech store or phone repair store. This is very unique phone and it was written to be difficult to change settings even if unlocked and rooted, so I highly advise anyone that isn't techie and knowledgeable about phones not to try it or you could BRICK it.

Please do do attempt to root this phone . Important updates have and will continue to come from Sprint and HTC that makes it easier to download and install properly by having the stock ROM or OS. These updates are for easier activation to a different carrier. They also deal with the newest connectivity and upgrade to 4.4.4 Read more ›