In Depth: HTC One E8 release date, news and features

HTC One E8 release date, news and features

The arrival of the HTC One E8 isn't exactly a surprise as it was rumored for a while under the moniker "One M8 Ace" - although its existence is slightly more questionable.

HTC already has the excellent One M8 flagship in its locker, so it seems strange that the Taiwanese firm has produced a less premium version of the handset with almost identical specs.

The One E8 is expected to arrive at a slightly lower price point, and there are a few different colors to choose from, but we question whether that's really enough to warrant an entirely new device.

We'll let you make up your own mind on the One E8's purpose, but the fact of the matter is it has arrived, so here's everything you need to know.

• Read our in depth HTC One M8 review

HTC One E8 release date and price

The HTC One E8 release date is pegged for "early June in select markets." What are those "select markets" we hear you scream - well it's China for now, but HTC has told us the One E8 will be coming to other countries later on.

It's not clear what those countries will be, while a price for the handset also hasn't been revealed.

We expect the HTC One E8 to sport a lower price tag than the One M8, but don't expect it to be as cheap as the One Mini 2.

HTC One E8 design

It's the design of the One E8 which is the major talking point here, as HTC has ditched the premium metal unibody in favor of a polycarbonate chassis.

The immediate advantage here is a lighter material resulting in the One E8 tipping the scales at 145g - that's a decent bit lighter than the 160g One M8.

Although it may not weigh as much, the One E8 is slightly thicker at 146.42 x 70.67 x 9.85mm (compared to the 9.4mm M8), but that's unlikely to be overly noticeable.

Front-on and the HTC One E8 looks very similar to its brother with the dual Boomsound speakers above and below the display and the front facing camera and sensors also located in the same place.

Up top the power/lock key has been shifted to the center, while it appears the IR blaster which adorned the One M8 has been removed on the E8.

You'll still find the microUSB and headphone jack on the base of the device, while the volume key sits on the right below the microSD tray.

Meanwhile the nanoSIM tray sits on the left, and the HTC One E8 is a dual-SIM handset.

Round the back the One E8 is styled more towards the Desire 816, with a unbroken polycarbonate rear.

There's the HTC logo, camera and flash but that's your lot. That's right just one camera, which leads us nicely onto...

HTC One E8 camera

After design the second big difference on the HTC One E8 is the rear facing camera. While the One M8 had HTC's new Duo Camera feature, the fancy depth tech hasn't made it to the E8.

Instead HTC has furnished the One E8 with a 13MP snapper - a camera the Taiwanese firm appears to have fallen in love with as it can also been found on the One Mini 2 and Desire 816.

Some people will be happy to see the back of the ultrapixel offering on the M8, with a more straightforward shooter on the One E8, but this does mean you lose all the clever effects which came with Duo Camera.

Round the front the One E8 sticks with the selfie-tastic 5MP camera from the M8, and both front and back options can record in 1080p.

HTC One E8 display

The good news from now on is the HTC One E8 keeps pretty much everything from the One M8, and that includes the full HD, 5-inch LCD 3 display.

That means you can expect a 441ppi pixel density on the One E8, making it ever so slightly sharper than the 5.1-inch Galaxy S5 and 5.2-inch Xperia Z2.

HTC One E8 power

You'll also find the now familiar quad-core Snapdragon 801 processor inside the One E8, along with 2GB of RAM which gives the handset plenty of grunt.

That means it will be able to run Android KitKat and the Sense 6 overlay smoothly, providing exactly the same experience as you get with the M8.

In terms of storage you get 16GB inside, plus the option to expand with a microSD card up to 128GB in size.

HTC One E8 operating system

As we've already mentioned the HTC One E8 comes running Android 4.4 KitKat with the firm's Sense 6 overlay - just like the M8.

That means you'll benefit from the likes of Blinkfeed and Motion Launch, so while the exterior of the E8 may be very different to the M8 - the onscreen action looks to be identical.

HTC One E8 battery

We were truly impressed with the battery life of the One M8, and the HTC One E8 looks set to follow in its footsteps with the same 2600mAh power pack.

Combined with the same power and display, we can't see battery life being too different between the two devices, which is fantastic news.

HTC One E8 connectivity

The HTC One E8 is 4G enabled, but it appears only for select markets. As we don't know if the One E8 will make it to the likes of Europe, America and Australia it could be a sign that it may not.

Smartphone standards such as Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 4.0 are present on the One E8, as are NFC, DLNA, a microUSB port and a headphone jack.

HTC One E8 rumors: page 1

Before the HTC One E8 was announced there was a little of web chatter surrounding a handset dubbed the "HTC One M8 Ace". Here's how it went down...

Considering we already have the HTC One Mini 2 as well as reports for the even more premium One M8 Prime, yet another handset looking to steal the show from the M8 appears confusing, not to mention rather Samsung-esque.

• What is the HTC One M8 Prime?

HTC One M8 Ace release date and price

According to Taiwanese and Chinese retailers the HTC One M8 Ace could arrive as soon as June 3, although with the date rapidly approaching we've not heard anything from HTC itself which hints at a possible launch.

At this point HTC would have had to do a remarkable job of keeping things quiet in order for that launch date to be true, so we're highly sceptical. Another possible date, this time from insiders speaking to 9to5Google, is August or early September. That sounds a lot more believable.

In terms of the One M8 Ace price, one leak quotes 3000 Chinese Yen (around $480, £285, AU$520) - although those conversions look widely off as they are much cheaper than the One Mini 2.

HTC One M8 Ace design

Unsurprisingly the HTC One M8 Ace is tipped to borrowing the stylings of its namesake - although the big difference here is the material used in the body.

We lauded the One M8 for its sultry metal chassis, but it appears the M8 Ace will have to settle for a plastic shell, which appears to be the main component in making it a cheaper handset.

Various images have leaked claiming to show the One M8 Ace, with our first glimpse given to us by @evleaks whose shot appeared blurred and very grainy.

The handset in this image does bear a resemble to the One M8, although the Boomsound speaker grilles on the front appear different. Some have suggested this is in fact the red version of the One M8, but those speakers suggest otherwise.

A more intriguing image leak of the One M8 Ace came via Chinese site ifanr, which showed a render of an HTC handset.

It's not clear whether the handset is sporting the Duo Camera setup or purely just a camera lens with elevated flash, while the power/lock key has been centralized on the top of the device with no sign of an IR blaster.

The body doesn't appear to be metal in the render, and it's missing the horizontal black bands which appear towards the top and bottom of the One M8.

After leaking the red version of the One M8 Ace, it appears the same site has also managed to come across a render of the white version.

This time we can see the front of the handset, complete with Sense 6.0 and Blinkfeed on screen and Boomsound speakers above and below it - although the rumored speakers look different.

It's been suggested that the plastic casing will provide a wider range of colors to consumers, with red, white, black and blue all touted for the M8 Ace.

A whole host of screenshots claiming to show off the HTC One M8 Ace have also found their way onto the web via a Chinese source, and the microSD slot appears to be present along with the nanoSIM port.

It's worth noting this top image has more in common with the Desire 816, with the less rounded edges covered in glossy plastic, so it's worth taking these with a pinch of salt.

HTC One E8 rumors: page 2

HTC One M8 Ace camera

Flagship handsets are locked in a megapixel spec war with the 13MP LG G3, 16MP Galaxy S5 and 20.7MP Sony Xperia Z2 all vying for position, but the One M8 sidestepped this battle with an alternative offering.

Sadly the impressive (although not everyone will agree) Duo Camera setup appears not to make the transition to the One M8 Ace - no doubt in a bid by HTC to reduce the cost of the handset.

Instead various rumors are pointing towards a 13MP camera with a single LED flash in the position of the depth sensing second lens from the One M8.

That would see the One M8 Ace match the snapper on the back of the One Mini 2 and mid-range HTC Desire 816.

A 5MP front facing camera has also been leaked for the One M8 Ace, keeping it inline with its metal clad sibling.

HTC One M8 Ace screen

It appears the HTC One M8 Ace may stick with the same 5-inch, full HD display that you'll find on the original One M8.

That would be great news as usually we see aspects such as the screen suffer when manufacturers churn out cheaper variants, but it looks like you'll be able to enjoy the Super LCD 3 display on the M8 Ace.

However, 9to5Google is reporting that we may even get a better screen, with a 2K (2560 x 1440) display possibly being on the cards. According to sources speaking to the site the One Ace (or One Advance as they call it) won't be a plastic-clad HTC One M8 but a plastic HTC One M8 Prime, so other than the build it might actually be a superior device to the M8.

HTC One M8 Ace power

The HTC One M8 rocked up with a powerful quad-core Snapdragon 801 processor and 2GB of RAM, and several reports point towards the same power setup in the One M8 Ace.

There's a little confusion over whether the processor in the M8 Ace will be clocked at 2.5GHz (like the LG G3 and Samsung Galaxy S5) or 2.3GHz (like the Sony Xperia Z2 and One M8).

The slightly quicker 2.5GHz option seems to be heading the rumors for the time being, but we wouldn't be surprised if HTC kept things the same - or had variants for different territories.

However we're also hearing that it may be upgraded to a Snapdragon 805 processor and 3GB of RAM, in line with what's expected from the HTC One M8 Prime.

There's no mention of the GPU, but the Adreno 330 is proving popular among 2014's flagships so it's our favorite to feature in the One M8 Ace.

As we've already mentioned, the M8 Ace looks set to retain a microSD slot which should complement the reported 16GB and 32GB internal storage options.

There's currently no sign of the next version of Google's operating system, which leaves the One M8 Ace in the firing line to run Android 4.4.2 KitKat and Sense 6.0 - something several sites have claimed is happening.

HTC One M8 Ace battery

We were impressed with the performance the One M8 managed to garner from its relatively modest 2600mAh battery.

Chinese site ifanr reckons the same power pack will make its way into the One M8 Ace, and with the same processor on board to we're hoping for equally impressive performance.

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