Links on Android Authority may earn us a commission. Learn more.
HTC One E8 review

We have seen and experienced the legendary HTC One M8, one of the best smartphones 2014 will produce. The high-end device is a beauty and its build quality is matched by none, but what happens when you try to take this flagship smartphone and remove its metal housing? Enter the HTC One E8, a more affordable version of the One M8 that leaves little to be desired.
Design
The HTCOne E8 is, for all intents and purposes, nearly a plastic carbon copy of the One M8. It retains all the awesome design qualities that made the M8 such an amazing smartphone, only differentiating itself by that polycarbonate shell. We found pros and cons about the new design.

Let’s first note that you can choose between glossy and matte colors. Our unit sports a matte finish with gold trimmings, which happens to be quite a good-looking combination. It’s hard to keep it looking dandy with such a fingerprint-friendly back, though. One main complaint about the One M8 is that the phone is amazingly slippery. This problem was fixed in the One E8’s design, as the new construction makes it “grippy”, yet very smooth.
It’s hard to keep it looking dandy with such a fingerprint-friendly back.
The power button is placed in the mid section of the top, and on the left you can find a microSD card slot. I do have something to say about this power button. HTCheard our complaints, but it seems they didn’t understand them very well. This power button is even harder to reach!

We definitely can’t forget HTC’s iconic BoomSound speakers, which keep the crown as the best in the industry. The front-facing speakers are clear, loud and offer a great bass.
Display
Something I wasn’t a huge fan of was the display’s saturation, which can be a bit overkill.

Hardware
While other manufacturers continue making their lower-end “Minis”, the HTCOne E8 is no slouch compared to the best of the best. Its Snapdragon 801 processor is clocked at 2.3 GHz (or 2.5 GHz, depending on your region) and it holds 2 GB of RAM. Its 16 GB of internal storage can be expanded via microSD. The battery holds 2,600 mAh of juice, which may sound more lackluster than it actually is.

I was able to get around 16 hours of battery life without cutting off resources. I had bluetooth connected to Android Wear the whole time, switched between 4G and WiFi, and used about 2 hours of screen-on time.
I was able to get around 16 hours of battery life without cutting off resources.
Software

Those looking for similarities between the E8 and the M8 will love this device’s software. The HTCOne E8 runs Android 4.4.2 and HTCSense 6, leaving the software untouched. I happen to be a fan of Blinkfeed, a social and news aggregator that will remind you of Flipboard.
You might like: The best HTCOne (E8) Cases.
You can connect to Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Instagram and a plethora of news sources. It’s simple, looks good and works well – that is all a good app needs. Another favorite is Zoe, HTC’s picture software. It offers effects, filters and even animation. It’s as easy to then share your creations with the world or social networks.

Performance

The device can handle any game you throw at it without a single hiccup. While benchmarks are not the be-all and end-all of performance, we thought we should put the device to the test and bring you some numbers. AnTuTu benchmark scores this device at 37,461, which does happen to be above the One M8.
Oh, and for those who still use the phone for making calls – call quality was good and reception didn’t fail me.
Camera

The HTC One M7 and M8 cameras are known as great low-light shooting devices, but users haven’t been completely happy with their performance. For the HTCOne E8, the manufacturer got rid of the dual-camera set-up and gave the E8 a single 13 MP shooter.
This will come as a testament that more MP definitely doesn’t mean better images. Though I wish I could tell you otherwise, the images are washed out and hazy, while low-light photos are grainy and lack detail. The front shooter is also a lackluster, suffering from similar problems.
In sum
The HTCOne E8 is a great smartphone, but no device is perfect and you will have to measure your preferences. Those who value camera quality may want to look somewhere else. Likewise, picture quality has its defects.

We can’t deny that for every issue we find in the One E8 we also find multiple advantages.
If priced right, this should be a great alternative for those looking for a more affordable HTCOne M8, or simply a good phone that won’t slip right out of your hands.
Gallery
And what of your thoughts? Does HTChave a winner on their hands? What’s the perfect price for such a device?