What should we do with the world best Smartphone? Well, we take all the great things from that phone and put it into smaller device. It is exactly what HTC does with One Mini. Despite 'Mini' name the phone performs very well. So, without any further ado, this is HTC One Mini Review.
Design
If we take a look at One Mini, we can instantly recognize all the physical similarities to it's big brother. The aluminium back is still there but, instead of having the matte seam of the plastic we saw on the original One, we got a glossy white all plastic frame that's reminiscent of last year One X+.
The body of this phone follows the same palm-friendly curve with both the camera unit and flash are center-aligned on the back this time around. We can also see two white plastic lines breaking up the all-aluminum cover. It is to make sure the unit's antennae work and also creating the image that you might be handling the pricier flagship model.
One thing I like over the larger model are the volume keys. Now they are separated button for volume up and down. They are easier to find and press when not looking at them directly.
In terms of size, there is not much a difference than the larger One (137.4 x 68.2 x 9.3 mm on One against 132 x 63.2 x 9.3 mm on One Mini). But, I'm surprised by how small it feels in my hand. This sensation is pretty similar to HTC One S (which is my favorite phone of all time when it comes to size and design).
We also have HTC's BoomSound speakers lie beneath micro-drilled holes both above and below the screen like before. Prolonged listening through the smartphone won't grate on the ears, although the sound quality isn't quite as bass-rich as the One. HTC also snuck in a single LED notification light into the top speaker
We also have HTC's BoomSound speakers lie beneath micro-drilled holes both above and below the screen like before. Prolonged listening through the smartphone won't grate on the ears, although the sound quality isn't quite as bass-rich as the One. HTC also snuck in a single LED notification light into the top speaker
Display
HTC One Mini has 4.3-inch 720p display. If we count the numbers, One Mini has less pixels than it's big brother (1280 x 720 resolution on a 4.3-inch screen produces a pixel density of 341ppi, far below the One's eye-popping 468ppi). But once you stray past 300ppi or so (Remember what Apple said about 'Retina' display), pixels just become indistinguishably small and any further upgrades aren't gonna make much different. Color accuracy, contrast, saturation, and viewing angles are amazing.
If there is any complaint about the display, it has to be about the automatic brightness. Sometimes the brightness is not high enough and making the phone difficult to read under direct sunlight. Of course you an always change the brightness manually from the quick control menu. Other than that, I have no trouble with display. In fact, this is one of the best display of it's category.
Camera
Camera on One mini is identical to it's larger version. We got backside illuminated sensor with f/2.0 which is pretty nice. But, I notice a bit difference of the image in brightness and contrast when comparing both phone side by side. I think One mini is bit more bright but HTC One is bit more contrast. This probably it is caused by the display itself. The display on larger One is actually more contrast than the mini I guess. Check out some picture I took using One mini down below.
If there is any complaint about the display, it has to be about the automatic brightness. Sometimes the brightness is not high enough and making the phone difficult to read under direct sunlight. Of course you an always change the brightness manually from the quick control menu. Other than that, I have no trouble with display. In fact, this is one of the best display of it's category.
Camera
Camera on One mini is identical to it's larger version. We got backside illuminated sensor with f/2.0 which is pretty nice. But, I notice a bit difference of the image in brightness and contrast when comparing both phone side by side. I think One mini is bit more bright but HTC One is bit more contrast. This probably it is caused by the display itself. The display on larger One is actually more contrast than the mini I guess. Check out some picture I took using One mini down below.
Performance and Battery Life
Nobody will question HTC One's performance but how about its little brother? Is it performing well? Yes it is. With One mini you get a dual-core 1.4GHz Snapdragon processor, 1GB of RAM, and 16GB of non-expandable storage. Even though it is half the cores, half the memory, and half the storage you won't find any performance issue whatsoever. I won't lie by saying it has the same performance as the One, however in the vast majority of day-to-day tasks the One mini quite matches it step for step. Everything from UI animation, web browser, camera to every other apps run smooth and fluid. I never notice any significant change in daily task. However, when I play some quite intense graphic game like Asphalt or Real Racing it has lower frame rate. (Don't be fooled by benchmark. I never find any shortage of power on One Mini despite it's low benchmark )
| HTC ONE MINI |
SAMSUNG
GS4 MINI | HTC ONE | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Quadrant 2.0 | 5,200 | 7,250 | 12,495 |
| Vellamo 2.0 | 2,118 | 1,980 | 2,429 |
| AnTuTu 3.2 | 10,048 | 13,732 | 25,140 |
| SunSpider 1.0 (ms) | 1,442 | 1,142 | 769 |
| GFXBenchmark T-Rex 2.7 HD Offscreen (fps) | 15 | 17 | 16 |
| CF-Bench | 6,543 | 13,646 | 25,267 |
| SunSpider: lower scores are better | |||
Another difference in the spec sheet is the absence of Optical Image Stabilization (OIS), IR blaster, and NFC capabilities. For me they are not really essential. IR blaster is a great way to control my TV but will not be missed if it's not there. NFC is also something I barely use. Probably in a few years they will be needed for e-money, but for now they are nothing more than gimmick The only thing I missed from the One is OIS. Although some people say it is not important but OIS can really help when we take a picture in low light condition or make a video. In fact I used to make a video for YouTube using HTC One and it is amazing.
Up till now HTC is doing great to maintain battery life in their flagship Smartphone. But how about it's mini version? Does it perform as well as the One? In terms of battery size, One Mini is downgraded to 1800mAH, which is far below 2300mAH on its big brother. You probably already guessed the performance. Yes it is suffering from all the tasks I gave on its few first day. Careful I already mention few first days when it has to sync all of my stuff from Google app. After a few day battery life is getting better on this handy little device. On average one charge is enough to last a day. Usually I use it to browse the web, social media, lots and lots of IM, a little bit of games, and it could last for 15-17 hours no problem.
What people don't realise is how long this phone could last when we don't use it. While on sleep mode the battery only drops 1-2% overnight with the phone still syncing social networks and emails. So basically if you're frugal with your usage you can easily get away with two days' use on the HTC One Mini (just don't turn the screen on very much).
Verdict
When I hold HTC One Mini for the first time I was startled. I never know a little change will give such a big difference. I admit there is some features I missed from HTC One but, overall, this is a great phone. Probably the best of its category. In the end its all come back to us, whether we would trade a little bit of screen size and power for much more portability and ease of use. I would. Would you?
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