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HTC One M8s boasts Android Lollipop, metal build for the midrange

This new, European-bound handset has a 5-inch screen, 13-megapixel camera and octa-core processor inside.

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Jessica Dolcourt Senior Editorial Director, Content Operations
Jessica Dolcourt is a passionate content strategist and veteran leader of CNET coverage. As Senior Director of Content Operations, she leads a number of teams, including Thought Leadership, Speed Desk and How-To. Her CNET career began in 2006, testing desktop and mobile software for Download.com and CNET, including the first iPhone and Android apps and operating systems. She continued to review, report on and write a wide range of commentary and analysis on all things phones, with an emphasis on iPhone and Samsung. Jessica was one of the first people in the world to test, review and report on foldable phones and 5G wireless speeds. Jessica led CNET's How-To section for tips and FAQs in 2019, guiding coverage of topics ranging from personal finance to phones and home. She holds an MA with Distinction from the University of Warwick (UK).
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HTC

Editor's note: UK readers can see our full review of the HTC One M8s here . The phone is not yet available in the US or Australia.

It may sound like a variant on last year's One M8 phone , but this new 8s is its own mix of new and revisited features on a midrange handset whose design hearkens to both the M8 (and therefore, to this year's M9 as well).

The M8s is no "mini" device. Its 5-inch screen and curved, metal body are pretty much full-size. That display also comes with a 1,920x1,080-pixel resolution, which is just right for the size. Following the law of diminishing returns, your eyes would have to really strain to notice major sharpness differences between that and the the 5.1-inch Galaxy S6's 2,560x1,440-pixel display.

HTC cloaks Android 5.0 Lollipop with version 6.0 of its Sense interface, a throwback to the M8 vis-a-vis the M9's Sense 7.0 OS layer.

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HTC

Camera and internal hardware

When it comes to your photography, the M8s isn't too shabby on paper: it comes with a 13-megapixel "duo camera" (also seen in the M8) with a f/2.0 aperture and 28mm lens. Video recording does top out at 1080p HD, which is still great -- it just won't shine on a 4K TV. Selfie-snappers will get a 5-megapixel shooter to work with. 1080p HD video recording on that front camera is a nice touch.

As with other HTC phones, the 8s integrates BoomSound dual front-facing speakers that promise (and typically deliver) loud, clear audio.

Inside, Qualcomm's octa-core Snapdragon 615 presents 64-bit computing through four cores at 1.7GHz and four at 1.0GHz. Thanks to Qualcomm, the One 8s supports quick-charging, for faster battery top-ups. That battery, by the way, has a 2,840mAh capacity and is rated to 20.25 hours on 3G.

Storage is on the slimmer side at 16GB, with 2GB of RAM, but the good news is that you can slide in a microSD card of up to 128GB.

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HTC

Even more details

4G LTE is practically a given at this stage, but it's there (3, 5, 7, 8, 20 bands), along with GSM 3G support for non-4G areas.

The One 8s also supports NFC, Bluetooth 4.1 and Wi-Fi (802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, both 5GHz and 2.4GHz). It utilized a nano-SIM.

Pricing and availability

HTC says a gray model of the phone will go on sale from HTC's website and from UK operators in early April. Pricing may vary by retailer, but look for it to hover at around £380, SIM-free. Although it's slated just for European regions at this time, that cost translates to roughly $563 and AU$743.