According to a recent report from the Taiwanese media, HTC is said to be leaving behind the “mini” variant of its HTC One lineup this time around, due to a market shift toward larger-screened devices. A”mini” version of the HTC One M9 was naturally expected due to the existence of the HTC One mini and its successor, the HTC One mini 2 (which were miniature variants of the HTC One M7 and One M8, respectively)…
Dozens upon dozens of Android phones from the various OEMs have been updated to Lollipop over the last several months, but it looks like at least a couple of devices (one of which is barely a year old) won’t be getting any Material Design goodness. HTC has confirmed that both the HTC One Mini 2 and its predecessor the One Mini, won’t—at least officially—be getting the update to the latest version of Google’s mobile OS.
When a story earlier this week discovered Samsung was artificially inflating benchmark scores for its new Galaxy Note 3, many were quick to point out it wasn’t the first time Samsung had been caught engaged in such a practice. The same issue was discovered by AnandTech for the Galaxy S4 back in July, and today the site has an extensive report showing that almost every Android smartphone manufacturer is shipping devices that do the same.
As pictured in the chart above, that includes the HTC One, HTC One mini, LG G2, Galaxy Tab 10.1, and many others. In fact, the only companies that appear to not be using the method is Apple and Motorola, as well as Google with its Nexus 4 and Nexus 7 devices:
We started piecing this data together back in July, and even had conversations with both silicon vendors and OEMs about getting it to stop. With the exception of Apple and Motorola, literally every single OEM we’ve worked with ships (or has shipped) at least one device that runs this silly CPU optimization. It’s possible that older Motorola devices might’ve done the same thing, but none of the newer devices we have on hand exhibited the behavior. It’s a systemic problem that seems to have surfaced over the last two years, and one that extends far beyond Samsung… None of the Nexus do, which is understandable since the optimization isn’t a part of AOSP. This also helps explain why the Nexus 4 performed so slowly when we reviewed it – this mess was going on back then and Google didn’t partake.
As noted in the report, the gains that OEMs are experiencing from the inflated scores are probably not worth the press they’ve been receiving. AnandTech points out that most of the inflated scores provide under a 10% increase in GPU and CPU performance benchmarks:
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We knew it was coming and today is finally the day that customers can get their hands on Motorola’s new Moto X flagship smartphone and the thousands of customization options offered through Moto Maker. While Moto X should be arriving on all major carriers in the US around the end of this month, the AT&T version of the device available starting today is the only one that will offer access to Moto Maker. The other carriers will be launching white and black versions of the device until Motorola’s puts an end to AT&T ‘s exclusive window sometime later this year.
Starting today, the customizable, assembled in the US version of the Moto X is available exclusively through the MotoMaker.com online tool for AT&T customers. Unfortunately online purchasing isn’t an option at this point, so you’ll have to first purchase the device through AT&T. That includes the 16GB model for $199 and the 32GB model for $249 on contract.
The Moto Maker tool is the standout feature of the Moto X, allowing users to choose from over 2000 customization options for back, front and accent colors, unique wallpapers, and engraving. Unfortunately, we found out earlier this month that engraving won’t be available initially due to some manufacturing issues.
It’s not the only notable device launching on the carrier today, however. The company is also kicking off availability of the 6.3-inch Samsung Galaxy Mega $149.99 on the usual two year agreement today, as well as the 4.3-inch HTC One Mini for $99.99 on contract.
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HTC One mini compared to the HTC One
AT&T will be the exclusive carrier for the HTC One mini handset and you’ll be able to get your hands on one August 23 for just $99.99 on contract (or $21/month using AT&T’s Next program). This is in line with Bloomberg’s original report back in June that the device would be available this month.
The device boasts many features of the original HTC one, but the smaller 4.3″ 720p display may appeal to those who want the functionality without the huge screen.
[youtube=http://youtu.be/aAwBZryO47w]
From AT&T’s press release:
Shorter, thinner and lighter than the original HTC One, the new HTC One mini boasts a striking aluminum body with a 4.3-inch Super LCD 2 HD 720p display, a powerful Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ 400 dual-core 1.4 GHz processor, and HTC’s UltraPixel Camera with backside illuminated sensor that captures 300 percent more light than traditional smartphone camera sensors, so you can take better photos in low light and bright light.
The HTC One mini packs all the great features you love about HTC One including:
HTC BlinkFeed™ puts your favorite content at the center of your mobile world, delivering social updates, news updates and photos directly to your home screen. It aggregates the freshest content, with more than 10,000 feeds served up daily from the most relevant and interesting sources. Enjoy all the information at a glance, without the need to jump between multiple applications and websites.
HTC Zoe™ brings special moments to life in three-second videos, enabling a range of advanced editing capabilities and creative flexibility. Photos, videos and Zoes can also be featured as part of automatically edited 30-second Video Highlights with pre-selected themes with music or using sound tracks from your personal music library.
HTC BoomSound™ provides dual front-facing speakers and a built-in amplifier to bring music, movies and games to life with minimal distortion, as well as the authentic sound experience you expect from built-in Beats Audio ™.
HTC has followed its disappointing Q2 results by issuing revenue and profit warnings for Q3 suggesting the company may make its first ever loss in its 16-year history.
- 3Q revenue is expected to be in the range of NT$50bn to NT$60bn ($1.7 to $2M)
- Gross profit margin is expected to be in the range of 18% to 21%
- Operating margin is expected to be in the range of 0% to -8%
The forecast revenue is below the average of 22 analysts polled by Reuters, and its projected operating margin of between 0 and -8 percent falls below most of the more pessimistic forecasts. Operating margin is essentially net profit margin before taxes, interest payments and dividends. Its operating margin for Q2 was just 1.5 percent.
It’s an ironic position for the company to find itself in not long after launching what we consider to be the best Android handset on the market …
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We have a ‘little’ bit of news tomorrow. pic.twitter.com/UKXV59wXbs
— HTC UK (@HTC_UK) July 17, 2013
On Twitter, HTC’s UK division has just posted a teaser for an announcement it has coming tomorrow. The company says that it will have a “little bit of news tomorrow.” This seems like a not-so subtle hint that the HTC One mini will be the center of attention, especially when given the image, which shows an HTC One variant just barely sticking out of someone’s pocket.
We’ve heard a lot about the smaller HTC One. The phone will supposedly feature a 4.3-inch display (versus the 4.7-inch panel on the original device), 2GB of RAM, 16GB of storage, and a 4MP UltraPixel camera. Several reports have already pegged the device for a launch sometime this month, and with this tweet, that appears to be coming to fruition.
We’ll be sure to keep an eye out for an official HTC One Mini announcement tomorrow.
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By this stage, the rumored HTC One Mini is a near-certainty, so it’s no great surprise to see more leaked photos emerging.
The latest, from German site AndroidNext, are the first to show the rear casing, here seen in black. It’s likely HTC will offer the same choice of silver and black available with its bigger brother.
Other than that, there’s nothing new in the claimed specs other than a report that the handset will manage to run Sense 5 despite the lower-powered Snapdragon 400 CPU.
We’ve heard quite a bit about a smaller, low-cost HTC One variant. Originally referred to as the M4, images and specs of the HTC One Mini have been leaked before, seemingly confirming the device’s existence. The main questions now surround the release of the smartphone.
Bloomberg on Wednesday published a report claiming it has heard detailed information about the HTC One Mini from “two people briefed on the plans who asked not to be identified because details aren’t public”. The report mentions that the device will have a 4.3-inch display with a lower resolution than the original HTC One, as well as a “less powerful” Qualcomm CPU. The sources go on to claim that the One Mini will go on sale “by August.”
The new model features a 4.3-inch screen, compared with 4.7 inches for the original version, and will go on sale by August, according to two people briefed on the plans who asked not to be identified because details aren’t public. The device will probably have a less-powerful Qualcomm Inc. (QCOM) processor and lower-resolution screen than the flagship, said one of the people.
Earlier reports had far more specific specifications, claiming a 720p 4.3-inch display, 2GB of RAM, 16GB of internal storage, and a 4MP UltraPixel camera.
Miniature versions of flagship devices have become a common trend this year, with Samsung having recently announced the Galaxy S4 Mini.
We said a month ago that HTC was reportedly working on a smaller version of the HTC One, codenamed the M4. This story today appears confirmed, with leaked photos appearing on the Estonian site Forte, repeating the same specs we reported: a 720p display, 2Gb RAM, 16Gb storage and 4MP ‘Ultrapixel’ camera. More photos (which we’ve cleaned up a little as the originals were rather dark) after the break …
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If you love the HTC One but are not so keen on its price-tag, HTC may have the solution in the form of a lower-cost variant currently code-named the M4 (the HTC One was code-named M7).
Phone Arena says the handset is almost identical in appearance to the HTC One, but smaller, using cheaper materials and with a lower-spec – a similar approach to that taken by Samsung with its S III mini version of its then flagship S III. Or perhaps in the previous generation – where the HTC One S was the mini version of the One X.
M4 reportedly steps down the processing power, to just a dual core CPU, and storage is just 16GB, but RAM is still a healthy 2GB, and the camera also contains HTC’s lauded (but somewhat controversial) UltraPixel technology. With less powerful components come less stringent power needs, and in this case, HTC has allegedly opted for a 1700mAh, non-removable battery.
The handset is said to have a 4.3-inch 720p display, LTE and is expected to run Jelly Bean 4.2, a step up from the One’s 4.1.
