#HTC One (M8) review: Will the king's reign continue?

It won't be an exaggeration to say that HTC set the benchmark among Android smartphones with its 2013 flagship model. HTC One is a stunning smartphone and the first one to challenge Apple's dominance in the sphere of design. The phone was very well received among critics, even though it did not break records in sales.

One year later, HTC has managed to improvise on One and come up with a more powerful version of the phone - One (M8). Is it just an iterative update, or has HTC done an even better job this time? We try to find out in our review.

Build & design
There is no doubt that the original HTC One is a great looking phone with its all-metal construction giving it a premium, yet solid, feel. With HTC One (M8), HTC decided to improvise on the design, without making major alterations.

At first glance, you may not notice much difference between the One (M8) and its predecessor. On closer inspection, however, you'll notice that the new One (M8) is slightly larger and sports a bigger display.



Thanks to the use of on-screen navigation buttons, there are no hardware capacitive keys at the front. The full HD IPS LCD display of the phone is flanked by two speaker grills, a sensor and the 5MP front camera lens.

Unlike the original HTC One which features flat edges, the new One (M8) sports rounded edges. The all-aluminium chasis has chamfered edges at the front and white polycarbonate inserts at the back. It doesn't feature polycarbonate inserts at the side edges that were seen in the original One. The edges are rounded when they meet the back of the phone.

The left edge of the phone features the sim card tray while the right one is home to the volume rocker key and the microSD card tray. The volume rocker key is not flush with the edge like the original One but is a bit raised. The key offers good tactile feedback. Opening the sim card tray requires some effort.

The original HTC One did not feature an external storage slot (though the dual-sim version featured one), so it's a welcome move.

The back of One (M8) includes not one, but two camera lenses, part of the One (M8)'s Duo Camera set-up. The UltraPixel camera lens is accompanied by a dual-colour LED flash similar to iPhone 5S. Our grey coloured review unit sported a brushed metal finish that looked more polished compared to the original HTC One.



The power/ screen-lock button sits at the top edge of the phone, with the Infrared blaster (that covers the entire top edge) while the bottom edge features the micro-USB port and the 3.5mm headset jack.



The form factor of the phone makes it fit for one hand use even though it now offers a bigger display.

Display
HTC One (M8) sports a 5-inch, Full-HD display that looks bright, offers great viewing angles and vivid colours. Colour reproduction is among the best in class. Pictures and text look crisp and sharp. Although it is a bit reflective, we did not face issues while using the phone under sunlight. We'll have to say it's one of the best displays we've seen off late.

The display comes with Corning Gorilla Glass 3 protection to guard against minor scratches.

User Interface
HTC One (M8) comes with Android 4.4.2 KitKat, the latest version of the OS with Sense 6, the new version of HTC's custom UI, running on top. While it looks very different from stock Android, we quite like the Sense 6 interface. It doesn't look very different from that of the previous version of Sense.

It sports the on-screen navigation keys, which hide while playing games and using apps that make use of Android's new immersive mode.

HTC has not skinned the notifications tray and has sobered down the settings menu which is now devoid of coloured graphical icons. As with the previous version of Sense, the app launcher involves vertical scrolling.



The phone includes a new version of BlinkFeed, HTC's homescreen utility that brings personalized updates from the user's preferred news sources and social networks. BlinkFeed now offers automatic recommendations from the user's Google+ and Facebook networks. It also integrates information related to the user's fitness statistics from the built-in Fitbit app.

The native apps sport background colours depending on the theme applied by the user.

Transition effects are subtle and look beautiful.

HTC has also included new gestures for unlocking the screen and going directly to Blink Feed or other home screens. The phone can now be unlocked with a double tap or by swiping up. Similarly, voice dialling can be initiated by swiping down the screen when it's locked. All these gestures worked as promised.



The phone includes very few preloaded apps, including 7digital music store, Fitbit fitness tracking app, Polaris Office 5, Scribble (a note-taking app), Tasks and a Car mode app. The phone also has a placeholder for the upcoming Zoe app which will allow users to share montages created with their video and photo content.

Fitbit app is capable of recording steps, distance and calories burned. We found that it's not very accurate and often registers shakes as steps.

The new Sense UI also features an improved keyboard which is easier to use and more accurate in recording taps.

Camera
HTC One (M8) sports an UltraPixel Duo camera at the back. The primary camera has essentially the same 4MP lens as the original HTC One. HTC claims that it captures 300% more light compared to other phones. The second camera lens, part of the Duo camera setup, helps in detecting and separating backgrounds and foregrounds as it scans depth and adds that information to the picture. It doesn't capture images.



The feature allows users to refocus on an object after shooting a picture, similar to Nokia's Refocus app which is available on high-end Lumia phones. The Duo camera feature also allows users to create silhouettes, alter depth and add bokeh effect through the UFocus feature, in tandem with the phone's software. One can even cut and paste subjects across photos.

It also lets you shoot 3D-like pictures with the Dimension Plus effect though it will be visible only on the One (M8).



We found the Dual Camera feature a bit gimmicky with the only good use case being the UFocus feature that lets you refocus. It worked most of the times and results were good. However, we don't like how HTC has hidden the feature. It's only visible when you edit a photo. Also, the Duo Camera features don't work if the LED flash is used, or if zoom is not at the minimum level.

The phone's camera app now includes controls for granular settings, including contrast, saturation, sharpness, ISO, and White Balance for users who like to take full control of their photos. It also offers pre-shoot filters for adding effects before clicking the photo, Panorama, Burst and HDR mode in addition to a Zoe mode that lets you capture a full-HD video and convert the footage into stills, or take a sequence of pictures with brief video for use with other effects such as object removal.



The camera boasts of 1 second launch time, focus time of 0.3 seconds and 11fps burst shot mode and is one of the fastest smartphone snappers. One disappointing bit is that unlike the original One, the One(M8) doesn't feature Optical Image Stabilization that offsets distortions due to camera shake. However, the digital stabilization offered by the phone manages to mitigate the flaw to some extent.

In terms of quality, pictures taken during daylight appeared good, especially when you're not zooming in to 100%. However, at full resolution you'll notice that it misses out on detail. Also, we observed that some daytime shots looked overexposed. While the UltraPixel camera captures more light, it lags when it comes to detail. With the competition offering higher resolution sensors, we feel that HTC should have upgraded the camera.

Pictures taken indoors looked good with accurate colour reproduction and low noise. The ones shot in low-light also looked great without the use of flash.

HTC One (M8) features an iPhone 5S-like dual-colour LED flash to balance light. However, we still found that the pictures taken in low light with the flash on, did not look natural.



The phone takes good quality videos and even offers a slow motion recording mode.

HTC One (M8)'s front-camera features a 5MP sensor with f2.0 wide angle lens for taking selfies. It also includes a timer switch and touchup feature for enhanced selfies. The phone clicks good quality selfies and offers a number of options to eliminate blemishes, fix red eye and whiten skin tone.

Overall, we like the Duo Camera's UFocus effect, but other than that, the camera lens could have been upgraded for capturing more detail.

Performance
HTC One (M8) is one of the most powerful smartphones available right now. The variant available in India comes with a 2.5GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 quad-core processor and 2GB RAM.

Thanks to all the power under the hood, we did not notice any lag while launching and switching between apps, editing photos, browsing the web, clicking pictures, watching high definition videos or playing graphics-heavy games .

There's no doubt that HTC One (M8) offers one of the best smartphone experiences.

We were able to play videos of popular file formats barring MOV, without any hiccups. Additional file formats can be played through third party video player apps. We'll have to say that the sound delivered by the phone's front-stereo speakers is unparalleled in terms of both quality as well as loudness.

Call quality was excellent and the phone works well even in weak signal areas. We also observed that the phone catches even weak Wi-Fi signals.

The phone comes with GPS and A-GPS for navigation and maps and was easily able to lock a signal.

It comes with FM radio and NFC connectivity options. The phone also offers LTE 4G connectivity and HTC has promised that after a software update, the phone will support Indian 4G networks.



HTC One(M8) is backed by a 2600mAh battery with a claimed standby time of up to 496 hours and talk time of up to 20 hours.

We were satisfied with the battery backup delivered by the phone. With moderate to high usage, including about one to two hours of making calls, playing games, clicking some pictures, listening to music and browsing the web, the phone will last you a full working day, even if you put the screen brightness at the maximum level and keep 3G turned on.

The phone also comes with an Extreme power-saving mode, activating which will make the phone's battery last for 2 weeks, as per HTC. It also claims that the phone can offer 30 hours of talk time in the mode even when the battery's charge level is 10%. The mode restricts background data and offers access to Phone, Messages, Mail, Calendar, and Calculator apps.

Gaming
We were able to play games like Temple Run 2, Riptide GP2 and Asphalt 8(with Visual Quality set to High and Engine at 100%) without encountering any frame drops or freezes, on HTC One (M8). The phone tends to get a little warm after long gaming sessions.

Verdict
HTC One (M8) is among the best Android smartphones available in the market in terms of performance, build quality as well as software. The camera is not exactly the strong point of the phone and the Dual Camera feature is gimmicky, but it still does a fairly decent job.

Having said that, One (M8) doesn't bring something new to the table, which is a bit disappointing. Unlike the competition, it's not water and dust resistant, doesn't feature a heart rate sensor, 4K recording or a fingerprint scanner. The different sensors and 4K recording are more of futuristic features which will take some time to become mainstream and not everyone will find these useful.

At a price of Rs 49,900, the phone competes with the Samsung Galaxy S5. The Galaxy S5 features a plastic body, doesn't look as good as HTC One (M8) and is more expensive. Also, the Indian variant of the phone doesn't feature a Qualcomm processor and comes with Samsung's Exynos processor which does not offer the same level of performance as its Qualcomm variant sold in US and other markets.



If you're fine with a non-Android phone with a smaller display, then Apple's iPhone 5S is still a good option. The Sony Xperia Z2, which is a powerful smartphone, is also expected to debut soon.

However, if you want the most good looking smartphone and price is not a consideration, we'd highly recommend buying HTC One (M8).

Ref - TOI

#HTC Desire 310 dual sim review: Not the perfect budget smartphone

HTC decided last year to refocus on emerging markets with the launch of budget smartphones.But the company wasn't able to register its presence much. Its flawed marketing effort and pricing of the handsets prevented it from taking on rivals like Samsung, and even the local players.

It seems the Taiwanese giant is not ready to give up and has launched new budget smartphones, expanding its Desire lineup.

Desire 310 dual sim is one of them. The phone doesn't boast of bells and whistles seen in the company's mid-range and premium phones, but promises users an opportunity to own an HTC device at a low price. Does HTC Desire 310 dual sim deliver a good smartphone experience? Read our review to find out.



Build & Design
Being a budget smartphone, HTC Desire 310 dual sim has a very utilitarian design and is built from plastic materials. Barring a metallic earpiece that differentiates the phone from others, the phone looks rather plain. At 140gram, the phone is not very bulky. Although it includes a removable cover, we did not experience any squeaks or wobbles, and the phone feels solid.



The front panel of the phone features glossy plastic that surrounds its 4.5-inch display. There are no capacitive keys for navigation as the phone offers on-screen soft keys. There's a metallic earpiece grill located above the display that reminds us of the HTC One's front speaker grill. The VGA camera lens sits next to the grill.

The right edge of the phone features a volume rocker key and a power/screen lock key, while the left edge is barren. The keys offer average tactile feedback and we found them to be a bit soft. The micro-USB port and the 3.5mm headset jack are located at the top edge of the phone.


The back of the phone features a plastic, removable cover that sports matte finish. It features the 5MP camera lens and the HTC logo, along with a speaker outlet. Removing the panel reveals two sim card slots and a microSD card slot located just above the battery compartment. Overall, the Desire 310 dual sim does not stand out, but is nonetheless decent to lug around and use.

Display

HTC Desire 310 dual sim sports a 4.5-inch FWVGA( 480x854p) display and clearly, it's one of the weak points of the phone. While we can make peace with the low resolution given the low price of the phone, the display also suffers from other problems. It has poor viewing angles and lacks brightness.



Low brightness levels also lead to poor sunlight legibility and makes clicking pictures in the sun a cumbersome task. Colours do not look vivid and text does not appear sharp.

User Interface

HTC Desire 310 dual sim runs Android 4.2.2 and is the first budget HTC phone to come with on-screen navigation buttons, instead of the capacitive touch buttons. HTC has skinned the interface of the phone with a minimalist version of Sense 5.1. Interestingly, the phone features the BlinkFeed that aggregates news and social updates on the home screen.

The app launcher arranges app icons vertically similar to other HTC phones that offer Sense integration but app icons for all apps are the ones seen in stock Android. Even native apps such as the Phone app, Messaging, Gallery and Music app are stock Android ones and there's no customization from HTC's end.

Same is the case with the settings screen and the Notifications tray. HTC offers its Video Highlights interface for browsing videos as a separate app, instead of integrating it with the Gallery app. Even the app switcher UI is the stock Android one.

It looks like the company has removed its own apps and additional effects to prevent the phone from slowing down and to reduce the size of the system files as the phone offers only 4GB internal storage. We feel it's a sensible move.

The phone comes pre-loaded with Polaris office 5 office suite, WeChat and Facebook apps. While the phone doesn't include the latest version of Android, the software has been optimized for the phone, keeping in consideration the limited hardware resources.

Camera

Desire 310's camera has nothing much to talk about. In fact, it's functional at best. The 5MP rear camera is fixed focus and does not come with an LED flash.



Pictures taken indoors appeared grainy and dull, while the ones taken outdoors in daylight were average.



Colour reproduction and white balance were a bit off. The VGA front-facing camera can be used for video chats, but doesn't capture good quality selfies. The quality of videos recorded with the phone was also not that great.



Performance

HTC Desire 310 dual sim is powered by a 1.3GHz MediaTek MT6582M processor coupled with Mali-400MP graphics and 512MB RAM. Barring minor instances, we did not notice any lag while navigating through the phone's menu, launching apps and switching between them.

In synthetic benchmarks, the phone scored 16,757 in Antutu, 6064 in Quadrant and 69.5 in Nenamark 2 benchmark tests. It trumps the recently-launched Micromax Canvas Turbo Mini, although the latter has 1GB RAM. But we'd not recommend a phone based solely on benchmarks as real world performance is different, at times.

In terms of multimedia, the phone comes with FM radio with recording capability and the phone's built-in speaker offers decent sound output. The default video player supports a large number of multimedia file formats.



We did not encounter issues while making calls and while using two sim cards. We were satisfied with the phone's network reception. Voice clarity and loudness levels were also up to the mark. The phone comes with GPS and A-GPS for navigation and maps and was easily able to lock a signal.
HTC Desire 310 dual sim is backed by a 2000mAh battery with a claimed standby time of up to 852 hours and talk time of up to 11 hours. We were satisfied with the battery backup delivered by the phone. With moderate to high usage, including about one to two hours of making calls, playing games, clicking some pictures, listening to music and browsing the web, the phone will last you more than a day, if you put the screen brightness at the highest level and keep 3G turned on.

Gaming
We were able to play games like Temple Run 2 and Subway Surfers without any hiccups. While playing graphics intensive games like Riptide GP2 and Asphalt 8(with Visual Quality set to high and Engine at 100%) we encountered some lag with minor frame drops.

Although the phone has just 512MB of RAM, the graphics performance is better than a number of phones in the same segment. One downer is the low internal storage space (just 2.02GB) which prevents installation of games with bigger files.

Verdict

HTC Desire 310 dual sim had the potential to be a major rival to Motorola's much-acclaimed budget smartphone, Moto G. Unfortunately, HTC has cut corners when it comes to the display of the phone. The poor camera and less RAM worsen things further. Although the storage capacity of the phone can be expanded via microSD card, not all apps can be installed on it. At a price of Rs 11,700, we feel the phone is a bit overpriced and doesn't deliver value for your hard-earned money. By spending Rs 1,000 more, you can get the 8GB version of Moto G, or the Micromax Canvas Turbo Mini.

Ref - TOI

First look: #Nokia Lumia 1520, #HTC One Max

I find giant phones hard to carry and use, but I'm well aware that many people like the bigger images and text they offer.

These so-called phablets, with screens measuring about 6 inches diagonally, are nearly as big as the smallest tablets. Unlike tablets, they can make phone calls over cellular networks.

Two new ones are worth considering. Neither comes with a stylus, a signature feature of Samsung's 5.7-inch Galaxy Note 3, which is one of the most popular phones of its size. But the 5.9-inch HTC One Max and the 6-inch Nokia Lumia 1520 both have larger screens than the Note.

Nokia Lumia 1520 ($585 without contract, $199 with contract through AT&T)
The 1520 runs Windows Phone 8, which has a sliver of the smartphone market -- and thus fewer software developers making apps for it. But apart from that, the 1520 is a decent phone.

It's also among the first Windows phones of its size.

What I like about Windows' approach to bigger phones is that text and images don't simply get blown up. The software adapts the layout to take advantage of the larger screen.

With big Android phones, including the Max, you see about the same amount of content that you would on a smaller phone, just somewhat enlarged. With larger Windows phones, you get a third column of apps on the home screen. You can preview two lines of emails rather than one, and you see more contact information at once for people in your address book.

There's also a new driving mode, which lets you block incoming texts and calls when you're near a Bluetooth device associated with your car. You can set it up to send automated replies to say you're driving.

Windows phones of all sizes come with a free Office app to read and touch up documents. With iPhones and Android phones, the app is available only as part of a $100-a-year Office 365 subscription. None of these Office apps are meant for heavy-duty work, though.

To me, the iPhone 5S is the best camera phone for everyday shots, but the 1520's camera does a great job in low-light situations. It has the same camera technology as the 4.5-inch Lumia 1020, though a software fix gets rid of the 1020's tendency to make images too yellow.

To keep the camera thin, Nokia dropped the 1020's protruding lens and sacrificed resolution. The 1520 can take photos of up to 19 megapixels, instead of 38 megapixels on the 1020. Still, that's more than most phones. Grabbing and storing all those pixels takes time, so both phones tend to be slower than most cameras in snapping shots.

To keep those photos organized, a Storyteller app automatically groups photos by date and location, if that feature is on when taking shots. I like that as you zoom in on a map, photos split off into smaller groups and are shown down to the street corner or backyard where you took them.

Nokia also has a new Refocus app, which takes up to eight shots with varying focus, so you can decide later whether you'd rather have the foreground or the background come in sharper. You can even have the app blend the shots so that everything's in focus.

Nokia Corp phones are often overlooked because they don't run one of the dominant operating systems. Besides having a good camera, I find colours on the screen more vibrant than on other phones. Before you buy, check the Windows online store to make sure the apps you want are available. It's getting better, but apps tend to come to iPhones and Android devices first.

HTC One Max ($600 without contract; with two-year contract: $250 through Sprint, $300 through Verizon)
The Max is largely a giant version of the regular, 4.7-inch HTC One. HTC expands on Android by offering a home screen with a mosaic of customized content -- such as your favorite news sites and content shared by friends on Facebook and Twitter. That can get annoying and clutter up the phone, but you can turn that off if you prefer a traditional home screen experience.

Where the Max differs is in offering a fingerprint scanner for bypassing the security password. Unlike the iPhone 5S, the Max launches a different app depending on which finger you use. That gives you quick access to Facebook, the camera or whatever app you designate. Sadly, unlike the iPhone's sensor, the one on the Max often fails to recognize my prints. The feature is supposed to make one-hand operation easier, but I end up using my other hand anyway to type in the password.

The Max, like the standard One, promises better low-light shots. The camera is 4megapixel, compared with the minimum 8megapixel that most high-end phones have. Instead, HTC makes the sensor for individual pixels larger to pick up more light. Night shots don't come out as dark.

However, the sensors sometimes pick up too much light, so lights on store signs and Christmas trees bleed together and wash out colors. And with fewer pixels, images aren't as sharp when blown up.

I like how the One's Gallery app automatically organizes your photos by events, based largely on time and location. Another feature turns selected shots from an event into a short video, with customizable music and special effects. Although the standard One has these features, the Max removes a 30-second cap and lets you choose your own tunes, rather than ones included.

Both Ones come with Zoe, a feature that takes up to 20 shots in three seconds so you can choose the one with the right smile or action.

Samsung's Note 3 is lighter and easier to hold, but the Max is a good choice if you really need an Android phone that's even larger than the Note.

#HTC One Max launched at Rs 61,490

Smartphone maker HTC has launched its most expensive handset for Indian market, HTC One Max, for maximum retail price of Rs 61,490.

"HTC One Max has largest display from HTC's stable. This is phone comes with stylus, insurance for theft, liquid damage and option to be purchased in monthly instalments," HTC India country head Faisal Siddiqui told reporters.

The phone will be available at market offered price of Rs 56,490.

HTC has jumped to 5.9-inch display screen with One Max, from 4.7-inch screen size phone model.

Siddiqui said that the company is providing six month installment schemes.

"The customer will have to not bear processing and interest charges. We will take care of it," he said.

In this new phone, the company has introduced a scanner below rear camera which save finger print of user and allows secured access of phone to its owner only.

HTC One Max comes with 16GB or 32GB onboard memory that can be expanded using a microSD card slot. It also has a 50GB of additional storage option for free on Google Drive.

The phone has 3,300mAh embedded battery. A normal 4-inch screen size smartphone generally comes with 1,800-2,000mAH battery size.

HTC Butterfly review

The HTC Butterfly is the company's first 5-inch phone, and more importantly, the first phone to feature a 1080p display. The phone made its first appearance as the J Butterfly in Japan, and later in the US, as the Droid DNA, towards the end of 2012. Of course there were some differences in the hardware, but the basic design wasn't altered much.

The phone has made it to the Indian shores and interestingly even though it features a gigantic screen, HTC doesn't like to call it a phablet (a term popularly used for 5-inch+ phones). The phone boasts of high-end specifications but does that justify the Rs. 45,999 price tag of the phone? We try to find out.

Design/ Hardware
We found the design of the phone to be really attractive, and the first thing that one notices is that despite the big 5-inch screen the phone doesn't feel awkward to hold and has a thin profile.

The colour of our review unit was black, and it had red accents on the pseudo-grille (at the sides) and earpiece. HTC started deploying a polycarbonate build with the One X, and it has extended the same to the Butterfly. The phone has rounded corners and feels very thin. The back of the phone has a soft rubberised matte finish, and feels nice to hold. The 8-megapixel camera lens is located towards the top. Unlike the One X and One X+, the lens unit doesn't protrude out and is flush with the body of the phone, which makes it look more elegant.

A single LED flash is located just next to the lens. Like the One X, the phone doesn't have a removable back cover. There's glossy HTC branding engraved in the middle, and the Beats audio branding and the speaker outlet, towards the bottom of the phone.

The screen forms the largest part of the front, with the glass curving around the edges. HTC has used Corning Gorilla Glass 2, making the screen durable, and comparatively more resistant to scratches. There's a greyish brown metal strip right above the earpiece, which gives the phone a premium feel. The 2.1-megapixel front-shooter is located at the left side, below the earpiece. The front also features three capacitive touch buttons (Home, Back and Menu/ App Switcher) and their markings.

The bottom panel features a microphone and a rubber insert that hides the Micro-USB port. The right side features the volume rocker, which is also red in colour, just like the pseudo-side grille. There are no controls on the left side.

The top sports a secondary microphone and another insert that hides a slot for the Micro-SIM card and the microSD slot. One of the pain points of the phone is this very slot. It's really cumbersome and it took us a while to figure out the mechanism for placing our Micro-SIM card inside the phone. There's a pin-hole inside the slot which is easy to miss, and you need to insert a pin to eject the tray where the Micro-SIM is placed. HTC has not put any markings, so new users will, most likely, have no clue about the process, unless they read the accompanying user manual.

The power/screen lock button sits in in the middle. We felt that the placement of this button made the experience of unlocking the screen a bit cumbersome due to the size of the phone. We'd have preferred that the button was placed on the side. The phone also features a notification LED at the front (on the earpiece grill) as well as at the back (adjacent to the camera lens).

The phone is water resistant with an IPX-5 water resistance rating, so it can easily handle minor splashes and spills, not that we were tempted to put that to the test. The best part about the phone is its weight to body ratio, due to which the phone never feels bulky even with its large form factor.

Display
As we mentioned earlier, the 1080p display is the killer feature of the phone. The Butterfly sports a 5-inch Super LCD 3 display with  Corning Gorilla Glass 2 and has a resolution of 1920x1080 pixels, packing-in 441 pixels per inch. The screen's pixel density is the highest among all flagship phones, and text and images appear extremely sharp. It's one of the most beautiful screens we've seen and reading text and browsing the web, especially make for extremely joyful experiences.

Comparing screens: HTC Butterfly vs HTC One X+

While the difference may not be visible at first, after using the phone for a while, you'll be able to see the difference between a 720p screen such as that of the One X+ and the Butterfly's full HD screen. However, our only gripe with the screen was that it was very reflective. The under sun visibility could also have been a bit better if you compare it to the iPhone. The viewing angles on the phone, however, are excellent.

Camera
The HTC Butterfly sports a 8-megapixel rear camera with auto focus, LED flash, and BSI (back-illuminated) sensor, which as per the company, takes better low-light shots. It's a F2.0 aperture and 28mm lens. The phone has a dedicated HTC ImageChip, company's own Image Signal processor (ISP), which allows users to take faster shots (the camera's startup time is 0.7 seconds and it can take one shot in 0.2 seconds) and better shots in all light conditions and movement.
The phone also boasts of a smart flash that adjusts the intensity of the camera flash as per distance from the subject. The phone supports 1080p HD video recording, and slow motion video capture. The phone also allows users to click 6-megapixel photos while they're shooting a video, which is pretty impressive compared to other phones.

The Butterfly also features a 2.1-megapixel front camera that can take wide-angle shots, and facilitates 1080p video calling.

As with other Android devices from the company, HTC integrates its own Camera app, that allows users to select different scene settings (among Normal, Landscape, Portrait, Backlight, Night, Text and Macro) for still captures; switch between HDR, Panorama and Group portrait modes, and choose the slow motion video mode.  It also allows users to put a self timer (ranging from 2 to 10 seconds), select the resolution, video quality, review duration, image adjustments (for exposure, contrast, saturation and sharpness), ISO and White Balance settings. One can also choose to disable Continuous Shooting or restrict it to 20 frames.

In addition to these, there are other options related to face and smile detection, geo-tagging, shutter sound and a grid interface. A video stabilisation setting is also available. Interestingly, the camera app also offers lenses for adding effects like Sepia, Negative, Vintage, amongst many others, even before one clicks a picture. HTC has also added a sightseeing mode, which simply means that if you lock the phone in the camera app, you'd find it open when you press the same key again (no need to unlock the screen).

A macro shot taken with the Butterfly; A low-light shot taken with the phone

We found the camera to be feature rich, and at the same time, pretty capable. Although, a lot of these features are available even on the HTC One X+ and the 8x, they're really snappy on the Butterfly. The quality of both indoor and outdoor shots was good, with the camera delivering well on colour reproduction, sharpness and detail. We also took a few night-mode shots, where the phone disables flash, and found that shots were above average, although a hint of graininess was still visible. The phone's video recording capabilities are also good, as HTC incorporates a video stabilisation engine for smooth captures.

Software/ User Interface
The HTC Butterfly runs Android 4.1.1 Jelly Bean and Sense 4+, HTC's own UI that includes some custom apps in addition to a skinned (deeply integrated) interface. While some people prefer stock Android over any kind of skinning, we feel that the Sense is one of the better skinning solutions, and looks great on the full-HD screen.

The phone offers scenes and skins (including a Butterfly Scene) for theming. It also offers an 'App & Shortcuts' widget, which we'd first seen on the HTC Rhyme, that lets users put four app launchers or other shortcuts on the home screen. There are several weather and clock widgets for the home screen, and the familiar ring-like lock screen which allows users to unlock the screen and jump straight into the phone, Mail, Messages or Camera app.
One can navigate the phone through the capacitive touch buttons for going to the Home screen and for going Back. The third button is configurable and can be used as a Menu plus App Switcher or just as an App Switcher (the behaviour can be chosen in the phone settings under Display, gestures Gestures & buttonsButtons). HTC has also skinned the app switcher with a 3D UI through which running apps can be dismissed by pulling it out from the group.

HTC also offers a 3-finger output gesture that, if enabled, allows users to turn on HTC Media Link HD output to TV. 

The HTC Butterfly allows the use of certain gestures to control alerts. For instance, one can choose to reduce ringer volume when the phone is moved or can flip the phone for turning on speakerphone. There's also a Power Saver mode that can check CPU usage, reduce screen brightness, turn off vibration and disable data use when the screen is turned off. The mode is automatically invoked when the phone's running out of battery juice.

The notification tray features a settings shortcut and a clear all notifications button, along with expandable notifications (expanded with the two finger pull gesture). Android 4.1 Jelly Bean also brings in Google Now, which after initialising for the first time, can be accessed directly by long pressing the home button or through the Search widget.

For the uninitiated, Google Now is a voice based information assistant and an extension of Google search. You can ask questions and the tool returns answers or search results. It uses 'cards' which are essentially small boxes that offer different sets of information ranging from weather forecast, directions, traffic information, scores, appointments, and currency conversion, among others. Google Now collects information based on the user's behavior, location, and even e-mail, to offer information automatically.

HTC's Gallery app allows users to browse images and videos on the phone in addition to the ones present on online services like Dropbox, Facebook, Flickr, Picasa, and SkyDrive. It also has a shortcut to the Camera app. The Gallery app allows browsing based on Events (Time, Date and Place) and Albums. The messaging app offers some interesting features, including a secure inbox, a password protected folder for storing confidential messages, and the option to block messages from select senders. The messaging interface is also customisable with different colour options for message bubbles and the ability to choose a background image.

HTC also offers its own Keyboard, which also offers word predictions, option to add words to a personal dictionary, and a 'Swipe' like keyboard, which HTC calls a Trace keyboard, that allows users to slide fingers over letters to key-in words. The keyboard was a breeze to use and it didn't feel awkward while typing with a single hand on Butterfly's gigantic screen.

The app launcher is divided in three tabs - All, Frequent and Downloads. Apps can be sorted alphabetically, and according to recency. App search is integrated with the launcher.

Performance/Battery Life
The Butterfly is powered by a 1.5GHz Qualcomm S4 Pro quad-core processor with 2GB RAM onboard, and an Adreno 320 chip for processing graphics. There is 16GB of internal storage, which is expandable up to 32GB via a microSD card.

With Android 4.1 Jelly Bean, the overall experience of navigation through the interface was extremely impressive, thanks to Project Butter and all the power under the hood. We did not experience any lag at all while launching apps, playing games, scrolling web pages or switching between apps. It's safe to say that performance wise the Butterfly is the hands-down winner, compared to other Android flagships.
We were able to play full-HD clips, though some formats including .mov, were not supported (this can be fixed by the use of third party apps). The speaker on the phone delivers good quality sound at high volume levels. The phone also supports Beats audio when you plug-in the headphones, which boosts bass and offers a much richer sound. Call quality was good.

The Butterfly offers Chrome in addition to the default browser. The default browser also allows users to turn on Adobe flash for viewing Flash content. It also offers a reader mode for reading text heavy web pages.

The phone comes with a 2020mAh battery, and in our usage, it lasted us a full day. We charged the phone in the morning (at around 9am), and with medium to heavy usage, including 1-1.5 hours of phone calls, two e-mail accounts with push notifications, playing some music, Twitter notifications and WhatsApp chats, the phone lasted a good 13-14 hours. It's worth pointing out that we had turned off Wi-Fi and auto-brightness, and the phone was hooked to a 3G network with the screen brightness at the highest level. Altering these settings might help in running the phone for a longer duration, depending on your usage pattern.

It's worth pointing out that the phone comes with neither NFC nor 4G/ LTE, which probably doesn't mean much in India at this point in time, but may be a deal breaker for those wanting their Rs. 45,000 purchases to be future-ready (not that we'd blame them!).

Verdict
The HTC Butterfly is the most expensive Android smartphone in the market. It's also one of the best Android phones we've used combining a major set of features, a brilliant HD screen and great ergonomics and build quality. We feel that the asking price of Rs. 45,999, is a bit on the higher side, if you compare it to flagships from other brands. Having said that, the phone outperforms all its rivals and the full-HD display is unique.

If you're someone who likes owning the best phone, no matter what, we have no hesitation recommending the HTC Butterfly. The phone matches the iPhone 5 not only in price, but thanks to the enhancements in Jelly Bean, in the overall experience as well.

Having said that, not everyone would be comfortable putting down this big an amount for a smartphone, and such people may consider other flagships like the Samsung Galaxy S III, which are now available at attractive discounts compared to their launch price. Large screen enthusiasts may prefer the Galaxy Note II.

Before we part, we can surely say that having experienced a full-HD display, we can't wait for other manufacturers to ship their own full-HD smartphones. The Xperia Z is expected to hit the Indian shores in March, and HTC's M7 aka HTC One is set to be unveiled as well. It's safe to say, as far as mobiles are concerned, the future's HD!


HTC Butterfly: First look

Pros
Brilliant HD screen
Excellent build quality
Great performance
Decent battery back-up

ConsA bit overpriced
Complicated SIM card tray mechanism
Awkward placement of the power/screen lock key

Ratings (Out of 5)
Design: 4
Display: 4.5
Performance: 4.5
Software: 4
Battery Life: 3.5
Value for Money: 3
Camera: 3.5
Overall: 4