HTC One mini Review: Hands-On

HTC has unveiled the HTC One mini, a smaller version of its flagship that brings many of the high-end handset’s features to a more compact package and makes them available to anyone who may be reluctant to fork out for an expensive device.

The mini follows a very similar form factor to its high-end cousin and aside from size the most noticeable difference between the two is in the bezel that surrounds the smaller handset’s frame. The device feels great in the hand, with the same comfortable and premium feel of the HTC One, and its sleek bodywork looks very stylish.

The distinctive BoomSound speakers also make an appearance on the HTC One mini, adding to its resemblance to the firm’s flagship, and their performance during our short time with the device looks to be equally impressive.

Audio played through them is certainly louder than on other smartphones, although we did notice that the same lack of bottom-end frequencies that troubled the HTC One also occurs here. Beats Audio technology is included, adding to the handset’s audio performance through the external speakers and headphones as well.

Featuring a 4.3-inch Super LCD 2 display, HTC hasn’t cut back too much on the mini’s screen and while it is of a lower resolution than that seen on the flagship it’s still of a very high quality. The display is certainly not as bright as that on the HTC One, but that handset’s screen is absolutely stunning and the same degree of performance cannot be expected from this device.
Nevertheless, details on photos show up clearly and the display certainly isn’t dull, leading to this being a more than adequate screen even if it doesn’t quite match the power that has been seen from the Taiwanese firm’s flagship.

HTC’s Sense 5.0 is included, running on top of Android 4.2.2, giving users access to the very latest mobile software. The distinctive BlinkFeed feature sits on the homescreen, pulling through news and social updates, and the rest of HTC’s UI once again proves to be attractive and very easy to use.
Also in terms of software, the firm’s Zoe camera functions make an appearance, bringing an impressive degree of functionality to the trimmed-down device. What is especially promising is that the dual-core, 1.4GHz processor seems more than capable of handling the advanced camera functions and renders the data-heavy images and clips quickly.

The UltraPixel camera itself is exactly the same as that seen on the HTC One, bringing the innovative technology to this lower-priced handset and making the HTC One mini a viable option for taking photographs.

Overall, HTC looks to have done an impressive job of bringing the key features of its flagship to this mini device without cutting back too much. We’ll be taking an in-depth look at the HTC One mini at a later date but for now it seems that the Taiwanese firm has done an excellent job of creating a partner handset to its high-end device that offers some stiff competition to others on the market.