The HTC One (M8) Review
by Anand Lal Shimpi & Joshua Ho on March 26, 2014 7:00 PM EST- Posted in
- Smartphones
- HTC
- Mobile
- HTC One
Snapdragon 801 Performance
The M8 is the first smartphone we’ve tested to use Qualcomm’s newly announced Snapdragon 801 SoC. At a high level the 801 is a frequency bump enabled by a 28nm HPm process push, giving it a tangible increase in performance (and potential decrease in power consumption) compared to the outgoing Snapdragon 800. The table below compares the 801 variants to the Snapdragon 800:
| Snapdragon 800/801 Breakdown | ||||||||||
| SoC Version | Model | Max CPU Frequency | Max GPU Frequency | ISP | eMMC | DSDA | Memory IF | |||
| MSM8974VV | v2 | S800 | 2.2GHz | 450MHz | 320MHz | 4.5 | N | 800MHz | ||
| MSM8974AA | v2 | S800 | 2.3GHz | 450MHz | 320MHz | 4.5 | N | 800MHz | ||
| MSM8974AB | v2 | S800 | 2.3GHz | 550MHz | 320MHz | 4.5 | N | 933MHz | ||
| MSM8974AA | v3 | S801 | 2.3GHz | 450MHz | 320MHz | 5.0 | Y | 800MHz | ||
| MSM8974AB | v3 | S801 | 2.3GHz | 578MHz | 465MHz | 5.0 | Y | 933MHz | ||
| MSM8974AC | v3 | S801 | 2.5GHz | 578MHz | 465MHz | 5.0 | Y | 933MHz | ||
In most parts of the world the M8 will ship with a 2.3GHz Snapdragon 801. In Asia/China however we’ll see the 2.5GHz MSM8974AC v3 SKU instead.
Compared to the outgoing Snapdragon 800, peak CPU performance shouldn’t increase all that much. What we may see however is an improvement in power efficiency thanks to the improved 28nm HPm process.
It’s really the GPU that will see the largest increase in performance. With a maximum speed of 578MHz and paired with faster LPDDR3-1866 memory, we should see up to a 30% increase in GPU bound performance over Snapdragon 800 designs.
- Physics
| Snapdragon 801 vs 800 vs 600 | |||||||
| HTC One (M8) - Snapdragon 801 | Google Nexus 5 - Snapdragon 800 | HTC One (M7) - Snapdragon 600 | 801 vs 800 | 801 vs 600 | |||
| SunSpider 1.0.2 | 772.8 ms | 686.9 ms | 1234.8 ms | -12% | +37% | ||
| Kraken Benchmark 1.1 | 6745.2 ms | 7245.9 ms | 12166.5 ms | +7.4% | +45% | ||
| Google Octane v2 | 4316 | 3726 | 3103 | +16% | +39% | ||
| WebXPRT Overall | 373 | 392 | 244 | -5% | +53% | ||
| AndEBench - Native | 17430 | 17480 | 12381 | -1% | +41% | ||
| 3DMark 1.1 Ultimate | 19631 | 17529 | 10519 | +12% | +87% | ||
| 3DMark 1.1 Ultimate - Physics | 50.5 | 51 | 33.1 | -1% | +53% | ||
| Basemark X 1.1 - HQ | 12194 | 11275 | 4807 | +8.1% | +154% | ||
| GFXBench 3.0 - Manhattan Onscreen | 11.1 fps | 9.3 fps | 5.1 fps | +19% | +118% | ||
| GFXBench 3.0 - Manhattan Offscreen | 10.4 fps | 8.7 fps | 4.4 fps | +20% | +136% | ||
| GFXBench 3.0 - T-Rex HD Onscreen | 29.9 fps | 24.3 fps | 12.6 fps | +23% | +137% | ||
| GFXBench 3.0 - T-Rex HD Offscreen | 27.9 fps | 22.9 fps | 12.6 fps | +22% | +121% | ||
CPU Performance
GPU Performance
NAND Performance
The One is available in either 16GB or 32GB configurations, there are no higher capacity versions offered. There is now a micro SD card slot on the right side of the device, just above the volume rocker.
Despite using a Snapdragon 801 SoC, the internal storage is still an eMMC 4.5 solution.
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hangfirew8 - Monday, March 31, 2014 - link
OK I will admit I'm not familiar with the black model. I do know something about anodization. Properly done, it penetrates into the metal and light scratches still display the same color. Deep scratches of course still show the base metal color. But I have no idea how deep HTC's anodization went, or how deep you're mate's scratches or rubbings went.Scootiep7 - Friday, March 28, 2014 - link
GAH! So close. This phone is everything I want with the exception of the camera. And the sad part for me is that the camera is so important it trumps all the other outstanding features this phone has. I love everything HTC is doing and the smartphone industry needs them to continue innovating in this direction. But until they can bump the camera up to the S4/iP5s level, I just can't make the switch.HTC, why must you torment me so!
alain2 - Friday, March 28, 2014 - link
Too much useless talk about the camera ! Since last year m7 all comments is about the camera ! But why ! My question is : how many users do actually know how to use the camera ? Even me I don t know how to properly use it. ! So what's the point of all this rubbish comments about the use of ultra pixel camera ! Aside from that HTC proved again that they are the best ! In term of quality and reliability and innovations they are on top !archa1c - Friday, March 28, 2014 - link
Regarding your UFocus comment:"Here I’m clearly separated from the background. You can see some of the limitations of UFocus here as I’m not the only subject in focus."
Technically, if that table was at the same depth/distance from the sensor as you were, it should be in focus. UFocus isn't going for a subject-specific focus effect. It is applying a depth-of-field effect.
With that said, it appears to be very unreliable, and I don't think it is truly able to capture accurate depth information. I've already seen many sample images in good conditions where part of the in-focus subject has been blurred out of focus with the background.
Demi9OD - Friday, March 28, 2014 - link
Are there any new cell phones with manufacturer car docks? My Atrix HD comes up for upgrade soon, but these universal docks with no built in charging are a pain. Need more real solutions like the one I currently have.http://www.amazon.com/Motorola-Vehicle-Navigation-...
liteon163 - Friday, March 28, 2014 - link
I understand it has front facing speakers, but you can't tell me there's no way to reduce the bottom bezel, even if it increases thickness. Integrate the "htc" logo into the bottom speaker grille and get rid of the black stripe. If this increases thickness, add a larger battery, too.kg2128 - Friday, March 28, 2014 - link
wow so much HTC praise on the first page, I was kind of expecting it after last year's extremely biased review but not to this extent. The One still has the best design but does nothing else that sets it apart, and in one respect stayed the same/got worse (camera) and this review is glowing with praise. So disappointing...tytung - Friday, March 28, 2014 - link
It's not just Anandtech. Virtually all of the critics on the internet praised HTC One 2013 and it was named the best phone of the year by GSM.hangfirew8 - Saturday, March 29, 2014 - link
Not just that but Anandtech INVENTED an award for the M7. Maybe "the best design" is more important than "does nothing else". Maybe all those reviewers were really, really tired of seeing the same things from the other players. Maybe this thing called "design" really matters?NicoleMWilson - Friday, March 28, 2014 - link
It continues to baffle me why no Android manufacturer seems inclined to create an "absolute best." It might add an extra $50 to the phone, but many of us would pay that. If Samsung gave up their addiction to butt ugly polycarbonate pincushions, they'd have it. If HTC offered a version with a 13, or even 8, mp camera, they'd have it. Oddball cost cutting doesn't make any sense to me. If they expect me to plunk down $600+ for a phone, there had better be no compromises. http://num.to/2688-3989-2477