Why would you get this when it's like a slightly worse Sony Xperia SP? 1.2 Krait Adreno 305 vs 1.7 Krait Adreno 320 Two offscreen buttons vs 4.7" with onscreen buttons No SD vs MicroSD slot
My thoughts exactly. Then there are other little things in favour of the Xperia SP like NFC, bigger battery (2370 mAh vs 1800 mAh), being MUCH cheaper (off contract, because not everyone likes in 'murica).
Actually it's shorter in length, only 3mm wider and the similar thickness. It is a full 30 gram heavier though (much of which can be attributed to a 30% bigger battery)
I think people who care about smaller phones care more about the width than the height of the phone, in which case you could argue why would you get the Xperia SP when you could just get the regular One since it's only 1mm wider.
As the others have alrady pointed out, each of your points falls through the floor. The SP is a lot more hardware for the money you spend. Stop being a fanboy.
Xperia SP is pretty expensive, hopefully HTC can hit a lower price point. We will see on that one.
But when it comes to clear cut differences:
1) since the One mini keeps the same shape, those thickness numbers actually don't show how the phone feels in the hand; SP is flat and the same thickness across the device. I only held the HTC One, but I can tell you in hand it does not feel thick at all. My Nexus 4 is thinner, but when you hold it, it feels far more chubby.
2) SP has a bigger, less dense screen. Seeing recent track record of Sony and HTC one would assume the display on the mini will be better
3) the camera on the mini is different, for some it will be worse, for some better; assuming it's the same as the HTC One minus OIS, I'd take the mini over anything Sony makes
Smaller screen to illuminate though. Also different SoC. It will be slower in benchmarks I guess, but I have no clue whether it will be more or less efficient in day to day use.
Also I checked current UK prices for the Xperia SP and it's gone down to 275 quid from 330 at launch. It will be hard to get to that price.
If this turns out to be true, then they HTC are mental to try and sell it at that price. Expansys have it listed for pre-order but "Price unannounced" From what I understand right now mobilefun.co.uk is just guessing the price. I really hope HTC won't try and do what Samsung are doing with the S4 mini, basically ripping you off as much as they can. We shall see. For 380, the mini is DOA to me.
I don't know about other countries, but in India, the current selling price of Xperia SP is quite cheap... about 20% less than a galaxy S3 ( INR 22,500 vs INR 27,500). I don't see a way in which HTC can even come close to Xperia SP's pricing.
Why not get the HTC First? Exactly the same specs, built by HTC earlier in the year. The Facebook Home (is that what its called?) is easily disabled, leaving stock Android. Super cheap off contract too.
I am not sure they are still available except in the used market, but they are going for bargain basement prices considering the specs and age.
Front facing, superior speakers, aluminum body, lighter.
Some people have 0 need for an SD card and some people prefer off screen buttons.
Work on thinking outside yourself and try to think of what people could want from it, instead of just thinking "I wouldn't want that, no one else would either"
Yeah, but it has 2 off screen buttons, as opposed to the dynamic buttons that Jelly Bean is designed for. You also then get more screen space when watching video. The SP has an aluminium frame, I doubt this is going to be light years ahead. It has a slower SoC. It has a much smaller battery. I want HTC to succeed, but they won't do it like this.
This will be a very hard sell when compared to a GS4 mini and the Xperia SP. Really wish they could have waited a while and released a dual core Krait 400, Adreno 330 based mini. That would just be the perfect phone.
There's a lot I'm willing to let slide in exchange for a smaller phone:
1. 720p screen? OK, the screen is smaller 2. Dual-Core vs Quad-Core SoC? I hardly use two cores on my XZ, let alone 4. I'd be unhappy on principle, but it does have a smaller battery, so again, forgiven. 3. Weaker GPU? No. Especially when you can get the older MSM8960 with the Adreno 320... Sure, its not the latest tech, but is IS a dual-core, lower-clocked version of the Snapdragon 600 which brings performance much, MUCH closer 4. Half the RAM? WTF are they smoking? Android NEEDs a LOT of memory if you do heavy multitasking of lots of light-workload programs. This is especially damning when you consider the price of RAM, especially if you go wholesale and consider all the other savings made! 5. Losing the awesome construction of the One? I could accept that, but at the same time, they could've just shrunk the One's construction and done it right..
@Brian Klug: if you're in contact with any of the ODMs, PLEASE let them know that there are people out there who want a genuine flagship at the 4.0-4.3" mark who are willing to pay for it. As much as the top flagship in fact. Personally I wouldn't even mind losing some battery life and/or having a thicker phone in order for that to happen.
The One Mini sin't going up against the S4, rather the S4 mini, and apart from the screen and camera (where the One is miles ahead), they're essentially identical: http://www.gsmarena.com/compare.php3?idPhone1=5505...
For me HTC did almost everything right with this "mini", 720p Screen, 1/3" camera sensor and thin&light. But why no OIS for the camera HTC? I hope it doesn't degrade image quality too much at low light.
Button/bezel problem persists. Saddening. Maddening. Come on, HTC.
I couldn't stand the giant button band making the phone way bigger than it had to be when I first saw the HTC One. When someone told me the "HTC" symbol wasn't even a button, I burst into incredulous laughter.
My first thought was: "Damn just bought a new phone, I really liked the look of HTC One but it is just to big so a mini sounds great" My second thought was: "Still to big especially for that screen size".
"...as an aside it's amazing that 4.3-inch and 720p is now a midrange feature just a year after 720p's introduction."
My Galaxy Nexus was introduced in November, 2011. While that's not quite 2 years ago, in cell phone terms it's eons ago and certainly more than a year ago. For me, 720p is a great resolution on anything 4.6" or under.
I was looking at smartphones in the shop the other day and I couldn't believe how tiny the iPhone 5 is!!! This site is good for seeing everything to scale: http://versus.com/en/htc-one-mini-vs-apple-iphone-... The specs sometimes seem abit strange but generally it's okay!
Wow, that site is crappy. They say they compare screen size but actually just compare the diagonal length. The same video recording capabilities (1080p30) are a win for the HTC One Mini with the statement being "Infinityx better video recording quality". Just awful. Use any review site and just look at the tablet side by side or hit up wikipedia or better yet, actually read the full reviews and take a look at both in person.
I just realized something from the size charts... thats not mini at all!! its only half a centimeter smaller in height and width than the original One! Come on manufactures, make something compelling the size of the iPhone
I'll agree with the people who are saying that Xperia SP is better value. In the past few months, Sony has been making (good looking) value for money handsets. And for the price I'm getting them at (Xperia SP for 22K INR ~ 370$ and ZR for 27K INR ~ 455$), I don't know any brand with this value. Even equivalent Samsung phones are priced more...
..."it's obvious that this isn't a flagship device squeezed into a smaller, more pocketable device"
If this happens not to sell as well as the HTC One, I hope the manufacturers don't all notice and conclude that it must be purely because of a smaller screen size.
If you are looking for Budget android phones under 15000 then please click on below link http://mobiknowhow.blogspot.in/2013/07/top10quadco... THis post gives a detailed review of top 10 Quad Core ,Dual Sim and 5 Inch Smartphones
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42 Comments
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Paulman - Thursday, July 18, 2013 - link
According to GSMarena, the iPhone 5's dimensions are: 123.8 x 58.6 x 7.6 mm, 112gThe HTC One Mini's dimensions are: 132.0 x 63.2 x 9.25 mm, 122g
I guess the HTC One Mini is a little bit bigger and heavier than the iPhone 5 -- but I wonder how similar the in-hand feel and look are.
piroroadkill - Thursday, July 18, 2013 - link
Why would you get this when it's like a slightly worse Sony Xperia SP?1.2 Krait Adreno 305 vs 1.7 Krait Adreno 320
Two offscreen buttons vs 4.7" with onscreen buttons
No SD vs MicroSD slot
No, I have no idea either.
MrSpadge - Thursday, July 18, 2013 - link
If it's cheap enough I could see it sell well.hackguy - Thursday, July 18, 2013 - link
Because Xperia is made of plastic and One mini is made of aluminum?dishayu - Thursday, July 18, 2013 - link
My thoughts exactly. Then there are other little things in favour of the Xperia SP like NFC, bigger battery (2370 mAh vs 1800 mAh), being MUCH cheaper (off contract, because not everyone likes in 'murica).B3an - Thursday, July 18, 2013 - link
Grow some brain cells. The One Mini is obviously for people who don't want larger phones. The Xperia SP is larger and heavier.dishayu - Thursday, July 18, 2013 - link
Actually it's shorter in length, only 3mm wider and the similar thickness. It is a full 30 gram heavier though (much of which can be attributed to a 30% bigger battery)geniekid - Thursday, July 18, 2013 - link
I think people who care about smaller phones care more about the width than the height of the phone, in which case you could argue why would you get the Xperia SP when you could just get the regular One since it's only 1mm wider.piroroadkill - Thursday, July 18, 2013 - link
Haha, it's barely heavier, and about the same size. I'd take the much larger battery any second of any day.Mondozai - Thursday, July 18, 2013 - link
Actually you need to grow some brains.As the others have alrady pointed out, each of your points falls through the floor.
The SP is a lot more hardware for the money you spend.
Stop being a fanboy.
Łukasz Markiewicz - Thursday, July 18, 2013 - link
Xperia SP is pretty expensive, hopefully HTC can hit a lower price point. We will see on that one.But when it comes to clear cut differences:
1) since the One mini keeps the same shape, those thickness numbers actually don't show how the phone feels in the hand; SP is flat and the same thickness across the device. I only held the HTC One, but I can tell you in hand it does not feel thick at all. My Nexus 4 is thinner, but when you hold it, it feels far more chubby.
2) SP has a bigger, less dense screen. Seeing recent track record of Sony and HTC one would assume the display on the mini will be better
3) the camera on the mini is different, for some it will be worse, for some better; assuming it's the same as the HTC One minus OIS, I'd take the mini over anything Sony makes
piroroadkill - Thursday, July 18, 2013 - link
None of that stuff really matters when the battery runs out, though.Łukasz Markiewicz - Thursday, July 18, 2013 - link
Smaller screen to illuminate though. Also different SoC. It will be slower in benchmarks I guess, but I have no clue whether it will be more or less efficient in day to day use.Also I checked current UK prices for the Xperia SP and it's gone down to 275 quid from 330 at launch. It will be hard to get to that price.
piroroadkill - Friday, July 19, 2013 - link
BOOM!http://www.theinquirer.net/inquirer/news/2283344/h...
HTC One Mini up for 379.99 on pre-order.
Hahahahahaha
Łukasz Markiewicz - Friday, July 19, 2013 - link
If this turns out to be true, then they HTC are mental to try and sell it at that price. Expansys have it listed for pre-order but "Price unannounced" From what I understand right now mobilefun.co.uk is just guessing the price. I really hope HTC won't try and do what Samsung are doing with the S4 mini, basically ripping you off as much as they can. We shall see. For 380, the mini is DOA to me.dishayu - Thursday, July 18, 2013 - link
I don't know about other countries, but in India, the current selling price of Xperia SP is quite cheap... about 20% less than a galaxy S3 ( INR 22,500 vs INR 27,500). I don't see a way in which HTC can even come close to Xperia SP's pricing.warisz00r - Thursday, July 18, 2013 - link
>Xperia SP is pretty expensiveNo it isn't. Where I live, the SP is cheaper than AND will run rings around the S3.
madmilk - Thursday, July 18, 2013 - link
Because if you don't care about size, the Nexus 4 is cheaper and better than both.evonitzer - Thursday, July 18, 2013 - link
Why not get the HTC First? Exactly the same specs, built by HTC earlier in the year. The Facebook Home (is that what its called?) is easily disabled, leaving stock Android. Super cheap off contract too.I am not sure they are still available except in the used market, but they are going for bargain basement prices considering the specs and age.
evonitzer - Thursday, July 18, 2013 - link
$250 on Amazon, $150-$200 used. Bonkers. Sealed up, yes, but 16 GB at least, and 2000mah.IPlayNaked - Thursday, July 18, 2013 - link
Front facing, superior speakers, aluminum body, lighter.Some people have 0 need for an SD card and some people prefer off screen buttons.
Work on thinking outside yourself and try to think of what people could want from it, instead of just thinking "I wouldn't want that, no one else would either"
piroroadkill - Friday, July 19, 2013 - link
Yeah, but it has 2 off screen buttons, as opposed to the dynamic buttons that Jelly Bean is designed for. You also then get more screen space when watching video.The SP has an aluminium frame, I doubt this is going to be light years ahead.
It has a slower SoC. It has a much smaller battery.
I want HTC to succeed, but they won't do it like this.
thesavvymage - Thursday, July 18, 2013 - link
Too bad they couldnt shrink down the dimensions any more than that.dishayu - Thursday, July 18, 2013 - link
This will be a very hard sell when compared to a GS4 mini and the Xperia SP. Really wish they could have waited a while and released a dual core Krait 400, Adreno 330 based mini. That would just be the perfect phone.ZeDestructor - Thursday, July 18, 2013 - link
There's a lot I'm willing to let slide in exchange for a smaller phone:1. 720p screen? OK, the screen is smaller
2. Dual-Core vs Quad-Core SoC? I hardly use two cores on my XZ, let alone 4. I'd be unhappy on principle, but it does have a smaller battery, so again, forgiven.
3. Weaker GPU? No. Especially when you can get the older MSM8960 with the Adreno 320... Sure, its not the latest tech, but is IS a dual-core, lower-clocked version of the Snapdragon 600 which brings performance much, MUCH closer
4. Half the RAM? WTF are they smoking? Android NEEDs a LOT of memory if you do heavy multitasking of lots of light-workload programs. This is especially damning when you consider the price of RAM, especially if you go wholesale and consider all the other savings made!
5. Losing the awesome construction of the One? I could accept that, but at the same time, they could've just shrunk the One's construction and done it right..
@Brian Klug: if you're in contact with any of the ODMs, PLEASE let them know that there are people out there who want a genuine flagship at the 4.0-4.3" mark who are willing to pay for it. As much as the top flagship in fact. Personally I wouldn't even mind losing some battery life and/or having a thicker phone in order for that to happen.
Oh and docks. Can we have dock bundles? Please?
miria_osa - Thursday, July 18, 2013 - link
GS4 is much better.. longer lasting battery and better camera and memory.. it will be tough for htc to beat that..http://versus.com/en/htc-one-mini-vs-samsung-galax...ZeDestructor - Thursday, July 18, 2013 - link
The One Mini sin't going up against the S4, rather the S4 mini, and apart from the screen and camera (where the One is miles ahead), they're essentially identical: http://www.gsmarena.com/compare.php3?idPhone1=5505...MatthiasP - Thursday, July 18, 2013 - link
For me HTC did almost everything right with this "mini", 720p Screen, 1/3" camera sensor and thin&light. But why no OIS for the camera HTC? I hope it doesn't degrade image quality too much at low light.Ortanon - Thursday, July 18, 2013 - link
Button/bezel problem persists. Saddening. Maddening. Come on, HTC.I couldn't stand the giant button band making the phone way bigger than it had to be when I first saw the HTC One. When someone told me the "HTC" symbol wasn't even a button, I burst into incredulous laughter.
beginner99 - Thursday, July 18, 2013 - link
My first thought was: "Damn just bought a new phone, I really liked the look of HTC One but it is just to big so a mini sounds great" My second thought was: "Still to big especially for that screen size".PyroHoltz - Thursday, July 18, 2013 - link
"...as an aside it's amazing that 4.3-inch and 720p is now a midrange feature just a year after 720p's introduction."My Galaxy Nexus was introduced in November, 2011. While that's not quite 2 years ago, in cell phone terms it's eons ago and certainly more than a year ago. For me, 720p is a great resolution on anything 4.6" or under.
evonitzer - Thursday, July 18, 2013 - link
Yes, and my quickly forgotten LG Nitro had 720p in December of 2011, but it is easier to remember the SIII and One X as the 'first' 720p phones.Agreed about its greatness in small to medium size phones. Death to qHD!
Yofa - Thursday, July 18, 2013 - link
Google Play edition with reasonable price tag, please.Death666Angel - Thursday, July 18, 2013 - link
Nexus 4 anyone?anxyandy - Thursday, July 18, 2013 - link
I was looking at smartphones in the shop the other day and I couldn't believe how tiny the iPhone 5 is!!! This site is good for seeing everything to scale:http://versus.com/en/htc-one-mini-vs-apple-iphone-...
The specs sometimes seem abit strange but generally it's okay!
Death666Angel - Thursday, July 18, 2013 - link
Wow, that site is crappy. They say they compare screen size but actually just compare the diagonal length. The same video recording capabilities (1080p30) are a win for the HTC One Mini with the statement being "Infinityx better video recording quality". Just awful. Use any review site and just look at the tablet side by side or hit up wikipedia or better yet, actually read the full reviews and take a look at both in person.bioyuki - Thursday, July 18, 2013 - link
Any details on the HDR mic? Has the Nokia/STM cease and desist been settled or is it a new supplier?thesavvymage - Thursday, July 18, 2013 - link
I just realized something from the size charts... thats not mini at all!! its only half a centimeter smaller in height and width than the original One! Come on manufactures, make something compelling the size of the iPhoneSeleniumGlow - Friday, July 19, 2013 - link
I'll agree with the people who are saying that Xperia SP is better value. In the past few months, Sony has been making (good looking) value for money handsets. And for the price I'm getting them at (Xperia SP for 22K INR ~ 370$ and ZR for 27K INR ~ 455$), I don't know any brand with this value. Even equivalent Samsung phones are priced more...Hrel - Friday, July 19, 2013 - link
No wireless ac? No interest.pixelstuff - Friday, July 19, 2013 - link
..."it's obvious that this isn't a flagship device squeezed into a smaller, more pocketable device"If this happens not to sell as well as the HTC One, I hope the manufacturers don't all notice and conclude that it must be purely because of a smaller screen size.
vipuls1979 - Thursday, July 25, 2013 - link
If you are looking for Budget android phones under 15000 then please click on below linkhttp://mobiknowhow.blogspot.in/2013/07/top10quadco... THis post gives a detailed review of top 10 Quad Core ,Dual Sim and 5 Inch Smartphones