Not quite surprised that the HTC One mini 2 is not actually a downsized HTC M8 (because the original One mini wasn't a downsized HTC M7 either), but why can't more companies follow Sony's lead and at least try to deliver a no-compromises small-screened flagship a la the Xperia Z1 and Z1 Compact?
I think samsung is being too successful in pushing the Smartphone industry screen size, to see a real change in this trend. I am on a 4.7 inch nexus 4 and while I am waiting anxiously for the 6th iteration of the Nexus line, I am afraid its going to be a 5.x inch monster.
There might not be any more straight up Nexus devices if the Android Silver rumors hold true... Although those kinda rumors have been around for a while. It's unclear how Silver/Play Edition/Nexus is gonna congeal in the next gen.
Yeah, I'd probably be up for a smaller phone with a high-end SoC and decent camera. I felt like the Nexus 4 and One X I had previously were the largest I'd really like a phone to be. I've currently got a G2 because the Screen on the Nexus 5 looks dreadful to me (can we have some contrast, please?) but it really is too big. I guess I can live with that for the outstanding battery life but I really wish the phone was 3/4 the size...
I can't tell if this is sarcasm, if it is: the display on the Nexus 5 is terrible compared to the G2. In actual fact, the panel in the N5 is made by JDI, not LG but I suspect it's more to do with cutting costs than who made it. Some G2s also have JDI made displays, although if they look significantly different to the LG display in my G2, I've never seen one. The N5 might have a colour calibration that's closer to reality out of the box but it visibly lacks contrast even compared to the Nexus 4 I had before. Although it's not quite a fair comparison because the N4 benefited a lot from using a different calibration to the way Google shipped it...
I thought Moto at least landed at a better set of compromises with the Moto X... I'd probably be rocking one if it had been cheaper from the start and had better band support. Went Nexus 5 in the end for the combination of price/specs and Spark support.
I totally agree, why is this tendency to make smartphone even bigger, even when they are supposed to make a smaller version, it is still bigger that the iphone 5. Apple is going to create so new 5 inch screen's phone, so I guess there is a market for that. Not me however, I have big hands though
Well, given that there haven't really been many examples on the market (currently, it's just the Z1 Compact, really), can you really draw that conclusion? iPhones, which still have smaller screens, are selling pretty well (but then there's the complicating factors of Apple's massive brand equity, and if the rumors are to be believed even Apple's thinking of launching a phablet version of the iPhone 6...)
"Well, given that there haven't really been many examples on the market (currently, it's just the Z1 Compact, really), can you really draw that conclusion? "
Yes, we can... There have been many examples, Android flasgships all started out hte same size and as biggerones came along they sold better and people were demanding bigger and bigger. Those bigger models sell and the smaller dont. It's how the free market determines things like this. If people were clammoring to buy these smaller phones OEM's would be making them, beleive me.
When a new flagship is released, it becomes extremely hard, if not impossible, to buy the previous generation (from the same manufacturer). IOW, everyone is forced to buy the new version, with the larger screen. Meaning, it looks like "everyone wants the new one as it's selling better" when in fact it's more like "it's all that's available, so people are buying it".
Until a manufacturer pulls a Sony (large-screen and small-screen versions with the same internals) *AND* makes it available everywhere, you can't say "no one wants the small screen versions".
This is a good point, I think things will settle in the 4.7 to 5.1" screen size as being ideal though for most people. They're compact enough for mobile purposes but also big enough with the screen size allowing you to get a better experience out of browsing/games/content. I know some people prefer small screens, my wife always said so too, but when she got her nexus 5 she fell so in love with it I don't think she can go back now.
Most people want what the marketing tells them to want. If the marketing were to push smaller but equally powerful devices, your average joe would still buy it.
It's only the tech junkies like us that ignore (or at least somewhat aware of) the marketing vs real life comparison.
This. The screen is 0.2 inches from the M7 and overall exactly the same length. It's not Mini at all. I wish my M7 was 1/2 inch shorter. I was kind of hoping the new Mini would be smaller and give me an upgrade path that fits in my shirt pocket without threatening to tip out. I guess not.
I totally agree, why is this tendency to make smartphone even bigger, even when they are supposed to make a smaller version, it is still bigger that the iphone 5. Apple is going to create so new 5 inch screen's phone, so I guess there is a market for that. Not me however, I have big hands though
vs the Moto G it has better cams , more NAND and metal body so 260$ would be competitive i guess ,but to be fair the Moto G LTE is priced rather high vs the vanilla Moto G. If the price you mentioned is for EU then it's less crazy although it's not all that much lower than the Desire 816 and at the same time much cheaper than the old mini.
How does this class as a "Mini" handset? It's larger than my Galaxy S3... I really do think that 2014 is the year that smartphones have finally gotten too large.
It is a Mini HTC one not a mini smartphone. There has been someone saying "this is the year smartphones have gotten too large" every year for the past 3 years but the smartphone buying public has thought otherwise every time. Even Apple has given in and is upsizing it's phones. You will know they are to large when people stop buying them.
and they will stop buying them when there are viable alternatives. oh wait.
people want nice phones and for a long time you _had_ to buy a fast phone to get a good android experience. only that those flagship phones have been growing ever since because higher numbers look good on the spec sheet and are needed to differentiate new phones from the old.
there just aren't many good options if you want a fast phone in a smaller form factor and there haven't been for quite some time, so it's a self fulfilling prophecy that bigger phones sell better.
Hey Guys!!I am a little new to Aanand Tech and I wanted to learn more about the Socs used in mobile phones like Qualcomm Snapdragon 200 etc.I want to learn about them in depth so can anyone suggest me a good website where I can learn about them.I tried out wikipedia but its simply too complex.I want something which will teach me from scratch and take me to the professional level.If anyone can help me I would really appreciate it.
those are the current (and future) models offered by qualcomm. higher numbers generally mean higher performance and better features, but also more battery drain, heat and a higher price.
if you want to know even more i'd say you should visit wikipedia again and look into ARM, which is the technology/architecture snapdragon and most mobile CPUs in general are based on.
Umm, unless I hold the phones at the minimum distance my eyes can focus at, I really can't see the resolution difference between a Nexus 4 and a G2... Maybe that's just me, but I'd prefer to have the extra battery life or brightness at the same backlight power than even more pixels on a screen I already can't see the pixels on in regular use. Of course 1440p displays are the next big thing - even more of a waste of resources for a tick on a spec sheet.
Why can't we get a full feature phone that's 4.2-4.5"?! It's infuriating. It's like how car manufacturers wouldn't offer leather or heated seats in anything less than their 1 or 2 most expensive models; for years. It's simply infuriating. There's no reason the smaller phones can't have the exact same specs, just in a smaller chassis.
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londedoganet - Thursday, May 15, 2014 - link
Not quite surprised that the HTC One mini 2 is not actually a downsized HTC M8 (because the original One mini wasn't a downsized HTC M7 either), but why can't more companies follow Sony's lead and at least try to deliver a no-compromises small-screened flagship a la the Xperia Z1 and Z1 Compact?lkb - Thursday, May 15, 2014 - link
I think samsung is being too successful in pushing the Smartphone industry screen size, to see a real change in this trend. I am on a 4.7 inch nexus 4 and while I am waiting anxiously for the 6th iteration of the Nexus line, I am afraid its going to be a 5.x inch monster.Impulses - Thursday, May 15, 2014 - link
There might not be any more straight up Nexus devices if the Android Silver rumors hold true... Although those kinda rumors have been around for a while. It's unclear how Silver/Play Edition/Nexus is gonna congeal in the next gen.Death666Angel - Thursday, May 15, 2014 - link
Rumors I heard were that Silver was starting next year and that this year we would get a normal new Nexus phone. :)Azurael - Thursday, May 15, 2014 - link
Yeah, I'd probably be up for a smaller phone with a high-end SoC and decent camera. I felt like the Nexus 4 and One X I had previously were the largest I'd really like a phone to be. I've currently got a G2 because the Screen on the Nexus 5 looks dreadful to me (can we have some contrast, please?) but it really is too big. I guess I can live with that for the outstanding battery life but I really wish the phone was 3/4 the size...Flunk - Thursday, May 15, 2014 - link
Yeah, that LG display on the LG Nexus 5 is really terrible compared to the LG screen on the LG G2.Azurael - Friday, May 16, 2014 - link
I can't tell if this is sarcasm, if it is: the display on the Nexus 5 is terrible compared to the G2. In actual fact, the panel in the N5 is made by JDI, not LG but I suspect it's more to do with cutting costs than who made it. Some G2s also have JDI made displays, although if they look significantly different to the LG display in my G2, I've never seen one. The N5 might have a colour calibration that's closer to reality out of the box but it visibly lacks contrast even compared to the Nexus 4 I had before. Although it's not quite a fair comparison because the N4 benefited a lot from using a different calibration to the way Google shipped it...Impulses - Thursday, May 15, 2014 - link
I thought Moto at least landed at a better set of compromises with the Moto X... I'd probably be rocking one if it had been cheaper from the start and had better band support. Went Nexus 5 in the end for the combination of price/specs and Spark support.goldsilver00 - Thursday, May 15, 2014 - link
I totally agree, why is this tendency to make smartphone even bigger, even when they are supposed to make a smaller version, it is still bigger that the iphone 5. Apple is going to create so new 5 inch screen's phone, so I guess there is a market for that. Not me however, I have big hands thoughkevith - Thursday, May 15, 2014 - link
I´l second that.Smaller size and bigger muscles, please.
retrospooty - Thursday, May 15, 2014 - link
Because they aren't selling. As much as you may want it, most people dont.londedoganet - Thursday, May 15, 2014 - link
Well, given that there haven't really been many examples on the market (currently, it's just the Z1 Compact, really), can you really draw that conclusion? iPhones, which still have smaller screens, are selling pretty well (but then there's the complicating factors of Apple's massive brand equity, and if the rumors are to be believed even Apple's thinking of launching a phablet version of the iPhone 6...)retrospooty - Thursday, May 15, 2014 - link
"Well, given that there haven't really been many examples on the market (currently, it's just the Z1 Compact, really), can you really draw that conclusion? "Yes, we can... There have been many examples, Android flasgships all started out hte same size and as biggerones came along they sold better and people were demanding bigger and bigger. Those bigger models sell and the smaller dont. It's how the free market determines things like this. If people were clammoring to buy these smaller phones OEM's would be making them, beleive me.
phoenix_rizzen - Thursday, May 15, 2014 - link
When a new flagship is released, it becomes extremely hard, if not impossible, to buy the previous generation (from the same manufacturer). IOW, everyone is forced to buy the new version, with the larger screen. Meaning, it looks like "everyone wants the new one as it's selling better" when in fact it's more like "it's all that's available, so people are buying it".Until a manufacturer pulls a Sony (large-screen and small-screen versions with the same internals) *AND* makes it available everywhere, you can't say "no one wants the small screen versions".
niva - Thursday, May 15, 2014 - link
This is a good point, I think things will settle in the 4.7 to 5.1" screen size as being ideal though for most people. They're compact enough for mobile purposes but also big enough with the screen size allowing you to get a better experience out of browsing/games/content. I know some people prefer small screens, my wife always said so too, but when she got her nexus 5 she fell so in love with it I don't think she can go back now.GuardianAngel470 - Thursday, May 15, 2014 - link
Most people want what the marketing tells them to want. If the marketing were to push smaller but equally powerful devices, your average joe would still buy it.It's only the tech junkies like us that ignore (or at least somewhat aware of) the marketing vs real life comparison.
happycamperjack - Friday, May 16, 2014 - link
I know, WTF HTC?? Snapdragon 400??? Did you finally "snapped" and gave up? Being just "ok" is going to kill you in today's android's markets.elian123 - Thursday, May 15, 2014 - link
Not only is there the Moto G LTE with similar specs but lower price, but also there is the Moto X at approx. the same price?willis936 - Thursday, May 15, 2014 - link
Where can I get a moto x for $220?elian123 - Thursday, May 15, 2014 - link
Moto X at One Mini 2 price.nirolf - Thursday, May 15, 2014 - link
I'm waiting for the One Mini Mini. These new gen minis are getting ridiculously big.hangfirew8 - Thursday, May 15, 2014 - link
This. The screen is 0.2 inches from the M7 and overall exactly the same length. It's not Mini at all. I wish my M7 was 1/2 inch shorter. I was kind of hoping the new Mini would be smaller and give me an upgrade path that fits in my shirt pocket without threatening to tip out. I guess not.TylerGrunter - Friday, May 16, 2014 - link
Exactly my thoughts, I would consider it a regression in CPU.BenjyD - Thursday, May 15, 2014 - link
"CPU performance should improve a bit with the move to Cortex A7."I'm not sure about that. 2x1.4 GHz Krait 200 at 3.3 MIPS/MHz, vs 4x1.2GHz A7 at 1.9 MIPS/MHz? (figures from Wikipedia)
Isn't the dual core going to be faster in most use cases?
pmonti80 - Thursday, May 15, 2014 - link
That's what I thought and what Anand has stated in the past.Strange comment.
Gich - Thursday, May 15, 2014 - link
What I thought too...goldsilver00 - Thursday, May 15, 2014 - link
I totally agree, why is this tendency to make smartphone even bigger, even when they are supposed to make a smaller version, it is still bigger that the iphone 5. Apple is going to create so new 5 inch screen's phone, so I guess there is a market for that. Not me however, I have big hands thoughjjj - Thursday, May 15, 2014 - link
vs the Moto G it has better cams , more NAND and metal body so 260$ would be competitive i guess ,but to be fair the Moto G LTE is priced rather high vs the vanilla Moto G.If the price you mentioned is for EU then it's less crazy although it's not all that much lower than the Desire 816 and at the same time much cheaper than the old mini.
Phill49 - Thursday, May 15, 2014 - link
How does this class as a "Mini" handset? It's larger than my Galaxy S3...I really do think that 2014 is the year that smartphones have finally gotten too large.
NesuD - Thursday, May 15, 2014 - link
It is a Mini HTC one not a mini smartphone. There has been someone saying "this is the year smartphones have gotten too large" every year for the past 3 years but the smartphone buying public has thought otherwise every time. Even Apple has given in and is upsizing it's phones. You will know they are to large when people stop buying them.fokka - Thursday, May 15, 2014 - link
and they will stop buying them when there are viable alternatives. oh wait.people want nice phones and for a long time you _had_ to buy a fast phone to get a good android experience. only that those flagship phones have been growing ever since because higher numbers look good on the spec sheet and are needed to differentiate new phones from the old.
there just aren't many good options if you want a fast phone in a smaller form factor and there haven't been for quite some time, so it's a self fulfilling prophecy that bigger phones sell better.
Death666Angel - Thursday, May 15, 2014 - link
Weird that this isn't a pipeline story.Jeffrey Bosboom - Thursday, May 15, 2014 - link
I thought the same thing.amazinglytelecom - Thursday, May 15, 2014 - link
Hey Guys!!I am a little new to Aanand Tech and I wanted to learn more about the Socs used in mobile phones like Qualcomm Snapdragon 200 etc.I want to learn about them in depth so can anyone suggest me a good website where I can learn about them.I tried out wikipedia but its simply too complex.I want something which will teach me from scratch and take me to the professional level.If anyone can help me I would really appreciate it.fokka - Thursday, May 15, 2014 - link
there's not all _that_ much to know about them, if you just want to have an overview and want to know what is what. this can be of help:http://www.qualcomm.com/snapdragon/processors/800-...
those are the current (and future) models offered by qualcomm. higher numbers generally mean higher performance and better features, but also more battery drain, heat and a higher price.
if you want to know even more i'd say you should visit wikipedia again and look into ARM, which is the technology/architecture snapdragon and most mobile CPUs in general are based on.
have fun!
grahaman27 - Sunday, May 18, 2014 - link
I recommend anandtech (obviously), extremetech.com, and tomshardware.http://www.tomshardware.com/t/cpus/
http://www.extremetech.com/category/mobile
blau808 - Thursday, May 15, 2014 - link
Stopped reading at 720pAnnonymousCoward - Thursday, May 15, 2014 - link
...because 326 PPI is somehow a problem?piroroadkill - Friday, May 16, 2014 - link
After all, that's the same as the iPhone 5S.Clearly, what he's saying is that Apple isn't good enough. here's a hint. 1280x720 is MORE than enough.
hangfirew8 - Thursday, May 15, 2014 - link
Cost constraints, but that's a lot of screen for just 720p.Azurael - Friday, May 16, 2014 - link
Umm, unless I hold the phones at the minimum distance my eyes can focus at, I really can't see the resolution difference between a Nexus 4 and a G2... Maybe that's just me, but I'd prefer to have the extra battery life or brightness at the same backlight power than even more pixels on a screen I already can't see the pixels on in regular use. Of course 1440p displays are the next big thing - even more of a waste of resources for a tick on a spec sheet.ZeDestructor - Thursday, May 15, 2014 - link
So.. half the CPU power and half the RAM (WTF?!).... Not really a downsized M8 if you ask me...Meanwhile, Sony is cruising along with a literal downsize of their Z1 where only the battery and screen have been changed....
Side benefit of that approach also means a unified codebase for all the devices, leading to faster updates, across the board.
sgtsloth - Thursday, May 15, 2014 - link
And look how well Sony's smartphone division and company as a whole is doing...techmar - Thursday, May 15, 2014 - link
Little correction to your table of features: as owner of original One mini I know it does not have NFC. I am not sure what is the case for One mini 2.JoshHo - Friday, May 16, 2014 - link
Thanks, I've corrected it. I made sure to mention that NFC was added in the text but it seems I forgot to do the same for the table.jerrylzy - Thursday, May 15, 2014 - link
8930 - 8926, 1G RAM - 1G RAM. HTC, did you seriously consider this as an upgrade?AnnonymousCoward - Thursday, May 15, 2014 - link
The first company to release a sub-4.6" phone WITHOUT bastardized specs on my carrier wins my purchase.Anon3425681 - Thursday, May 15, 2014 - link
Did you forget about the iPhone?AnnonymousCoward - Tuesday, May 20, 2014 - link
Too small, only 1 button on the bottom, Maps isn't as good, more limited OS.Hrel - Thursday, May 15, 2014 - link
Why can't we get a full feature phone that's 4.2-4.5"?! It's infuriating. It's like how car manufacturers wouldn't offer leather or heated seats in anything less than their 1 or 2 most expensive models; for years. It's simply infuriating. There's no reason the smaller phones can't have the exact same specs, just in a smaller chassis.Gunbuster - Thursday, May 15, 2014 - link
Just think, HTC can now make a smaller size and call it the HTC One mini 2 mini 1.P.S. HTC now that I have your new product development outlined please send me some of that sweet robert downey jr advertising money.
sgtsloth - Thursday, May 15, 2014 - link
So....when I can I get the full M8 with the 13MP camera instead of that ultra-pixel gimmick one?Jeffrey Bosboom - Thursday, May 15, 2014 - link
This. Unfortunately every flagship needs a gimmick, I guess.AnnonymousCoward - Tuesday, May 20, 2014 - link
UltraPixel isn't a gimmick; larger pixels are better! DSLRs use larger yet. What they need is UltraPixel 8MP.alan31 - Thursday, May 15, 2014 - link
You should fix the aspect ratios of the front page images. The phones look short and wide. It's been like this ever since the last site redesign.titakaukm - Saturday, May 17, 2014 - link
Price And Specification HTC One Mini 2, HD Screen 1.2GHz Quad-Core find