HTC One Mini A True Masterpiece in its Class

We were thrilled at the prospect of getting a pocket friendly version of HTC One, because we loved the “One” in so many ways. Its gorgeous looks and tremendous power had us from the get-go. One thing that had us worried though was whether HTC is going to be able to offer the same experience in a smaller body shell.

Going down in size usually means some components have to be stripped out in order to fit the new case and price bracket. If not done right, it can lead to a disappointing experience which nobody wants. To save you from taking that risk, we’ve taken the time to review HTC One Mini inside out and give you our verdict.

A distinguishing feature of HTC One was its design. From the moment we set our eyes on it, we fell in love. It looked simple, elegant, and it was exquisitely put together. At first glimpse, HTC One Mini is nearly identical to its bigger brother.

The volume rocker has been altered to include separate buttons which is much more practical. The plastic bit in between back and front surfaces is a little thicker this time around, but it doesn’t detract from the look. The flash has also been moved, and now sits above the camera sensor.

Overall, HTC One Mini has managed to maintain the look and feel of its bigger brother and you can’t ask for more. Device dimensions are 132 x 63.2 x 9.3 mm weighing in at 122 grams.HTC One Mini

Moving on to the screen, we notice that it has been scaled down to 4.3 inches. The Super LCD2 screen features 720p resolution with 342 ppi density. Right away, we have to say that this is one of the best screens in its class. SuperLCD2 technology enables accurate color reproduction and leaves you with a razor sharp image. Great viewing angles and crisp reproduction make the device a joy to use. Screen-wise, HTC One Mini exceeded our expectations in every way.

Powering the One Mini is a Dual-core 1.4 GHz Snapdragon 400 CPU aided by Adreno 305 GPU and 1GB of RAM. Despite having lower specs than HTC One, the Mini isn’t a slouch by any means. Running on Android 4.2.2 and HTC Sense 5, HTC One Mini offers a smooth experience in every segment. Whether you’re gaming or surfing the web, you won’t face any lag or interruptions.

To save space and money, HTC removed the IR blaster, NFC and optical image stabilization. Those are nice features to have, but aren’t essential to many users. If the only price to pay is switching back to your old remote, we’ll go along any day of the week. Packing an 1800mAh battery, the device will push around 10 hours of casual usage.

HTC One Mini packs the same camera as its bigger brother meaning you’ll be able to snap same quality photos. As we mentioned earlier, optical image stabilization was tossed out so pictures might not be as clear in certain situations. The camera performs excellently in low light conditions while daylight photos can look washed-out. The front-facing 1.6MP camera does a good job with video calls and selfies.

As an all-rounder, HTC One Mini wins our hearts hands down. It has everything you would want in a midrange device; good looks, enough power and a great screen. We really feel that HTC has struck a perfect balance here and there is really nothing that compromises this device.

Yes, there were some things removed, but HTC removed those things you will miss the least. They actually sat down and thought this thing through to create something spectacular. That said, HTC One Mini will surely gain fans.