HTC announces the One (E8)

HTC has announced the cheaper version of its flagship, the One (M8) with the announcement of the new One (E8).

The new smartphone by the Taiwanese company borrows a lot of features from the top-end device, although, there are a few fundamental differences.

The display, for one, is same. It’s still a 5″ Super LCD3 panel with 1080p video but the area surrounding it isn’t. Instead of high-class brushed aluminium, the One (E8) opts instead for plastic, which is a disappointment as that was the One’s defining feature.

The One (E8) also brings along dual-sim connectivity. Internals are mostly the same; a beefy quad-core Snapdragon 801 processor, clocked at 2.5Ghz rather than at 2.3, 2 GB worth RAM and 16 GB of storage, expandable by 128 GB via microSD.

The camera at the back also drops the two UltraPixel units, replacing them with a single 13 megapixel BSI shooter with f/2.2 aperture and 1080p video recording at 30 fps, rather than at 60fps. It is coupled by a LED Flash at the back and a 5 megapixel camera at the front.

For connectivity, HTC has dropped NFC and the IR Blaster, but 4G LTE is still found. Here are the full specifications of the One (E8) again:

• Customized Android 4.4.2 KitKat
• 5″ Full HD 1080p display
• 9.9mm thick
• 145g heavy
• 2.5Ghz quad-core Snapdragon 801 processor
• 2 GB RAM with 16 GB internal storage, expandable via microSD
• 13 megapixel main-camera with 1080p video 
• 5 megapixel Full HD 1080p front camera
• 2,600 mAh battery
• Available in Red, Black and White

The phone will be available for $450 in the coming few weeks.