HTC One (2014) aka M8 Roundup: Expected Specifications and Launch Details

Taiwanese smartphone company HTC's 2013 flagship model HTC One has heaped praises from tech pundits and Android fans for its elegant metallic unibody design. Now as the device approaches the end of its one-year cycle, the focus shifts to its successor, reportedly dubbed HTC One (2014) aka M8.

For the last couple of months, internet has witnessed a steady flow of rumoured specifications, snapshots and 3D prototype models of the upcoming HTC marquee smartphone, intensifying the excitement among tech enthusiasts. To help give a better perspective, we have pieced together a list of features which are expected to come in HTC One (2014).   

Display and Design:

The USP of the 2013 model HTC One was the metallic (Aluminum) unibody, which made some tech gurus call it the iPhone among the Android handsets, so one can also expect the new 2014 version to flaunt a curvy contour with premium metal shell.

One of the leaked snapshots of HTC M8, released by Chinese website ePrice, also concurs on the rumours. It also revealed the new HTC marquee phone will have a bigger 5.0-inch display, probably with full HD (1920x1080p) resolution.

Processor, RAM and Storage Capacity:

In this department, there is still confusion whether HTC One (2014) would come in Snapdragon 800 series or the new 805 series. Many believe that if the second-generation HTC One does make its debut in February next year, it's more likely to feature the older 2.3GHz Snapdragon 800 as the new Qualcomm's chipset will be made available in commercial devices only by the end of Q2 2014.

The company had faced a similar situation this year with 'HTC One' as well; it featured the older Snapdragon 600 series processors, while rivals Samsung Galaxy S4, Sony Xperia Z1, and Google Nexus 5 featured the 2.3GHz Snapdragon 800 chipset.

However, HTC is likely to compensate this drawback by increasing the RAM capacity to 3GB or even more, and come in 32GB/64GB storage variants.

Camera:

Though HTC One (2013) boasted an innovative ultra-pixel camera, it did not live to up to its reputation. Many tech critics felt the smartphone's camera fell short against rivals Nokia Lumia 1020, Galaxy S4 and Xperia Z1.

Despite facing criticism, HTC is expected to use the same Ultra-pixel main camera, but with more pixel count (10-UltraPixel, to be precise) and a 2.1-megapixel front camera in its new 2014 flagship phone. It is likely to come with smart-camera and gesture-control features.

[Update: According to Forbes, HTC One (2014) main camaera will also have separate swappable lens for low and bright light conditions ]

Mobile Operating System:

Since the new HTC One (2014) is all but certain to debut early next year, we can expect the smartphone to run on the new Android v4.4 KitKat OS along with a new custom UI Sense v6.0.

Key features of KitKat OS include smarter caller ID, more organized message grouping Hangouts (now all text-SMS, audio and video chat will be under one roof), quick access to settings, wireless printing (select HP printers), Quickoffice word document app, Bluetooth MAP (Message Access Profile) and many more. [To know more about key features of Android v4.4 KitKat OS, Click Here]

Battery:

4.7-inch HTC One featured 2,300 mAh battery, so if rumours are to be believed, the upcoming big-screen 5.0-inch HTC phone is likely to boast a higher capacity cell probably around 3000 mAh or even more.

Special Features:

According to leaked snapshots of rumoured HTC One (2014), a small hole was seen atop the rear-camera module, leading many to believe that the empty space on the back-panel might be reserved for the finger-print sensor.

This year HTC has already launched a new phablet: One Max with square-shaped finger-print sensor, so it won't be a surprise if HTC One (2014) uses this biometric technology.

Launch details:

Early this month, a UK high court judge, while pronouncing the verdict on the patent dispute between HTC and Nokia, unintentionally revealed that the Taiwanese company's next generation flagship phone (rumoured as M8 aka HTC One 2014) may make its debut in February 2014.

It is to be noted that HTC One will complete its one-year cycle in February (on 19, to be precise) 2014. So we expect the new HTC flagship phone to make its debut either at the international telecommunication fair MWC (Mobile World Congress) 2014, February (24-27), or at a private launch event hosted by the company.

Rumoured specifications of HTC One (2014) aka M8: