In our today's review - smartphone HTC 8S. According to some Russian marketers, the brand-manufacturer of the device expects to win the sympathy of customers in the middle price segment. The main arguments: the balance of the characteristics of the device, as well as the traditionally high quality for the brand.
In addition, Microsoft, which released the operating system under which this phone is controlled (Windows Phone 8 version), is trying very hard to prove its worth in the competition with Android and iOS platforms. According to some experts, HTC 8S is a smartphone designed to combine two marketing principles: a recognizable prestigious brand and a democratic price. To what extent does the device correspond to this thesis?
What's included
The retail package of the gadget is quite standard. The box contains the smartphone itself (equipped with a non-removable battery with a capacity of 1.7 thousand mAh), a charger, a cable for connecting the device to a PC via USB, and a stereo headset (regular, wired).
Appearance
The body of the product is made of pleasant to the touch polycarbonate, its shape is very strict, the corners are sharp. gadget fineplaced in the user's hand. The smartphone is delivered to the Russian market in four possible colors: black and white, gray (with elements of yellow), blue, and red.
Experts who tested the device praise it for its good design (noting at the same time the fact that this characteristic applies to most other devices from HTC). Experts note that the body materials resist external pollution well. The assembly quality of the device is estimated as high. There are no backlashes.
The dimensions of the HTC 8S phone are neither big nor small. The length of the device is 120.5 mm, width - 63, thickness - 10.3. By the way, this is very similar to those of the prestigious iPhone 5 (123.8 x 58.6 x 7.6 mm). Many experts note that both devices are united by the thoughtfulness and elegance of the proportions of various elements of the body.
Management
Like many other Windows Phone-based smartphones, the device is configured with a control mechanism in accordance with Microsoft standards. They can deviate from them in the most exceptional cases. The main controls of the device are the screen and three touch buttons located below it. There are also additional tools. These include a key block located under the display (with white backlight), which can be used in low light conditions.
On the left side of the body is the "Back" button (and if you hold it down, a list of running applications will appear on the screen). In the center - branded"flag" Microsoft Windows (performs the function of returning to the main menu, as well as calling the voice control system - with a long hold). On the right is the button to launch the search engine.
Experts note the high level of comfort of using touch buttons. You can confidently work with your smartphone, without fear of missing and not hitting the right key. There is a high brightness of the backlight under the touch buttons.
At the top end of the phone is a button to turn off the display. It is convenient that it is difficult to press it by accident, since it is located on the same level with the case. If you hold this button, a window will appear, with which you can turn off the power of the device. Next to the key is an audio jack. At the bottom of the phone is a micro-USB slot, as well as a microphone.
On the right side of the case is a button that controls the volume level. Just below it is the key for turning on the smartphone's camera (with a short but sure press), focusing it (with a light, barely noticeable touch) or releasing the shutter (long, sure pressing).
In the front of the case, on top, there is a voice speaker. It is covered with a neat mesh. Next to it is a light sensor, a motion (proximity) sensor, as well as an indicator that changes color with various user actions. For example, if a smartphone connects to a PC or charger, it will flash red.
Now we are waiting for the next item of the HTC 8S review - specifications.
Display
The smartphone is equipped with a technological display type S-LCD. Diagonal - 4 inches, resolution is 800 by 480 pixels. The phone screen can display, as is the case with many similar devices, 16 million colors. The display is covered with durable protective glass Gorilla Glass in version 2.
Experts note the moderate but sufficient brightness of the HTC 8S screen. The reaction to touching the surface of the display with your fingers is rated as excellent. Color rendition is characterized by experts as very calm, pleasing to the eye. There are opinions that the picture quality is somewhat inferior to screens made according to HD standards. But there are also counterarguments: the experts who voice them say that for the price category in which a smartphone is sold, an S-LCD display is already great.
Camera
The phone is equipped with a camera with a resolution of 5 megapixels. There is a regular flash (which, if necessary, can be used as a flashlight - however, for this you will have to download a special application). The quality of pictures shown by the camera installed on the HTC 8S phone is estimated by experts as high. Movies can be recorded at a resolution of 720 pixels. There is an autofocus function.
Battery
HTC 8S is equipped with a 1.7 thousand mAh battery. He is non-removable. This, according to some experts, can be a significant drawback. Batteries are known to have an expiration date. Over time, any battery fails. At the same time, other experts believe that this "shelf life" is more thansufficient from the point of view of the probability of replacing the device with a new one - 3-4 years. Therefore, this feature, they believe, can not be considered a minus.
Specialists who tested the device note that with an average intensity of use of the phone, battery life until the battery is completely discharged can last about two days. In the music listening mode, the device can withstand about 4 hours, while talking - about 60 minutes. There is a module for automatically adjusting the brightness of the screen, designed to save battery power. Experts note that for a phone sold in the middle price segment, even these rather modest figures can be considered good.
Performance
The smartphone has a 1 GHz processor with two cores, 522 MB of RAM and 4 GB of internal flash memory. It is possible to connect additional micro-SD modules. It may seem that the above characteristics of the HTC Phone 8S are very modest. Still, today's typical standards (even in the budget segment) are four cores and at least 1 GB of RAM. But the experts who tested the device note the highest speed of the gadget.
According to some experts, the speed of the phone may be due to the peculiarities of the Windows software platform, which makes it possible to more efficiently manage equipment than, say, Android does. A lot of users who left reviews about the HTC 8S phone on the Internet confirm the thesesexperts about the unusual performance of a smartphone with relatively modest technical characteristics.
Communication
The smartphone supports the main communication standards used today - GSM, UMTS, 3G. There is a Bluetooth 3.1 module in the device (with EDR function). WiFi supported. The experts who decided to review the HTC 8S note that the wireless module works without significant failures and freezes. You can also activate the WiFi router function in your smartphone and "distribute" the Internet to other devices.
Cartography
The smartphone uses the standard GPS navigation program for many HTC devices. Using it, you can download maps so that you can then use them offline when there is no Internet. Interestingly, this function is not formally free. But the corresponding costs of the smartphone owner are already included in the cost of the device. Therefore, the user does not bear any financial costs. Used in HTC-maps contain a fairly detailed drawing of houses, their numbering. There is a mode for indicating the level of traffic jams in the city.
Fancy Features
Having listed the characteristics common to most other smartphones and HTC 8S, let's look at a few proprietary features that distinguish the device from analogues.
The smartphone is equipped with an interesting mechanism called "politeness sensors". Its structure is represented by three main functions: reducing the volume of the ringtone (when the owner takes the phone in his hand), increasing it (when the device is placed in a pocket), and muting the sound if the device isflipped face down. Each of the options is performed automatically.
The second notable feature is that in lock screen mode, the user sees nothing more than a weather forecast.
The third interesting mechanism put into the smartphone by the manufacturer is HTC's proprietary shell, which provides the owner of the device with a lot of useful information in real time. This includes news, stock quotes, detailed forecasts and actual weather conditions.
Expert CVs
Most of the experts who tested the smartphone did not reveal any signs in it that would at least somehow testify to the poor build quality and software operation. Many consider the fact that the firmware installed on the HTC 8S in the form of a "mobile" version of Windows provides excellent performance as the main advantage of the device. Experts note that the device has every chance to win the sympathy of Russians due to its affordable price and a wide range of functions.
User reviews
What interesting things will we learn by reading the reviews left by users of the HTC 8S smartphone (not counting those that we have already given above)? Phone owners also speak about the gadget mostly in a positive way. Many of them emphasize the fact that a battery with a modest resource is capable of providing a relatively long (compared to devices of a similar class with the same battery characteristics) autonomous operation. Users praise the smartphone for the stability of most functions, as well as forgreat design. Just like many experts, the owners of the device believe that the price set by HTC 8S dealers (about 5-6 thousand rubles, depending on the particular store) fully corresponds to the quality and capabilities of the device.
Marketing
What are the market prospects of the smartphone? It is believed that devices under the HTC brand in recent years have played a very prominent role in the market for devices running Windows Phone. This also applies to the Russian national segment. Many marketers believe that HTC solutions, including the 8S smartphone, have every chance of becoming a leader in their categories.
There are reasons to say that the Russian Federation is one of the priority markets for the brand. Suffice it, for example, to recall the fact that the first phone in Russia running Windows Phone appeared thanks to HTC. We are talking about a Mozart smartphone. He, according to marketers, not only became a pioneer of the platform in the national mobile device market, but also took a very significant share in sales. The Taiwanese brand, experts believe, will continue to be active in Russia, including through the promotion of devices like the HTC 8S.
