HTC has launched the mini version of the HTC One and it’s calling it the One Mini 2. The name is a bit odd, but then again it’s no worse than OnePlus One.
The new Mini features a number of improvements over its predecessor. The original One Mini was criticised for lacking the premium feel of the original HTC One. Although it had an aluminium body like its big brother, it also featured some plastic trim.
The specs left much to be desired, too.
Did the One Mini 2 get it right?
The HTC One Mini 2 has a few things going for it. It boasts en even sturdier metal body and the specs have been bumped up. However, it won’t top any benchmarks.
Powered by a quad-core Cortex A7 SoC, the One Mini 2 is no powerhouse. The Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 is clocked at 1.2GHz and it features Adreo 305 graphics. There’s 1GB of RAM and 16GB of storage. The really good news is that HTC decided to include a microSD slot, too.
The phone measures 137.4 x 65 x 10.6 mm (5.41 x 2.56 x 0.42 in) and weighs 137g. Although it’s quite a bit smaller than the HTC One, we could hardly describe it as a proper mini phone, as it’s practically as big as a Nexus 5.
No UltraPixel camera, price remains a concern
The Mini One 2 features a 4.5-inch 720p Super LCD2 display, 13-megapixel camera with f/2.2 lens capable of taking 1080p video and a 5-megapixel front facing camera. The rest of the spec sheep is more or less standard. LTE is on board, along with 802.11a/b/g/n WiFi, DLNA, NFC, Bluetooth 4.0 and even an FM radio.
We can hardly criticise HTC for cutting corners, as the new Mini features practically all the bells and whistles common to high-end designs. However, the processor does not sound impressive at all. A quad-core Cortex A7 on a mid-range premium phone is not enough to impress anyone.
We still don’t know the price, but we don’t expect it to come cheap, which is the crux of the problem. The Motorola G features a similar processor, the same amount of RAM and storage, yet it costs just $199. The original One Mini was priced at around $380 depending on the market.
