The HTC One E8 may look less glamorous compared to the M8, but is that the only difference? We try out the phone and tell you why it’s worth the buy.

By Daniel Loy

Seeing double: The HTC One E8 (left) shares many similarities with the M8 (right)

At first glance, the HTC One E8 bears an uncanny resemblance to its more famous sibling, the One M8. But take a closer look at both smartphones and the differences between them become apparent. While the flagship M8 is housed in sleek aluminum, the E8 comes in a polycarbonate (read: plastic) body. This means that the E8 is a tad lighter – 15 grams, to be precise.

While some might argue that the E8 lacks the premium feel of the metallic M8, it retains the same signature curve that makes it comfortable to grip. The E8 also comes in a good range of colors – Polar White, Electric Crimson and Misty Gray.

The HTC One E8 is available in Polar White, Electric Crimson and Misty Gray, for those who don’t fancy the metallic look of the M8

The two models share similar key hardware, such as a 5-inch HD display, quad-core processor and storage capabilities. However, the Duo Camera and UltraPixel camera sensor found on the M8 have been swapped out for a generic 13-megapixel camera, giving the E8 a disadvantage when taking photos under low light conditions.

The front camera also lacks the f/2.0 aperture and High Dynamic Range (HDR) mode, but unless your selfies need to be absolutely picture-perfect, these exclusions don’t really matter. Performance is by-and-large the same; the E8 was a breeze to use and the clever retention of the HTC Boomsound technology for sound reproduction was music to our ears.

HTC might have cut some corners to make the E8 affordable, but they’ve left the 5-inch HD display and Boomsound technology untouched

Retailing at S$658 without a mobile plan, the E8 is a lot more affordable compared to the M8, even though the latter’s price has dropped from S$998 during its launch to the current S$848. Given that the Duo Camera and metallic body frame are frills that smartphone users can do without, we think the E8 is worth every penny and a serious contender in the smartphone market.

The HTC One E8 is available at all three mobile operators – M1, SingTel and Starhub