HTC's One M8 smartphone has garnered early praise from reviewers. "It is up against some formidable competitors; however, from a device standpoint, the new HTC One is hard to beat," said Chris Jones, vice president and principal analyst with Canalys. Still, what the company is really counting on is a word-of-mouth strategy. "HTC must create the demand for the device through excellent marketing."
That's the pitch in HTC's TV ads for its new flagship smartphone, the HTC One M8. It's a pitch that hopes to acquire by word of mouth what HTC was unable to get for its predecessor: consumer mindshare.
That's the pitch in HTC's TV ads for its new flagship smartphone, the HTC One M8. It's a pitch that hopes to acquire by word of mouth what HTC was unable to get for its predecessor: consumer mindshare.
"The challenge for any vendor outside of Samsung and Apple in the North American market is to get on the radar screen," Gartner Research Vice President for Mobility Van L. Baker told TechNewsWorld.
"HTC did that once in the past, but faded rapidly, which points to the challenges of staying on top of the market if you're not a Samsung or Apple," he observed.
"The HTC One is a good product, but it isn't getting any significant share," he added. "That shows how tough it is to rise above the noise level in the market."
Not for Everyone
In its TV ads for the M8, HTC is emphasizing the distinctiveness of the model.
"At HTC, they don't make phones for everyone," says a black-clad pitchman with an English accent, "just those who demand more." That attitude is evident in the M8.
The new smartphone, which will be offered in gray, silver or gold, is encased in aluminum -- most other smartphones have plastic casings. In fact, HTC has increased the amount of metal surface in the M series from 70 percent to 90 percent. That makes the M8 heavier than its rivals, though -- 5.6 ounces, compared to 5 ounces for the Samsung Galaxy S5 and 4 ounces for the iPhone 5s.
High industrial design standards are maintained in the latest model, too. For example, the M8 has a curved back that fits more comfortably in the hand than a flat surface.
"Just the look and feel -- how it feels in the hand -- is far advanced from some of the Android devices out there," Chris Jones, vice president and principal analyst with Canalys, told TechNewsWorld.
The M8 has a larger screen than its predecessor the M7 -- 5 inches compared to 4.7 inches -- but the same resolution as the M7 -- 1080 x 1920 pixels -- which is finer than the iPhone (1136 x 640) but not as fine as the Galaxy S5 (1921 x 1080).
Although the M8's display at 441 ppi isn't as dense as the M7's, it's still denser than the Samsung (431 ppi) and Apple (326 ppi) models.
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