Samsung Galaxy Mega 5.8 Android smartphone

Samsung Galaxy Mega 5.8 Android smartphone Review

When you are in the No 1 position, expectations are bound to increase and everything you do would be considered as the benchmark. So is the case with Samsung; its 'No 1 smartphone maker of the world' tag also fuelled expectations. That was precisely the scene when Samsung announced two humongous handsets - the Mega 5.8 and the Mega 6.3 - in India in April this year

If you are not aware of the Samsung Galaxy Mega 5.8 then here is a small description: It comes with a huge 5.8 inch screen, 1.4 GHz dual core processor, 1.5 GB RAM, 2600 mAh battery, 64 GB expandable storage slot, 8 GB internal memory etc. Currently, it is available for around Rs 23,500.

But before you get carried away with the "bigger the better” notion, here is an in-depth review of the performance and everything else that you need to know about the Mega 5.8.

Design

It is laughable to see many reviewers crying about its big size. When a phone comes with a 5.8 inch screen, it is bound to have a big profile. But surprisingly, it is quite light weight with just 182 grams weight despite having a big 2600 mAh battery. This is partially because its 9 mm thickness and the quality of material used.

There has been lot of hullabaloo about the design of Samsung's phones and for the critics, Mega 5.8 is nothing different. However, I personally liked the way the Samsung Galaxy Mega 5.8 has been made. It looks aristocrat with its shiny metal strip that surrounds its edges while the iconic home button sits just below the display. The body, if you look closely, has a textured design that personally loved very much.

The back panel is plastic and is shiny but not that slippery. Though it looks strong but I feel better material could have been used.

Display

A 5.8 inch with qHD (540x 960 pixels) resolution does not sound good at all in the paper but believe me, it does not seems as bad as it sounds in real life. I have even kept it alongside that of HD display bearing Micromax Canvas 4 but Mega 5.8's display looked much better. Since it's a huge display, you would also like to watch movies and play games on it, as did I.

However, the touch response of the screen of Mega 5.8 was not at all smooth. It's erratic to be precise, which created a lot of heartburn while playing games. The problem accentuated to unbearable situations thanks to its mediocre processor about which I have discussed below.

OS and User Interface

Ihave always been an admirer of the TouchWiz interface of Samsung. The Galaxy Mega 5.8 does not disappoint in this section either. The TouchWiz interface heavily modifies the stock Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean operating system's UI. First of all there are seven home screen pages; you can delete of keep any of them. There is a home button just below the display alongside which lies return and menu touch keys.

The notification bar harbours most of the control options that you may need to control from time to time that includes the WiFi, GPS, Sound, Screen Rotation, Bluetooth, Mobile Data, Blocking Mode, Power Saving, Multi Window, WiFi Hot spot, Driving mode, Smart Stay, Synch and Flight Mode. A notable point here is that you can change the order of these notification panel options. For instance, if you often use the driving mode than GPS you can bring the former to the first position while sending the GPS icon to the last in the position

Below these above mention options, in the notification bar, there is a brightness controller. SIM 1 and SIM 2 icons are also there, so with a touch you can change the default SIM card option. Below all that, you will see the notifications. Top of all that lies the settings icon.

In the settings page, the controls are divided into Connections, My Device, Accounts, and More sections for easier discoverability and usage. Similarly, the main menu page, everything is divided into Apps, Widgets and Downloaded sections.

It has other nifty features like Story Album, Multi Window, Smart Stay etc that you would see in other high end Samsung's devices.

Processor, RAM & Performance

The Samsung Galaxy Mega 5.8 does come with the latest Android 4.2.2 operating system. It has also a decent looking dual core processor with 1.4 GHz clock speed and 1.5 GB RAM. The dual core processor looks ordinary in an era of quad core processors but remember that there is a quad core version of Mega 5.8 as well but Samsung has not so far announced its availability in the market.

                                                                  

Coming back to the Mega 5.8's performance, the phone behaved much worse than I expected. Leave alone heavy games, even it was in pains to open day to day apps. It kept freezing most of the times during our review. No wonder it got a meager 10270 score on Antutu which is much less that of devices which cost half of its price.

Storage

It has 8 GB of internal storage out of which 5.39 GB is available for users. There is an external card slot though which could accommodate up to 64 GB of micro SD card. So we have no qualms regarding memory but would like if it have some more internal storage as even cheaper devices these days come with 16 GB of internal storage.

Camera

This ought to be the highlight of the phone than any of its other features. Figuratively, it comes with ordinary 8 megapixel rear camera and a 1.9 megapixel front camera - a combination that you would even find in phones priced below Rs 10,000. It captures colours as they are while its LED flash comes really handy in indoors where you won't often get sufficient light.

Below are some pictures that would give you some idea about the camera capability of the Samsung Galaxy Mega 5.8.

The camera application is intuitively designed that makes it easy to operate the phone. There are several modes like Auto, beauty face, sound and shot, panorama, sports, best face etc for different situations. Even the front camera is able to capture images in auto, beauty face, and sound & shot modes

Battery

The Samsung Galaxy Mega 5.8 comes with a huge 2600 mAh battery that looks very good. But with medium usage involving an hour of calling, half an hour gaming, and for an equal duration of web browsing, the phone hardly manages to last for a day.

Conclusion

Even though its products have slightly less powerful hardware, Samsung's devices have always managed to beat the rivals with their overall performance. However, the Mega 5.8 seems an outdated product launched with a bigger screen. For more than Rs 20,000, I could not recall a device recently launched that is as slow as the Mega 5.8. Samsung should have made available the quad core version of the Mega 5.8 at the same price point and not this dual core version.

Of course, it has a big 5.8 inch screen which is smooth and looks better than even HD displays of some handsets like Canvas 4. Also it has a nice UI and the brand name of Samsung. But the positives end here. It has a dual core processor at a time when even Xolo managed to bring Tegra 3 based handset for just Rs 15,999. The combination of dual core processor and 1.5 GB RAM should not have given such output but does that mean Samsung has not optimized it well?

Review: Samsung Galaxy Mega 5.8 Android smartphone Specifications
Network
Operating System	Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean
Dimensions	Weight :182 grams
Display	5.8 inch with qHD (540x 960 pixels) resolution
Input Method	Touchscreen
Processor	1.4 GHz dual core processor
Memory	1.5 GB RAM,64 GB expandable storage slot, 8 GB internal memory
Connectivity	WiFi, GPS, Bluetooth, WiFi Hot spot
Multimedia	Supports all major audio file types
Camera	8 megapixel rear camera and a 1.9 megapixel front camera
GPS	Yes
Additional features
Battery	2600 mAh battery
Warranty	1 year
Price	Rs 23,500

Micromax Bling 3 A86 with 4-inch display, dual-core processor coming soon

Micromax Bling 3 A86 with 4-inch display, dual-core processor, Android 4.1 coming soon

Micromax launched the first Bling phone back in 2010 and unveiled the Bling 2 A55 in 2011. Now the third phone in the Bling series, Bling 3 A86 has surfaced on online retail site Flipkart. According to the listing the phone would come with a 4-inch touch screen display, powered by a 1 GHz dual-core processor and runs on Android 4.1 (Jelly Bean). It is encrusted with Swarovski Zirconia crystals making it a premium smartphone.

Micromax Bling 3 A86 specifications

• 4-inch capacitive touch screen display
• 1 GHz dual-core  processor
• Android 4.1 (Jelly Bean)
• Dual SIM (GSM + GSM) with dual standby
• 5MP auto focus camera with LED flash
• VGA front-facing camera
• 11.4 mm thick
• 3.5 mm audio jack
• Expandable memory up to 32GB with microSD
• 3G , WiFi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 3.0, aGPS
• 1600 mAh battery with up to 4 hours talk time and up to 200 hours standby

Still no details about the display resolution, RAM or memory. The Micromax Bling 3 A86 comes in White color. It is listed on Flipkart as coming soon without any price tag, but it available on eBay.in for Rs. 9,999. We are not sure if this is the final price. Looks like we have to wait for the official launch.

Nokia Lumia 625 pictures, specifications leak

Nokia Lumia 625 pictures, specifications leak 

Looks like it's getting difficult for Nokia to keep a secret when it comes to unveiling a new phone. 

Hours after Nokia posted that it will announce something 'Big' on Tuesday, specifications and pictures of its new Lumia 625 Windows Phone 8 powered large screen phone leaked on a Finland-based website.

According to a specifications sheet posted by Puhelinvertailu.com, the Nokia Lumia 625 will sport a 4.7-inch, the biggest screen ever for a Nokia device. The phone will be powered by a 1.2GHz dual-core Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 processor but sadly, it will come with just 512MB of RAM. Even the phone's IPS LCD screen features a paltry 480x800 pixels resolution, which is a bit disappointing for a big screen phone. 

The phone will sport a 5-megapixel rear camera and a VGA front-facing shooter. It will offer 8GB of internal storage, expandable by another 64GB through a microSD card.

These specifications and the phone's 600 series branding points to a lower mid-range positioning. However, the phone will also have a LTE (4G) variant. The phone will be powered by a 2000mAh battery and will also offer FM radio functionality. It will not feature NFC connectivity, though.

Variety in colour has been an essential element in the design of the Lumia series and even the Lumia 625 will sport a semi-transparent design and will come with changeable shells in five colours namely, Orange, Bright green, Yellow, White and Black. The Orange would likely be similar to the one we saw in Nokia Asha 501, as evident from Nokia's teaser blog post on Monday.

Similar to other Nokia Lumia phones, Nokia will preload its own apps for navigation, imaging and music including the recently announced Smart Camera app. 

The notorious @evleaks has also posted three press shots of the phone. It essentially looks like a bigger version of the Nokia Lumia 620, though the screen protrudes out a bit.

We'll bring you all the updates from the launch announcement that's scheduled to commence at 9:00 am London time/ 1:30 pm India time on Tuesday.

New Google Nexus 7 press image leaks ahead of announcement

The leaker @evleaks in back again with a press shot of the upcoming redesigned Google Nexus 7 made by Asus. The new Nexus 7 looks a lot thinner from the image but it is very hard to tell from the angle. You can see the front with the display with the onscreen buttons like on the current Nexus 7. On the rear you can see a relatively larger camera along with the Nexus branding. This is not the first time we are hearing about this product and it was leaked a lot in recent times.

You can also spot a notification light below the display.The front facing camera is placed to the right of the screen.

There seems to be dual loud speakers on the back (1 on top , 1 beside the microUSB port at the bottom)

And looks like a SIM card slot on the rear left and may be Google will announce a 3G and hopefully LTE capable Nexus 7 at launch unlike a WiFi only version like it did last year. And lastly there is the Asus logo at the bottom center. We can spot the 3.5mm audio jack on the top as well. The left also has the power/lock switch and volume rocker.

Don’t understand why the Nexus branding is running along the length of the device unlike now where it is horizontal. May be it can make phone calls too ?

According to the poster , it is expected to be available in 16Gb and 32GB capacities. It is expected to be powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon processor which would be a big win for Qualcomm considering the current gen Nexus 7 is powered by a Nvidia Tegra 3. The Nexus 4 ,  Galaxy S4 and HTC One Google Play editions are powered by a Qualcomm chip. The Nexus 10 made by Samsung uses a Exynos 5 Dual processor.

Can’t wait for the official announcement on July 24th  by Google when the tablet might official debut alongside the next version of Android. 

Hello Moto: Moto X Press Render Leaked

If you are actively following the news around the Moto X you will know that earlier today the launch date for the elusive Moto X was finalized. Now @eveleaks the notorious tipster for the mobile world has leaked press renders for the hardware. 

The Moto X is expected to be a Mid Range handset and expected to be priced around 300-400 US $. The hardware expectations are running anywhere from a 4.7 inch to 5 inch HD display which may only run up to 1280 x 720 p screen. An 8 MP main camera and a 2.1 MP front facing camera will finish off the optics, and a Quad Core chipset will handle the processing needs of the Android 4.3 capable handset. 

If you closely inspect the render it appears to have a carbon fibre weave on the back which sort of resembles the design of the Blackberry Q10, and the interface appears to be running stock Android with no tweaks or overlays as earlier expected.

Update July 22nd : White Render also leaked :

The color will be known as Unicorn White, and will be available alongside the black Moto X at launch unlike the Nexus 4. Although rumors of many other colors exist, no real confirmations have come forward.

AndroidPolice have managed to score themselves a few shots of the device and the ‘About” screen reveals the following mid-range specs of the model number XT1058:

- 1.7GHz dual-core Qualcomm S4 Pro processor, Adreno 320 GPU
- 2GB of RAM – confirmed by our photos
- 4.7-inch display with a resolultion of 720×1184 (about 4.5? without on-screen buttons)
- 10.5MP rear camera with flash
- 2.1MP front-facing camera
- 802.11a/b/g/n/ac Wi-Fi, NFC
- Android OS 4.2.2 Jelly Bean
- 16GB internal memory (12GB of which is user-accessible)
- 2,200 mAh non-removable battery

It has an AnTuTu score of about 18.7K and about 7.1K in 3DMark Ice Storm Extreme – decent scores for a mid range device.

Speaking of the camera, Motorola has also spread a bland Tweet on their Twitter account. This shows four blurred images of a child, with the remark: “Either this kid is really fast or the phones of today are really slow,” This tells us that the camera of the Moto X will most likely be capable of shooting high speed, blur-free images too. But we’ll wait to see the evidence first hand.

LG OPTIMUS G PRO REVIEW

LG still has something to prove. Korean rival Samsung has surpassed it, but LG isn’t taking the loss lightly. With the Optimus G, it targeted the Galaxy S3 and with the Optimus G Pro, it’s taking on Samsung’s other darling: the giant Galaxy Note 2. The Optimus G Pro has the same size display as the Samsung’s phablet, but is it better?

With the G Pro, LG has managed to squeeze itself into a narrower frame than the Note 2, giving the impression that the G Pro isn’t as big as those other ridiculously big phones. We always appreciate it when phone makers find a way to shave a few millimeters off, especially at this size. Make no mistake: the G Pro isn’t going to convert people who think 5.5 inches is just too big for a phone. But it could give those of you waiting for the perfect moment to jump on this boat a great excuse to do so.

Look and Feel

If you hide the labels, it’s easy to mistake the LG Optimus G Pro for a Galaxy Note 2 at first glance. They have very similar design language, right down to the oblong Home button on the bottom flanked by capacitive Back and Menu buttons. The G Pro has plenty of distinctive design elements as well – elements that are emerging as LG signatures.

We spent too much time working around the QButton than working with it.

LG is clearly learning how to design good, hold-able phones. The last 5-inch phone the company released in the U.S. (the LG Intuition, aka the Optimus Vu) was, frankly, a ridiculous rectangular slab. This new device is comfortable to hold in one hand even if your hands aren’t mythically large. The G Pro also has softer corners than the original Optimus G and the edges aren’t just rounded but tapered in a way that makes finding and pressing the buttons easy.

The G Pro is 4.4mm narrower than the Note 2, which makes a bigger difference than you’d think. The extra slimness comes from making the bezel smaller and results in a phone that’s a little easier to wrap your hand around. It also feels more like a normal phone when held up to the ear. However, this does alter the balance a bit, making the G Pro more prone to tipping when holding on the bottom, which you have to do when typing.

We also love the aesthetic touches: the thin chrome strip around the edge that widens on the top and bottom; LEDs ring the Home button and serve as the notification light; a holographic pattern graces the back and reminds us of the Nexus 4 and original Optimus G. Since the back is plastic instead of glass, it won’t go sliding off slick surfaces either. It’s removable to give access to the battery, SIM card, and microSD card slots.

                                    

Alongside the volume toggle and power button is one extra: the QButton. Sitting on the upper left edge above volume, it’s easy to mistake this for the Power button at first (and we did this a few times until we got used to it) since it’s the same size. This button activates the QMemo app by default, allowing users to write a memo on screen or take a screenshot, but you can customize it to do many things, including act as a shutter button. The placement is a little awkward. Even after we stopped mistaking it for the power button, we accidentally hit it a bunch, especially when using the camera. We spent too much time working around the QButton than working with it.

As we predicted, one design element didn’t make it to the U.S. version: the telescoping antenna tucked into the upper right corner. We wish it had, though! There’s nothing like pulling an antenna out of your phone. Classic. To (sort of) make up for it, LG includes an IR blaster and the QuickRemote app for controlling TVs and home entertainment systems. The AT&T Mobile TV app is another option, just not one we’d take since the service costs money.

Screen and Sound

The 5.5-inch screen is undoubtedly the star of this show. Lovers of the big screen will appreciate the pixel-dense 1080p resolution, rich colors, and deep blacks. It’s a great canvas for the eye candy-filled interface as well as videos and games. Small text is crisp, even at low magnification.

At full brightness, whites are brighter than the Galaxy Note 2, but this makes colors in photos look a bit washed out. The brightness also means good sunlight visibility.

The one disappointment in the screen is that the viewing angles aren’t as wide as we’d expect from an IPS display. You have to hold the screen at pretty extreme angles to see very noticeable color distortion and darkening, but it’s possible. When playing games that require tilting (like Temple Run 2) the screen clarity goes down a bit when skirting to the left or right to collect coins.

Aside from that, watching video on the G Pro is a great experience. The single speaker on the rear actually pumps decent volume. And since the chrome ring around the camera lens lifts the back up, placing the G Pro on a hard surface doesn’t muffle the sound. Audio quality is decent for a phone. Not too tinny and somewhat rounded. It’s good enough for mainlining YouTube videos, even with some background noise.

Operating System and Apps

The Optimus G pro runs Android 4.2.1 Jelly Bean with a custom skin (interface) on top. We’ve mentioned before how this approach reminds us of Samsung and HTC and several of the UI elements remind us of Samsung’s phones specifically. Overall, LG’s user interface is getting better with every new phone. Those of you who prefer an interface closer to stock Android probably won’t like what you see.

LG’s skin can appear overloaded and crowded.

Unfortunately, LG’s skin can appear overloaded and crowded instead of easy to use. For instance, in the Notification drawer, there’s a line of quick toggles on top for turning radios off/on and launch apps – a good thing. Then below that is another set of icons to launch QSlide apps – apps that float above whatever screen you’re on for easy multitasking. Below that is a brightness adjustment bar. Then you finally get to the actual notifications. LG is trying to do a lot here, and some of these apps and features are innovative and interesting. But it needs to find a way to show them that doesn’t feel overly busy.

Some parts of the interface are gorgeous. In particular, the unlock screen bubble that grows as you swipe your finger and the many animations for swiping between homescreens are pleasing. There’s not much here that really screams LG, though.

A few apps and features stand out and feel fresh. The QButton on the left side launches QMemo by default. This app allows you to scribble on top of whatever’s on screen and call up that scribble later or save it as part of a screenshot or a note of its own. It’s possible to make the scribble semi-transparent and continue using the phone normally. There aren’t very many use cases we could think of for this feature. It has potential and is worth having even for select scenarios.

The QSlide apps, which float on top of other apps (similar to the Pop-Up Browser on Galaxy phones), operate on a similar principle. You can add an event to your calendar, do a quick calculation, jot or type a fast memo, even bring up a small browser window, all without leaving the app you’re working in. And if you need to do something in the app but don’t want to close the QSlide window, you can make it semi-transparent while you interact with the app behind it. That’s something Samsung’s similar apps don’t do.

As much as the G Pro is like the Galaxy Note 2, it does not come with a stylus. Nothing wrong with that, but it makes us wonder why there are so many places for pen input. You can write on screen in the memo apps with your finger, but the results aren’t often great. And the keyboard includes a handwriting recognition mode. Again, fingers don’t make great pens. And even when we used a capacitive stylus the results were only a little better.

The normal keyboard is similar to what we’ve seen on previous Optimus phones and we still like it a lot. It’s even easier to pull off accurate thumb typing on this large a screen, and speed typers might not even need to flip to landscape. If you do, you can choose either a keyboard that stretches across or a split one so you don’t have to reach as far. A ton of options await you in Settings, including the ability to do Swype-like sliding and SwiftKey-like word predictions. 

Specs and Performance

This spring we expect to see a lot of smartphones with super powerful specs and the Optimus G Pro is among the early leaders. Inside there’s a 1.7GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 600 processor backed by 2GB of RAM and 32GB of internal memory. It is capable of LTE speeds and includes Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.1, and GPS. You can expand the memory via a microSD card slot. There’s only one other port: a Micro USB on the bottom.

With the processor clocked that high, you’d expect really good performance. The G Pro delivers. On the Quadrant benchmark test it scored 12,010, one of the highest we’ve seen for an Android device and on par with other quad-core phones. The Galaxy S4 got 12,185 and the HTC One scored 12,031. All of these beat the quad-core Galaxy Note 2 (6,000). Benchmarks don’t tell the whole story, but in our hands-on experience bears it out.

The G Pro is responsive, smooth, and fast when opening and using apps.

When swiping around in the interface we noted smooth framerates in the animations. Plus, the G Pro is responsive, smooth, and fast when opening and using apps. We bumped up the graphics level to Best in Temple Run 2 to see how well it played. Not only did we get a richer graphics experience, it in no way affected the game’s performance. We jumped and slid with no problems. In the GL Benchmark Egypt Classic test for graphics, the Optimus got about 58 frames per second. A smartphone that can run games at nearly 60fps with a full HD display is impressive.

Performance on AT&T’s 4G LTE network is just as impressive. Apps, content, and websites downloaded and streamed speedily and the Optimus quickly picked up the network whenever we came out of a no service area. The phone averaged 23Mbps down and 14Mbps up measured by Speedtest.net.

Cameras

A 13-megapixel camera sits on back of the G Pro alongside a flash. You may not end up needing it much since the camera performs well in low light situations. The camera app is full of settings aimed at helping you improve shots, including HDR (High Dynamic Range). Most people will just turn on the Intelligent Auto, since it’s easiest, and let the camera figure out the best settings, which it does without much difficulty. Auto focus is also pretty fast, and the shutter responds quickly, though not as fast as the HTC One X+ and the most recent Nexus phones.

Photo quality is good enough for sharing on social media. They’re not as sharp as we’d like and contain a lot of noise, even in good light. It’s another example of how more megapixels doesn’t mean a better camera.

The 2.1 megapixel camera on the front has a wide-angle lens and thus you can fit more people in the frame for self-portraits. It’s a decent shooter. More importantly, it works well in video chats. Our Google+ hangout friends reported that colors and skin tones are accurate and the video quality was only a little fuzzy.

Battery Life

The Optimus G Pro has a 3140mAh inside, about the same as the Galaxy Note 2. You need a big battery to support such a large, high-resolution display and this one is up to the task. Battery life on the international version wasn’t wholly impressive, so we were surprised to find it much better on the U.S. variant. It just proves that optimizing a phone for a particular network brings great benefits. With medium to heavy use, the G Pro lasted more than 12 hours before getting to critical battery levels. During testing we streamed YouTube videos, played games, took a lot of pictures, surfed the web, chatted on Twitter, and talked on the phone with brightness set to auto. We left mobile data on the entire time and spent the majority of it connected to LTE. Employing any power saving measures will gain you at least two or three extra hours. 

Conclusion

A few years ago, LG phones weren’t all that desirable. And though it’s still chasing major rival Samsung in many ways, the Optimus G Pro is a major step forward. It’s well designed, comfortable, speedy, and boasts a fantastic display. The software and apps aren’t perfect, but even there we see aspects worth praising. The LG Optimus G Pro is a fantastic phone in almost every way. It’s too big for some users, but if you’re into heft, you should try out the G Pro before you go with the Note 2, especially since it’s $100 less on contract. The Note 2 is still $300 on AT&T, the G Pro is $200. Samsung probably isn’t scared of the G Pro, but maybe it should be.

Highs

• Attractive, comfortable design
• Big, beautiful full 1080p screen
• Multitasking QSlide apps are novel and useful
• Best in class performance

Lows

• Viewing angles aren’t as wide as we’d like
• QButton gets in the way more than it helps
• UI is busy and comes off as derivative

HTC One Mini review

The HTC One Mini follows in the footsteps of its outlandishly successful bigger brother, slicing off some components but managing to maintain a real sense of class.

When it comes to the HTC One, there was a big call from fans to follow it up with something a little more affordable, in the same manner as Samsung has done with the Galaxy S4 Mini.

However, while coming in at a similar price (well, unconfirmed but likely) and a slightly lower set of specs than its Samsung competitor, there's no doubt that the HTC One Mini is a more impressive device (and it has a higher-resolution screen to boot).

For a start, it takes on that unibody design from the larger One, only adding in a plastic band around the edge but maintaining the aluminium back and front speakers. It still feels very premium in the hand, and at 122g feels very well balanced.

Those that love specs will baulk at this device, so we'll get the downgrades out of the way early doors: there's no NFC chip, the CPU is a Snapdragon 400 dual core option clocked at 1.4GHz, and the screen has been shrunk to 4.3-inches and a 720p resolution.

However, HTC has managed to keep in the main things we're fans of with the One: namely BoomSound and the UltraPixel sensor. BlinkFeed is there as well (and enhanced thanks to the One Mini running Android 4.2.2 right out of the box) but that's something that many users are finding they only use sporadically.

We've said before: spend some time setting Blinkfeed up and it will reward you, but we understand how this is a hassle for some people. However, it's impressive that it's made it in a full-fledged format for the One Mini, making it really feel like this is just a shrunken version of the larger option.

There are other compromises too: the battery is down to 1800mAh, and that could play havoc with some users if the battery life isn't up to snuff, which has been a problem for HTC over the years. However, the One managed to tame its power demons after a refresh, so we're hopeful HTC Has managed the same thing here.

In the hand, as we mentioned, the HTC One Mini is a really premium-feeling device. It almost annoys us how little the plastic band, manufactured in the same way as the HTC One X+, doesn't interfere with your general use, as this just shows that Nokia got it totally the wrong way round with the Lumia 925.

The plastic band also makes the phone a little easier to grip, which we're big fans of, as the One did have a slight kamikaze habit in normal use, so overall the tweaks in design don't seem to have hurt the little tyke.

With the lower-speed processor, you'd be forgiven for worrying that the One Mini would have real problems keeping up with all the things that life might throw it at - in reality, we noticed not one issue when flipping through the apps and screens.

Firing up the HTC One Mini camera app was no problem, and it's great to see the HTC Zoe functionality (and the exact same camera interface) staring straight back at us when we did so.

The burst mode and 3-second Zoe clips all performed precisely as we'd hoped they would, and even uploading was speedy too (which is also possible over 4G as the One Mini supports that too). The 1GB of RAM might be a concern for those that recognise the weight of certain parts of the Sense UI, which HTC runs over the top of native Android, but we encountered no issues in our fairly lengthy hands on time with the phone.

In fact we can only see one glaring issue with the HTC One Mini: only 16GB of storage on board. The company told us that it didn't anticipate that the target demographic would want to fill it up with more than that, but that seems to preclude anyone that wants to pop a movie or two, a large game and a year's worth of HTC Zoe video highlights in there.

Sure, there will be those that only use 1GB of photo over the course of the device, and they'd be the same people that take pictures of their kids, animals and food, but there are many other tech-savvy users out there that don't think twice about downloading a couple of movies and Grand Theft Auto, yet don't want to pay top whack for a smartphone.

However, beyond that we can see that this is a really quality phone, and one that packs all the treats that HTC is quickly becoming famous for: a great camera in low light, a swift shot latency, great audio (with the same internal amplifier and Beats Audio on board) and Sense 5.0 with the latest version of Android on board.

Early verdict

Would we recommend the HTC One Mini to a friend? Of course not - it's not out yet. But we would urge anyone looking to spend around £25-£30 ($40) a month on a phone contract (that's a rough estimate, as we don't have final pricing for the HTC One Mini) to wait and check out this phone, when it's launched in August.

If you're not a fan of the HTC One for price alone, then the One Mini is definitely going to fill your needs. It seems a little expensive given the compromises on offer - we'd have preferred to see this phone coming in at £20-£25 ($30) a month to be truly attractive - but there's no doubt that it's got all the bits it needs to be a winner, and if users can get on board with the lack of external storage (why, HTC, WHY?) then we can see a real winner on the shelves of your local phone emporium in the weeks to come.

In fact, it makes us wonder whether Samsung will think about refreshing the Galaxy S4 Mini in the meantime, as it's now very likely to be second best to this little nugget - and even Apple's cheaper iPhone, which is likely coming later this year, will have more of a fight on its hands than it would have previously been expected to encounter.