HTC launched its midrange Windows Phone HTC 8S alongside HTC 8X at an event held in New York. HTC 8S is amongst the first two phones which will be using the very latest Windows Phone 8 OS by Microsoft. HTC, a Taiwanese firm, will make these smart phones available in the market from early November.
This phone is aimed to hit the middle range smart phones market competing with phones like Sony Xperia U and LG Optimus. It will be available in vibrant colours which are Limelight Yellow, California Blue, Flame Red, and Graphite Black.
The Design
HTC 8S Graphite Black
The design of the HTC 8S is similar to that of Xperia U and One V having a coloured bar-like touchpad at the bottom. The phone’s colour is not the same all along. The back is of a different colour than the base shade which gives it a cool look except for the Flame Red shade.
It will be one of the slimmest smart phones in its range at 10.33mm. Just like HTC 8X, the tapered edges give an illusion of the phone being thinner than it actually is. The device has a sleek finishing with a frame of 120.5 x 63mm.The device weighs 113g which makes it quite handy.
It has a 4 inch screen which acquires most of the space at the front. The coloured touchpad is below the display having Windows, back and search keys and the matching earpiece lies above it.
Unlike, HTC 8X, its memory is expandable. The rear part of the coloured section can be slided off to reveal the inner part having microSD and microSIM slots. The rest of the design is same as HTC 8X, having 3.5mm headphone jack, lock key, volume rocker control, microUSB port and camera shutter button. All the keys are very approachable in this compact device.
HTC 8S MicroSD slot
Composition
It has a1700mAh battery which is not accessible as in HTC 8X. This might be disappointing for those who like to switch their batteries with a larger one. Still, it is expected that the battery will provide a decent usage period.
The phone is powered with a high-end 1GHz dual-core S4 processor and a Ram of 512mB which should run Windows Phone 8 OS without any upheaval.
It has a WVGA display having a resolution of 800 x 480. It is not as sharp, clear, and vibrant as that of HTC 8X, but is decent enough and very much acceptable for a mid-range smart phone.
Camera
HTC 8S comes with a 5MP camera at the back with a single LED flash. The pictures taken from its 35mm lens with an f/2.8 aperture will be very clear and flawless. It also records high quality videos at 720p.
The special thing is the presence of a dedicated camera button at the right side of the phone. This feature is seen in only a few handsets these days and is very useful when you wish to click your pictures using your own hand.
The Windows Phone 8S by HTC is going to give its competitors a tough race to the finish. It seems a quite decent phone coming at a handsome price.
HTC 8S front and back
HTC 8S in 4 Colors
HTC 8S different Colors
HTC 8S in 4 colors
HTC 8S Limelight Yellow
