HTC One mini 2 Pro Reviews

The HTC One Remix might not be cutting edge, but it delivers upscale design in a manageable size for a reasonable price, and that makes it a great midrange Android smartphone on Verizon.

The HTC One mini 2 is one of the better examples of a mid-ranged version of a flagship smartphone. It has the same premium feel as the M8 with only a few downgrades - namely a lower res screen and no Duo Camera or IR blaster. The camera is a little disappointing but good performance and software balance things out.

Looks desirable, but its underpowered hardware makes the One Mini 2 feel too overpriced

It’s a gorgeous phone and whatnot, but when other phones like the Sony Xperia Z1 Compact have raised the bar in what we expect from these so-called “mini” phones, we expected better from this.

We’ve dissected these two extensively, but at the end of the day, it boils down to size preference. By sticking with the HTC One mini 2, you merely get a phone that matches its siblings premium construction, but in a compact package that’s more manageable to operate with one hand. It’s that and the fact that you’ll save some money on picking up too! Even with the added savings, there are some obvious compromises by choosing to go with the HTC One mini 2 – like its watered down specs and missing software features. Honestly folks, that’s not all that surprising to us, seeing that the HTC One M8 is meant to provide us with the best experience. Indeed, you’ll be forking over more cash to pick it up, but at the end of the day, we gain something that’s synonymous of a flagship smartphone.

Nice enough, but the price is too high for a phone with such middling specifications

If the One mini of 2013 fell well short of striking that balance, the One mini 2 of 2014 does a much better job. Aesthetically it’s my favorite of the midrange phones, and while the camera falls short, the performance, software, and tidbits like BoomSound are most welcome.What I’m still not convinced about is the price. In the UK, unsubsidized and SIM-free, HTC expects the One mini 2 to cost around £360 ($609). That’s certainly cheaper than the One M8, which under the same conditions has an RRP of £549, but it’s also considerably more than the similarly-specified (though nowhere near as handsome) Moto G LTE, which will be a bargain £149, albeit in 8GB rather than 16GB form. I’ve a feeling HTC might argue that the One mini 2 and Moto G LTE aren’t direct competitors. Certainly, the 5-megapixel camera and 720p video recording the Motorola manages are less impressive than the 13-megapixels and 1080p the HTC can do, and the build quality is night and day. Nonetheless, you’ll have to place particular value on them, and on style, to justify spending more than twice as much. The HTC One mini 2 doesn’t knock it out the park, then, but neither does it disappoint in the same way that the One mini of last year did. It’s easy to see how a new smartphone buyer, lured into a store by the One M8 but turned off by the price, might look at the smaller device and consider it a saving worth making. Similarly, those who want a more hand-friendly form factor have fewer than the usual compromises to stomach. It’s certainly a much-needed phone in HTC’s range, though only time will tell whether it’s sufficiently affordable to fill in the gaping midrange gap.

If you were hoping for HTC to "do a Sony" by shrinking down the M8 and keeping the top-flight specs, just as Sony miniaturised its Xperia Z1 for the sublime Xperia Z1 Compact, you're out of luck. It may look like the M8 on the outside, but under the hood its considerably less exciting. That said, though pricing isn't yet confirmed, I'd be shocked to see the HTC One Mini 2 priced more expensively than the Z1 Compact, so you'll be getting what you pay for in that respect I would imagine. But as an upgrade from the HTC One Mini (as the naming convention chosen by HTC suggests it should be seen as) it's a total success — the original One Mini's design looks archaic by comparison, and the responsive One Mini 2 is a step up at basically every point of the spec sheet. What's set to be interesting however is if phone shops continue to stock the original HTC One (AKA, the M7). Its contract price could drop considerably — dropping to where I'd expect to see the HTC One Mini 2 enter at. With its 1080p display, speedy processor, Sense 6 UI upgrade and UltraPixel camera, it may be worth considering alongside the One Mini 2 — providing last year's industrial design doesn't put you off.