HTC Desire 826 vs HTC One (M8): first look

Introduction

Soon after showing the HTC Desire 820 to the world, the Taiwanese outed the slightly bigger, slightly faster, slightly stronger HTC Desire 826. Boasting, essentially, the same hardware capabilities, but upping the screen resolution to 1080p and running Android 5.0 out of the box, the Desire 826 is positioned as cheaper, but no less capable alternative to the HTC One (M8) - a flagship that's just about to hand the crown to its heir, but will remain a substantial presence on the market for at least a year to come. Let's see how the Desire 826 and One (M8) by HTC compare with each other.

Design

HTC's designers are making a clear divide between its flagship and "almost flagship" devices in the look & feel department. Not to say the HTC Desire 826 seems or handles worse than the big hunk of metal that is the One (M8), but objectively, we all know which of the two creates an instant, lasting impression. Put next to the M8, the colorful and charming Desire 826 becomes utterly forgettable - but that's something we can say for many other Android smartphones.



Before we sing another round of praises for the One (M8), let's turn our attention to the newcomer. The Desire 826 reminds us a lot of the Desire 820, with some elements borrowed from the Desire EYE. For example, the BoomSound speakers are hidden in thin lines where the display panel meets the top and bottom bezels, just like in the EYE. The 826 is made of glossy plastic garnished with subtle color accents. It is a non-trivial, but easygoing look that's steadily becoming the Desire series' new visual identity. Unlike the all-metal HTC One (M8), the Desire 826's sides have a rubbery texture for a better grip. And dimensions-wise, the device measures 6.22 x 3.05 x 0.31 inches (158 x 77.5 x 7.9 mm), weighing 6.46 oz (183 g).