The HTC One M8 pairs a stunning design with impressive innards
Following today’s HTC One M8 unveiling, the Taiwanese manufacturer has defended its decision to prioritise aesthetics over handset protection.
Despite the phone’s main rivals, the Samsung Galaxy S5 and Sony Xperia Z2 both playing host to certain levels of dust and water resistance, HTC has forgone the protection-improving features, instead focusing on an easy-on-the-eye finish.
“We fundamentally believe in the {metal} design,” Graham Wheeler, a Product Manager with HTC said speaking with TrustedReviews.
He added: “It’s a beautiful phone, and I think that’s more important than waterproofing.”
It’s not just an IP rated protective layer that HTC has overlooked in favour of the admittedly stunning finish of the HTC One M8 either. With the iPhone 5S and now Samsung Galaxy S5 having added integrated fingerprint scanners, the new flagship phone is found wanting on a security front too.
Again, the manufacturer has pointed to design as the reason for this. Questioned on the lack of a fingerprint scanner, Wheeler stated: “We wanted to make sure it was the most aesthetically pleasing phone ever.”
Further enhancing the brushed-metal finish of last year’s HTC One, the new HTC One M8 has done away with the plastic edging in favour of a more elegant finish.
“The engineering fits the design,” Wheeler stated. “We’ve moved from 70 per cent metal to 90 per cent metal [from the One to One M8].
Would you rather a stunningly designed or IP protected smartphone? Let us know via the comments section below.
Read More: Samsung Galaxy S5 vs HTC One M8