HTC One Mini 2 review

The One Mini 2’s graphics performance was also sub-par for a phone at this price. With a score of 5,634 (roughly 23fps) in 3DMark’s Ice Storm test and 2,855 (about 15fps) in Ice Storm Extreme, the One Mini 2 should be able to handle most apps in the Google Play Store, but it pales in comparison to the power of other mid-range handsets such as the Moto X and Nexus 5. In Epic Citadel, for example, the One Mini 2 struggled to produce more than an average frame rate of 34.4fps on Ultra High quality settings at a 1,200×720 resolution. This is around the same as the Moto G, but the Moto X and Nexus 5 both scored over 54fps on the same quality settings.

CAMERA

The One Mini 2 has a single 13-megapixel camera rather than the HTC One M8’s unique Duo Camera. While it may not be one of HTC’s Ultra Pixel sensors, it has a huge range of settings which make it almost as flexible as a traditional compact camera. With eleven different picture modes available, including HDR, Night, Sweep Panorama and Macro modes, we were also pleased that you could adjust the ISO settings, EV, lighting conditions and add filters to your shots.

In Auto mode, the colours in our outdoor shots were murky and underexposed compared to shots we took on the Moto X at the same time. Shadows were much darker and even shots we took in bright sunshine looked dim and overcast. The sky was exposed much better than other mid-range cameras we’ve tested, though, showing plenty of cloud detail without too many patches of blinding white light. There was also very little noise present. However, we did notice that object outlines weren’t as sharp and defined on the One Mini 2 as the images we took on the Moto X. Outlines had been smoothed out slightly and almost looked a little blurred, giving everything less of a defined edge.

In overcast conditions, the HTC One Mini 2’s camera produced very dark, murky colours

Colour accuracy improved in sunnier weather, but shots still looked quite muted

This was shot at the same time as the photo above, but with HDR turned on, producing much brighter, more natural looking colours

When we switched to HDR mode our pictures looked a lot brighter, with more natural colours. We didn’t see too many signs of artificial compression, either. It’s a shame we had to enable HDR to get decent pictures, as we think the Moto X took better photos using its default mode when we compared them side by side with the One Mini 2’s HDR shots.

Shadows were gloomy even in bright sunshine

With HDR turned on, images brightened up considerably

BATTERY LIFE

Battery life was good but not exceptional. The HTC One Mini 2’s 2,110mAh battery lasted 11 hours and 14 minutes in our continuous video playback test, which is roughly two hours less than the (m8). This is great for a mid-range handset, but it’s beaten once again by the Moto X which lasted for twelve and a half hours.

The HTC One Mini 2 is certainly a good looking phone, and is far more desirable than any other mid-range handset, but when its underlying hardware is essentially the same as a Motorola Moto G, it feels overpriced. The One Mini 2’s camera is a definite step up from most lower-end phones, but ultimately the One Mini 2 is a pale imitation of the original One M8. If you’re looking for a great value phone, the award-winning Motorola Moto X and Google Nexus 5 are much better buys.