Plastic HTC One Crops Up On HTC China's Website

HTC's One M8 has only been available since March of this year. Not too long after that, the company gave us the HTC One Mini 2. Not content with two versions, HTC is already adding another HTC One to the family. The company's Chinese website today revealed what Engadget is referring to as the HTC One M8 Ace, also known as the Vogue Edition, in all its glory. It's worth noting that the URL references 'E8,' so it's possible that's the branding HTC will go for as well.

Unlike the sleek metal of the flagship HTC One M8, this device is fashioned from plastic and is available in multiple colors (the website shows red, blue and black). It has some of the same hardware specs that we saw with the HTC One M8, but the design itself is something of a cross between the M7 and the M8 in that it looks to be a little less curved than the M8. Specswise, we're sort of in the dark until HTC offers an official spec sheet. The Chinese-language site confirms a 2.5 GHz CPU, BoomSound audio, MotionLaunch, and just one camera as opposed to the two cameras that make up the hero feature of the M8. Other than that, there isn't a whole lot of other information.

No word on price just yet, which is what will be most important for this phone's success. As smartphones these days become more powerful, it becomes more acceptable to compromise on specifications in order to keep cost down, and the M8 is not a cheap phone. It's also more common for manufacturers to create watered down versions of their flagship phones instead of trying to develop branding for a brand new device. HTC has already done that with the HTC Mini 2, but perhaps the company is looking to cover its bases with other offerings, similar to how Samsung offers numerous different Galaxy S phones for different target audiences (like the GlaActive, the Galaxy Zoom, the Galaxy Mini, and others).

We'll keep you abreast of any news on this plastic HTC in the North American or European markets.

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Jane McEntegart is a writer, editor, and marketing communications professional with 17 years of experience in the technology industry. She has written about a wide range of technology topics, including smartphones, tablets, and game consoles. Her articles have been published in Tom's Guide, Tom's Hardware, MobileSyrup, and Edge Up.