The HTC One might be the best smartphone you never heard of, especially now that its features have been updated and renamed the new HTC M8, according to CNET.com.
The phone won critical acclaim last year, yet it barely made a dent in the marketplace. It's overshadowed by Apple's iPhones and Samsung's Galaxy line of smartphones, CNET.com reported.
HTC is updating its flagship HTC One smartphone by giving it a larger screen, better software and more camera features, according to CNET.com.
The original HTC One received good reviews and was named the best smartphone of 2013 at the wireless industry's premier trade show in Barcelona, Spain, last month, but HTC has failed to translate that glowing praise into sales, CNET.com reported.
Online orders start Tuesday, while most retail stores will get them by April 10, according to CNET.com. Verizon will have them in stores on Tuesday as well.
The new phone, officially the HTC One (M8), will cost about $200 to $250 with a two-year service contract, or about $650 without a contract, CNET.com reported.
To break through, HTC plans to emphasize the One's metal design, according to CNET.com. Samsung's phones typically have a plastic back panel, while Apple's iPhones use glass.
The new One will have a screen measuring 5 inches diagonally, up from 4.7 inches in last year's model, CNET.com reported.
It will help software improvements designed to anticipate your needs, such as offering lunch recommendations when it's time for lunch, according to CNET.com. That will come through HTC's hub for personalized content, known as BlinkFeed.
BlinkFeed itself will be more colorful and will continue to present news, social media updates and other items of interest, according to CNET.com.
Like the original model, the new HTC One has a 4 megapixel rear camera, which is low for high-end smartphones, CNET.com reported. The difference is HTC focuses on making the individual pixel sensors larger, so that they can capture more light and offer better shots in low-light settings.
The front camera, for selfies, is improved, though with 5 megapixels, compared with 2.1 megapixels before, according to CNET.com. The rear camera also has a second lens to capture depth information, which users can use to tweak the focus point in images later.
