HTC Butterfly 2 hands-on: The One M8 with a 13 megapixel camera and plastic shell

One of the cons of the HTC One M8 , both Android and Windows Phone versions, is the 4 megapixel UltraPixel camera. For some odd reason, HTC tends to release better versions in Asia after it releases devices in the US and Europe. One recent HTC One variant replaces the UltraPixel camera with a 13 megapixel camera.

The HTC One M8, read my full review , is one of my favorite smartphones and for the last few weeks I have been testing out another variant available in Singapore, called the HTC Butterfly 2.

The Butterfly 2 has nearly all the same specifications as the HTC One M8, including a Snapdragon 801 quad-core processor, 2GB RAM, 16GB ROM, microSD expansion card, 5 megapixel front facing camera, IR port for remote control (not in the button, but a separate sensor on the top), dual HTC BoomSound speakers, and 5 inch 1080p display. The only differences are the rear camera and the construction material.

You will still find the top Duo Camera depth sensor on the center top of the back, but below this is a standard 13 megapixel camera. I found that photos do have more detail and they are not as "blown out" as they appear on the M8 with its UltraPixel camera capturing more light. You still get the fun effects from the Duo Camera, but you get photos with more detail and depth as well. This is the direction I expected HTC to head with the release of the HTC One M8.

It looks like the 13 megapixel can still be improved though as photos are good, but not outstanding. With a bit more work on the 13 megapixel camera, or even putting in a high end 8 megapixel camera, the next version of the One can be amazing.

The other big difference on the Butterfly 2 is the plastic construction rather than the all aluminum construction of the M8. I personally do not consider this an upgrade and prefer the metal construction of the M8. The unit I tested came in a cool blue color, but it is a serious fingerprint magnet and looks terrible after holding it for a few minutes. I was constantly wiping both the front and back of the Butterfly 2 in order to try to make it look good.

The software on the Butterfly 2 is the same as the HTC One M8 (Android) with Android 4.4.2 and HTC Sense 6. All the great HTC Sense 6 features are present, including HTC BlinkFeed, Zoe camera, Dual Capture, active Gallery, Zoe (beta), FM radio, Flashlight, HTC Dot View support, Power to Give, and more.

The HTC Butterfly 2 is almost the device that the HTC One M8 should have been, with the exception of the aluminum construction. If the Butterfly 2 had Qi wireless charging then I would accept the plastic construction over the aluminum material, but it doesn't have that technology so I prefer the metal.

Related ZDNet HTC One M8 coverage

• HTC One M8 review: More metal, same limited detail UltraPixel camera
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