Apparently, HTC is working on two variants of the One M8 flagship, the Advance and Plus. These could be finalized device names and we thought previously that the name “Prime” will be reserved for the company’s ultimate smartphone model. The One M8 “Plus” offers upscale hardware configurations, such as Qualcomm Snapdragon 80u5 SoC, Quad HD display, 13Mp rear-facing camera and OIS feature. Like the Samsung Galaxy S5, it could also include waterproofed metal chassis. While this may sound like a wishful thinking, it is now possible for phone manufacturers to deliver premium smartphone with rugged design.
The One M8 Advance may sport similar specifications, but with plastic chassis and it could be aimed primarily for consumers in Asia. The phone could be have more affordable price tag than other top dogs in the One M8 family. There’s also report that the Advance is actually the One M8 Ace and the Plus is the One M8 Prime.
Meaning, we would get two new M8 devices from HTC, instead of four. We could also expect that HTC won’t offer us the “Max and Mini” pair, which we typically get from Android device manufacturers. The Taiwan-based company may adopt Apple’s strategy, by offering a premium metal model and cheaper plastic model.
