Other than with its Desire Android phones, HTC doesn’t dabble too much into plastic these days. It criticized Samsung for doing so in a cheap manner with the Galaxy S5. Even so, according to one of Engadget’s “reliable” sources, HTC will make a plastic version of its latest flagship smartphone, the One M8.
According to the source, the “M8 Ace,” which Evleaks teased earlier this month, will have virtually identical specs to the Galaxy S5. The handset will use a plastic unibody and contain a 5-inch 1080p display powered by a 2.5GHz quad-core Snapdragon 801 processor. Unlike its older sibling, however, the M8 Ace hopes to gain the advantage in price.
Interestingly enough, Chinese site TMTpost ran a rumor that reported a handset that matches the source’s description. According to the rumor, the handset could launch next month for as cheap as CN¥3,000 (roughly $480) unsubsidized (without a wireless contract). While we have handsets like the Nexus 5 and OnePlus One, which run for $350 and $300, respectively, this handset reportedly undercuts Samsung’s latest and greatest by a healthy margin.
If this is true, this would be an interesting move on HTC’s part. Last year, the company released the Butterfly S, which has a plastic body and slightly beefier specs. However, it wasn’t positioned as a lower-cost alternative to the One M7. Time will tell if the M8 Ace, if it exists, will serve as a lower-cost alternative to the One M8 or live our its days as its own separate product.
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