After releasing its flagship smartphone, the HTC One (M8) earlier in the year, the Taiwanese manufacturer has been hard at work, unveiling different interpretations of the device to target specific segments of the market. First was the HTC One Mini 2, a compact version of the original One (M8). The second device making its way out of Taiwan is the HTC One (E8), a cheaper alternative to the aforementioned flagship device, with one of the key differences being the change from an aluminium unibody casing to a plastic variety.

The official stance on what the "E8" aspect in this new device's title denotes is still unknown, but based on its estimated $450 (R4 800) price tag, we'd venture a guess that it means economical. Apart from the plastic-heavy design and reduced price, the One (E8) makes use of a single 13 megapixel camera at the rear, compared to the dual 4 ultrapixel version found on the One (M8).    

As far as dimensions go, the One (E8) features the same width and length as its aluminum counterpart, measuring 70.6 mm x 146.4 mm respectively. The plastic body of the One (E8) is slightly thicker however, at 9.9 mm, only 0.4 mm more than the flagship variant. The one advantage that the plastic heavy One (E8) does have, is weighing only 145 g, making 15 g lighter than the One (M8). With regard to the screen, the HTC One (E8) boasts a 5" full HD 1080p display, making it an even more enticing prospect when pitted against other Android smartphones in the same price range.  

Internally, the One (E8) is fitted with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 processor, but it is still unclear at this stage whether it is the exact same chipset found in the One (M8). This processor is supported by 2 GB of RAM and 16 GB of internal storage, with microSD slot capacity for up to 128 GB worth of memory.

The last difference between these two smartphones is that the One (E8) can house a dual nano SIM setup, with each nano SIM offering quad-band GSM connectivity. Added to this is the ability for at least one of the nano SIM's to operate on 3G or 4G/LTE networks.  

The HTC One (E8) is set for for release in select Asian markets in early July, with no official word on whether it will be making its way to South African shores, but given its R4 800 price tag, it may just throw a high-spec cat among the mid-range pigeons.