HTC unveils the not-so-small One mini 2

Not too long ago, a 4.5-inch display was considered to be on the large side for a smartphone. Manufacturers which dared to go past it were few and far between. Yet here we are today, in a time when that screen size only appears to be associated with small versions of flagships, like HTC’s new One mini 2 which is the younger brother of the One (M8). (I wonder what the guys and gals from HTC were thinking right before they decided on the name One mini 2.)

The One mini 2 comes with similar features as its bigger brother, like the Sense 6 user interface, the BoomSound audio and BlinkFeed. It has nothing to be embarrassed about, at least as far as specs go, as HTC uses decent components that should ensure it does not feel underwhelming in daily usage.

The 4.5-inch screen may be “compact”, according to HTC, but it has a resolution of 720 by 1280 which should keep pixel-peepers on a budget happy. Inside, there is a 1.2 GHz dual-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 processor, backed by 1 GB of RAM and a 2,100 mAh battery. It comes with 16 GB of internal storage as well as a microSD card slot, which can take cards up to 128 GB in size.

Surprisingly, the One mini 2, arguably, tops the One (M8) in the camera department, as it features a 13 MP back-facing shooter, instead of the 4 MP unit found in the latter. More resolution allows for more detail in the picture. On the front, the One mini 2 employs the same 5 MP camera as the One (M8), which should make selfie fans very happy.

Like many other smartphones today, the One mini 2 features 4G LTE and HSPA+ cellular connectivity (the former may only be available in markets which support it), Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.0, NFC, GPS and DLNA support.

The One mini 2 ships with Android 4.4 KitKat on board with HTC’s usual enhancements on top. The smartphone comes in at at 137.43 x 65.04 x 10.6 mm and 137 grams. That is about as big as the Samsung Galaxy SIII (136.6 x 70.6 x 8.6 mm and 133 grams).

It will be available, in the Amber Gold, Glacial Silver and Gunmetal Gray trims, starting this June in EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Africa) and Asian markets. HTC has not revealed the price of the One mini 2.