HTC One (M8) for Windows preview: First look

Introduction

Freshly announced for Verizon in the United States, HTC One (M8) for Windows is a welcome return to the Windows Phone platform for the Taiwanese manufacturer. The twin brother of One (M8) with Android arrives two long years after HTC 8X made its debut as a Windows Phone 8 flagship device (last year's 8XT for Sprint was way too low key to count).

HTC One (M8) for Windows has all the makings of a smartphone flagship. This should hardly catch anyone by surprise - as the Windows Phone 8.1 sibling of one of the best Android smartphones money can buy, the newcomer surely doesn't skimp on specs and features. As usual, here goes the full list.

HTC One (M8) for Windows at a glance:

• Connectivity: Quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE/HSPA/HSPA+; LTE; Ev-DO; Wi-Fi a/b/g/n/ac; Bluetooth 4.0; GPS; GLONASS; microUSB 2.0; NFC; DLNA; IR port
• Display: 5" Full HD Super LCD3 unit (1920 x 1080 pixels)
• Chipset: Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 chipset with 2.3GHz quad-core CPU; Adreno 330 GPU; 2GB of RAM
• OS: Microsoft Windows Phone 8.1.1
• Camera: 4MP UltraPixel main camera with 1/3" BSI sensor; 2µm pixel size; 28mm f/2.0 lens; secondary camera for depth information; 1080p video recording; 5MP front-facing unit
• Storage: 32GB of built-in memory; microSD card slot (up to 128GB)
• Battery: 2,600 mAh non-removable battery
• Dimensions: 146.36 x 70.6 x 9.35 mm; 160 grams
• Misc: BoomSound stereo speakers; HTC BlinkFeed; HTC Dot View case support

In case the specs of HTC One (M8) for Windows look a tad familiar to you, don't be surprised. When we mentioned earlier that the device is a twin to One (M8) with Android, we meant it literally. With One (M8) for Windows, HTC simply swapped the Sense-d Android KitKat we know and like for the latest Windows Phone 8.1.1 build.

HTC One (M8) for Windows might be toting the Windows Phone tiled UI, yet it still offers the signature Sense UI apps, including BlinkFeed and HTC Camera. Even the HTC Sense wallpapers have made it over from Android.

HTC One (M8) for Windows live photos

HTC has deliberately kept One (M8) for Windows identical to the Android version. The latter has fared well with consumers and even helped get the manufacturer back in the black. The Windows Phone 8.1-booting model will also benefit from an extensive and classy marketing campaign, which has been in place over the past several months.

Are you ready for a Windows Phone 8.1-flavored déjà vu? Read on to check out our HTC One (M8) for Windows hands-on.