The HTC One mini is a master illusionist. Sitting next to the original HTC One—the halo phone that seeds the mini with its industrial design DNA—the two handsets don't look all that different in size.
But now power on both phones. Start playing with them in your hands. Suddenly the mini transforms into something much smaller than you anticipated. Its display looks puny compared to the screen of its DNA donor. And the mini feels palpably smaller than the original One when you cradle it in your palm.
Indeed, the mini might look like a slightly smaller version of the original One, but once you begin using the phone—and digging into its spec sheet—you find HTC made numerous compromises to shave $100 off the price of the flagship original. The mini isn't a bad phone by any means. But beyond looking so much like the One, it's really a different beast entirely.
image: mike homnickIt's difficult to tell the mini from the original big boy unless they're lined up, side by side. Here's a cheat: Look for the mini's white plastic chamfered edges.
A downgraded display
In terms of raw dimensions, the original HTC One is just 0.2-inch wider and taller than the One mini, and its depth is exactly the same. But where the One feels a bit unwieldy during one-handed thumb swipes, the mini is surprisingly more comfortable to use. Who knew shaving off one-fifth of an inch on the top and bottom (and half an ounce overall) could have such a positive impact on ergonomics.
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