If the new HTC One had you wishing you had more money to burn, then your prayers might have just been indirectly answered. That is, if you’re willing to carry around a plastic slab. HTC is now rumored to produce an HTC One M8 variant that is significantly cheaper but also trades its aluminum body for a plastic one.

The HTC One M8 is a beast, no doubt about that. HTC has pulled out all the stops to bring its best foot forward this 2014 and it did not disappoint. Combining the best top-end hardware, “tricks” like a dual camera, and a clean software experience, the 2014 HTC One is definitely something worth considering. Unfortunately, it is also a beast when it comes to price, though it doesn’t really stray from other flagships of its generation. It can be yours for $199 with a two-year contract, around $640 without one, or $699 for an unlocked version.

Either HTC has heard the pleas of would-be One M8 owners, or it believes it will do best by addressing as many budget tiers with the same device. Whatever the reason, and whether you agree with them or not, word is that the company will be outing a more affordable plastic model of the HTC One M8. It will be exactly like the regular smartphone in all aspects except for the body, which will be switched over to plastic in order to cut costs. And the difference in price is quite considerable. An unlocked HTC One M8 of the plastic kind is said to cost only $483.

The question now is how much buyers will be willing to pay, or in this case, save, for the One M8. Plastic has long been Samsung’s hallmark and its critics never tire of pointing that out. Switching to plastic may save HTC some money and earn it some more users, but, depending on the quality of the build, it might also earn them more dissatisfied and irate customers. Plastic can be cheap, both money- and quality-wise, but it can also be lightweight and sturdy. It will all depend on how HTC executes it, presuming, of course, this plastic rumor comes to pass.

VIA: GSMArena

2 COMMENTS

  1. If it does, it also imply that the plastic case/cover can easily be removed. If that is so, then it better come with a removable battery as well.

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