HTC One Mini 2: Battery Life

The One Mini 2 includes a non-removable 2,100mAH battery, up from 1,800mAh in the One Mini, which just about made it through a day. HTC also includes a Power Saver mode where you have the option to conserve CPU usage, reduce screen brightness, turn off vibration feedback and put the data connection to sleep when the screen is off.

Applying these power management tools are crucial to getting a day’s play and even more. In light use and off a single full charge, you can comfortably get a day and half out of the One Mini 2 and that’s a big improvement on its predecessor. In more intense circumstances, it’s a little less. Running a standard definition video on loop with 50% brightness and power saver mode on, the One Mini 2 manages a still impressive 9 hours. Again, an improvement on the One Mini.

When the battery is flat out, charging from the mains for 30 minutes adds 15% of battery and takes three hours to get back to full capacity.

HTC One Mini 2: Call Quality

The One Mini 2’s call
quality is fine. Not a lot has changed here and it still includes dual
microphones and uses HTC’s Sense Vice to increase volume levels when you
enter noisy environments to ensure calls are heard loud and clear on
both sides of the conversation.

Calls are perfectly audible and
noise-free. It doesn’t replicate audio clarity issues you’d normally
associate with mid to low range smartphones.

HTC One Mini 2: Connectivity and Storage

The One Mini 2 supports Wifi 802.11 a/b/g/n and is 4G LTE compatible to enjoy those faster web browsing and download speeds depending on the coverage in your area. A run of the Speedtest Android app in Uxbridge and then at our Central London offices with a Vodafone 4G SIM delivers an average of 9Mbps download speeds and 4Mbps upload speeds. Uploads speed get up towards the 35Mbps running in the Central London tests, but that’s well below the maximum 150Mbps speeds. Those optimum scores do of course depend on the perfect coverage conditions.

For multimedia streaming and connectivity, NFC has now been included. There’s 16GB of storage to accommodate files and that’s helped by the fact there’s microSD card support up to 128GB if you are willing to spend big on the additional microSD cards, of course. 

Should I buy the HTC One Mini 2?

This is a difficult one. Just like its larger, more expensive compatriot the One M8, the One Mini 2 is a great-looking phone. It has a great screen, too, a better camera and improved battery life compared to the One Mini, and better than average speakers. But it’s hard to escape the feeling it’s a little pricey considering the alternatives available.

The new, 4G Moto G, for example, is half the price and offers almost identical performance, but the for the rather average camera. For the same price, meanwhile, you could get the HTC One M7 from last year or the outstanding Nexus 5, which is still one of the best smartphones you can buy and isn’t really that much larger in the hand despite its 5-inch screen.

What it comes down to, then, is how much value you put on the One Mini 2’s sleek, metal design and its speakers. If these appeal to you it’s a good phone that won’t let you down, but if you’re more concerned with value then there are better deals out there.

Verdict

The HTC One Mini 2 is a nice phone, but at launch it’s a little expensive. If you love the design you won’t be disappointed with the One Mini 2, but we’d recommend most people seek out cheaper alternatives or wait for the price to drop a little.

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