Well two flagships coming out every year from every manufacturer is normal now, HTC has announced the successor of One (M7) earlier this year, and it's time for another successor of the second flagship, and it is the Butterfly 2. The Butterfly 2 is not a flagship that going to replace the One (M8), but it's more on stylish life. So, what so special about it? You'll find it out in this review.
Specifications
- Dimensions: 145.4 x 70.2 x 9.99 mm
- Weight: 151 g
- Display: 5" Full HD (1,080 x 1,920 pixels) IPS LCD
- Processor: 2.5 GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 801
- RAM: 2 GB
- Memory: 16 GB, microSD card slot
- Camera: 13 MP Duo Camera, 1080p video recording, 5 MP front
- Battery: 2,700 mAh
- OS: Android 4.4 KitKat
Design
The Butterfly 2 carries same design language over previous generation. The red version we're having comes with plastic polycarbonate body, while the white version that is now available in the market comes with matte material.
Unlike the Butterfly S, the BoomSound speakers on the Butterfly 2 have been redesigned. It looks much better compared to Butterfly S, sadly, there's no JBL LiveStage technology on it because it is only limited to Japan, Taiwan and Hong Kong units.
The phone is quite fingerprints magnet, and you might want to consider a casing as in time to time usage, there will be dented or scratches around the phone, if you drop it. Still, the power button is located at the top of the phone, which is not comfortable to press.
The Butterfly 2 features waterproof design, there are flaps for microSIM and microSD card slots at the left and right respectively. Although the device is IP57 rated, but this doesn't mean the microUSB port and 3.5 mm jack are covered, HTC has did some shock circuit coating on it so that the microUSB port and 3.5 mm jack are uncovered.
Curved back design is usually what HTC smartphones have, no exceptional for the Butterfly 2. Just as usual the Butterfly 2 is nice to hold and comfortable in your palm, but the device is quite slippery.
Display
The 5" 1080 Super LCD 3 display is back on the Butterfly 2. I'm curious why HTC hasn't changed the display since the original Butterfly was announced.
Although the display panel is same, but I noticed that it is slightly dimmer than the One (M8). However the display still have nice color with wide viewing angle.
Performance
Being the second flagship from HTC, the Butterfly 2 packs the same processing package as the One (M8). It is powered by 2.5 GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 processor backed up by Adreno 330 GPU and 2 GB of RAM.
The performance of the phone is undeniable, it is just fast and impressive. Playing games like FIFA 15 or Asphalt 8 is not a big problem.
It scored 26,471 on Quadrant Standard and 43,176 on AnTuTu benchmark, which is just right below the HTC One (M8).
Software
HTC Sense UI always keep things simple and fast. The Butterfly 2 is running on Android 4.4 KitKat with Sense 6 UI,
Sense 6 UI allows you to change the theme, as well as download fonts from Play Store. HTC has introduced the Motion Launch gestures on the One (M8), and it is also available on the Butterfly 2. So it's not a problem even though the power button is hard to reach. HTC BlinkFeed is always the fastest way to check out news from your social network or subscribed website. It is at the left of the homescreen, and if you don't like it, you can disable BlinkFeed.
Camera
Unlike the One (M8), the Butterfly 2 comes with a normal 13 MP f/2.0 Duo camera. This time HTC has left out the UltraPixel on it, giving consumers more choice to choose, because not everyone loves the UltraPixel technology.
The camera interface is simple, you can swipe from up to down or from down to up to switch between front and rear camera. HTC will also roll out the Eye Experience update to it in the future to make it more fun.
Camera samples
The camera quality looks warm but sometime it is close to the actual color. The change of camera resolution does capture more detail image and it looks better now. However, as the resolution increases, the noise level of the image also increases. Macro shoot is not the best for the Butterfly 2, the camera just out of focus on close object.
The Butterfly 2 also comes with Duo Camera, which allows you to edit the photo with a few cool effects such as UFocus, Foregrounder, Seasons, Dimension Plus and Sticker.
By applying the effects on the photo, your photo quality will scale down to 2 MP resolution, however the quality is still decent because who cares about the detail when you are playing with those cool effects?
Battery
The Butterfly 2 packs a slightly bigger 2,700 mAh battery. It comes with Extreme Power Saving mode, which only gives you the access of basic functionality on your phone. The battery life is average, not too good and not too bad. It is able to last for around 8 hours for heavy usage and a day for moderate usage. Keep it in mind that my battery usage is different from you.
Final Words
The HTC Butterfly 2 is priced at RM 2,299 with red and white colors, while the blue version remains exclusive for Japan, Taiwan and Hong Kong. It is completely different from what you experience on the One (M8), besides the user interface. It's good to see HTC has added another choice for consumer. If you have an active sport life, the Butterfly 2 is a worth device.
Pros
- Waterproof
- Smooth experience
- microUSB and 3.5 mm headphone jack are uncovered
Cons
- No 4K video recording
- Some problems might happened after getting out the phone from water such as earphones icon appeared without plugged in or faulty screen rotation
- Screen is slightly outdated
Written by: Charles
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