The new kid on the HTC block is the HTC One mini 2. It takes the design of the M8 and shrinks it, looking to bring you that HTC experience in a smaller package.

The HTC One mini 2 admittedly has an awkward name, the second iteration of the One mini, but based this time on the M8's design.

But what do you get in this more compact package? Is this the M8 experience but easier to manage for smaller hands, or is the One mini 2 just looking to cash in on the M8's good looks?

We've put the two side-by-side to determine exactly what the difference is.

Design

The design is where these two devices align: they're available in the same grey, silver and amber gold colours, with a luscious brushed metal finish; both have plenty of metal in the bodywork. 

The most immediate difference is the plastic band framing the display on the One mini 2. This also encompasses the Micro-USB and headphone sockets and means that when you grip the phone, you're touching plastic with your fingertips, rather than the metal of the M8.

It's a subtle difference, but changes the feel. The HTC One mini 2 also isn't as well built. Where the M8 uses zero-gap construction, you can feel the ridges of plastic in the body of the One mini 2. It's still better than most rivals, it's just not at the level of the M8.

The HTC One mini 2 measures 137.43 x 65.04 x 10.6mm and weighs 137g; the HTC One (M8) measures 146.36 x 70.6 x 9.35mm and weighs 160g.

Display

That smaller frame mostly comes down to the fact that the HTC One mini 2 has a 4.5-inch display, compared to the 5 inches of the M8.

That means less screen real estate, but a more manageable package if you've got smaller hands.

Both displays are rich in colour and detail, with the mini 2 offering 1280 x 720 pixels, 326ppi, compared to the sharper 1920 x 1080 pixel, 440ppi of the M8. 

Power

The HTC One (M8) comes with the latest quad-core 2.3GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 chipset with 2GB of RAM. That makes for a fluid and fast experience no matter what you're doing. 

The HTC One mini 2 offers a 1.2GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 chipset with 1GB of RAM, quite a step down. This isn't only mini in dimensions, it scales back the hardware performance too.

Cameras

One of the hottest battlegrounds in smartphones is cameras. The HTC One (M8) introduced a Duo Camera to give a range of depth-based photo effects alongside the UltraPixel sensor. The M8 camera is very fast and packed full of features.

The HTC One mini 2 drops both in favour of a common-or-garden 13-megapixel sensor, as well as losing the dual-tone flash. 

In the process, you also lose Zoe capture, Panorama 360, dual camera shots and all the depth-based options, so it's very different in this department.

Both feature a 5-megapixel front-facing camera, so at least you'll be looking good in those critical selfies.

The sensor hub

Embedded in the HTC One (M8) is a sensor hub, providing information in a low-power state and enabling a collection of features. 

This is missing from the HTC One mini 2 and flushed out with it are double-tap to wake, motion gestures, the Pan 360 camera feature, support for the Dot Cover, as well as low-power support for fitness apps like Fitbit. 

Elsewhere

Elsewhere much is the same. Both handsets are 4G, both offer BoomSound speakers and both have microSD card slots for storage expansion.

Both also offer Android 4.4 KitKat with Sense 6.0 over the top. This latest version of Sense is one we really like: it's packed full of useful options and refinement. Visually, it's the same on both devices, but obviously some features are missing from the new device.

Conclusion

The HTC One mini 2 might look like a smaller version of the M8, both in terms of design and the user interface visuals, but there's gulf of difference between these two devices. 

HTC hasn't taken the approach offered by Sony with the Xperia Z1 Compact: this is a very different phone, sitting in the mid-range, rather than at flagship level. 

HTC is yet to confirm the HTC One mini 2 price, but we suspect it will be around £320, compared to the £560 of the M8. Naturally, you get less phone for less money, but it's important to appreciate that the One mini 2 isn't a smaller version of the M8, it's a very different phone.

The HTC One mini 2 will be available from June 2014.

READ: HTC One mini 2 preview