Turns out an M8 in a plastic shell is still a pretty awesome phone. A couple of months after the launch of the HTC One M8 came word of a new plastic-clad variant aimed at emerging markets — the HTC One E8. Looking like a mashup of various HTC designs from the past year or so, the E8 aims to translate the core of the M8's high-end experience into a less expensive package. Right now HTC is targeting markets like China, Russia and India with the E8, so there's no indication of any wider international launch. Nevertheless, we've got the device in-hand, and we've given it the full hands-on treatment. And as it turns out, transplanting the M8's guts into a soft-touch plastic shell makes for a pretty compelling smartphone.

The E8 feels like a cross between an M7 and a Droid DNA. With the main differentiator being a plastic, not metal body in the HTC One E8, you might expect this to be a cheap-feeling phone, but that's not the case at all. We're using the matte grey E8, which feels fantastic in the hand. It's not unlike the Droid DNA, only the soft-touch shell extends further around the sides, and the black space around the display tapers off towards the edges, like the HTC One M7. Verizon is offering the Pixel 4a for just $10/mo on new Unlimited lines In fact, there's a lot about the E8 that reminds us of last year's HTC One. The more angular shape, for one, meaning it's easier to hold onto than the current HTC flagship. We're reminded once again that HTC knows how to work with plastic as well as metal. The E8 is also available in glossy red and white color options, which are more than a little reminiscent of HTC's Butterfly devices.

On the inside, however, this thing is essentially an M8. It's running a quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 processor at 2.3 or 2.5GHz, depending on where you buy it; our Singapore model E8 is running the 2.5GHz chip. That's paired with 2GB of RAM and 16GB of storage, expandable via microSD. There's a fixed 2,600mAh battery, just like the M8, and a similarly gorgeous 5-inch 1080p display. That's flanked by HTC's trademark BoomSound front-facing speaker setup, which to our untrained ears sounds just as boomy as the M8's. So the hardware muscle of HTC's flagship is intact. More: HTC One E8 specs