HTC 8S review

One of the first Windows Phone 8 devices, but does this mid-range handset impress?

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HTC Windows Phone 8S review
Double trouble from HTC as we get hands on with its second Windows Phone 8 handset

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The HTC 8S comes with a 5MP camera on the back. There's no front facing camera, so video calls, webcam and checking yourself out on the bus are all off the table.

5 megapixels is pretty standard for a mid range handset, though some way behind the 8 megapixel snappers found on most higher end phones like the Nokia Lumia 920.

HTC 8S review

There are a few options to play with on the camera. You can turn flash on or off, change the exposure, contrast, sharpness, white balance, saturation and ISO, as well as adding a handful of effects such as sepia or negative.

Surprisingly there aren't any actual scene modes, there are enough options that you can probably get the camera optimised for most situations but that takes' time and knowledge. It would certainly have been nice if there were a few basic ones like night and action.

What you do get are different 'lenses', which add new features and options to the camera. The only one that comes pre-installed is 'Bing Vision', which is basically just a Barcode and QR code scanner, but you can find more on the store, such as one which translates printed text.

There's also a dedicated camera button, which makes taking photos a lot easier than on handsets which require you to tap part of the screen.

All things considered while it won't be winning any awards it's not a bad camera at all for a mid range handset, though a few scene modes would have definitely helped.

HTC 8S review

Despite only having a 5 megapixel lens the camera is capable of taking some fairly decent photos.

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HTC 8S review

It takes a decent stab at landscapes, though the background can become a bit muddy.

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HTC 8S review

Close up's aren't as crisp as we'd like but they could be a lot worse.

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HTC 8S review

There's no action mode, so unsurprisingly fast moving vehicles end up a little blurred.

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HTC 8S review

Poorly lit interiors come out quite dark and grainy if you don't use flash.

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HTC 8S review

With flash there's a noticeable improvement as the image becomes a lot brighter and clearer, however it doesn't eliminate the noise.

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HTC 8S review

Night time shots fare poorly, though given the absence of a night mode this is to be expected.

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James Rogerson
James Rogerson

James is a freelance phones, tablets and wearables writer and sub-editor at TechRadar. He has a love for everything ‘smart’, from watches to lights, and can often be found arguing with AI assistants or drowning in the latest apps. James also contributes to 3G.co.uk, 4G.co.uk and 5G.co.uk and has written for T3, Digital Camera World, Clarity Media and others, with work on the web, in print and on TV.