HTC has a history of teaming up with leading designers to produce unique versions of some of its top smartphones. And today the company has announced its latest design collaboration — a partnership with Singapore-based design house Phunk Studio to create a handful of limited edition HTC One M8s. The phones, of which only 64 will ever be produced, bear a unique etched pattern crafted by HTC and Phunk designers around the theme of "wonderment."
The limited edition Phunk M8s also serve as a preview of the design collective's upcoming exhibition, taking place in Japan, Singapore and Hong Kong this year as it marks its 20th anniversary. Aside from the unique designs on the back, it's the same HTC One M8 we know and love, in glacial silver and amber gold.
We've got a full photo gallery after the break. As for how you can get hold of a Phunk Studio HTC One M8 yourself... well, stay tuned.
Press Release
HTC AND PHUNK PARTNER TO UNVEIL LIMITED EDITION HTC ONE (M8)
First partnership in HTC's 2014 design collaboration programme 'Here's to Creativity'
LONDON, Aug. 14, 2014 – HTC, a global leader in mobile innovation and design, has teamed up with design power house PHUNK, the internationally acclaimed, Singapore-based contemporary art and design collective, to create a limited edition version of the award-winning HTC One (M8) handset. The campaign, which launches on Aug. 14, 2014, will see 64 bespoke handsets specially created to provide a sneak preview of the collective's upcoming exhibition, which will take place throughout Japan, Singapore and Hong Kong in 2014.
Renowned for its commitment to outstanding design, HTC's collaboration with PHUNK champions the world's best design and creative talent. To deliver the bespoke creations, PHUNK and the design team at HTC worked together to explore the ideas of Wonderment, taking inspiration from surroundings, culture and the society in which we live - all of which complement HTC's focus on creating original, spirited and intuitive design.
Jonah Becker, Head of HTC Design said: "At HTC we are always looking for inspiration from designers and artists across all cultures and media. PHUNK is a hugely talented collective of designers and artists whose global perspective and attention to craft mirrors our values on the HTC design team. Their work responds to the world around them in the same way we design for the attitudes and behaviors we see in people during our creative process. We worked closely with PHUNK to integrate their interpretation of the 'Wonderment' theme into the metal unibody of the HTC One (M8), culminating in an exceptional piece of art that is an inspiration to our team and those who will be lucky enough to own one."
Jackson Tan, Co-Founder of PHUNK said: "We're celebrating our 20th year in the industry so we were really excited to be involved in something that allows us to further spread our creativity in areas we haven't yet explored, when it comes to innovation in technology. The design created for the HTC One (M8) gives a snapshot of our forthcoming exhibition, which is inspired by, and is an interpretation of, the world around us. It's the first time anyone has been able to cast their eyes on what's to come from our art and design collective, and we are excited to share our passion for cultural spirit, love, joy and magic."
The limited edition PHUNK design is featured exclusively on the HTC One (M8) - the ultimate in advanced, premium mobile design. The handset sports a high-resolution, 5" screen, wrapped in a sophisticated metal unibody. The intelligent HTC Sense® 6 software experience brings the beautiful exterior design of the HTC One (M8) to the inside, and HTC BlinkFeed™ collates bite-size news updates on to the users' home screen. As well as this, stunning images are just a snap away, thanks to the new Duo Camera and the HTC UltraPixel™ sensor which allows stunning images to be captured in any light. The partnership with PHUNK follows on from the success of HTC's previous limited edition handsets including British fashion designer David Koma.
Reader comments
HTC One M8 Phunk Studio Edition unveiled
My new HTC One (M8) PHUNK limited edition just arrived today. It is beautiful!
Oh I won this phone.
...a little gaudy for my taste, but I'm sure someone with bad taste will buy it.
Reminds me of the custom artwork Zune used to do "Zune Originals" when they were still around. I just wish they made an option to get things like this engraved on the back, like an aftermarket option through HTC Advantage.
Alright Phil, Lauren told me you guys would be giving one away! That must be what the stay tuned means,huh?
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That means, I WANT ONE!!!!!!!!
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I love my HTC One M8, but I am not cool with it looking like artwork for the Crips gang. I am actually disappointed because one of the etchings is very similar to well-known Crips gang artwork.
HTC may want to find better artists.
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Looks like the old MS custom Zune art.
From my Note 2 to you
Ugly.. looks like an Ed Hardy design.
Love the look but no point in doing this they should spend time focusing on getting their sells up this won't do it...
I'll just leave this here.
That looks so cool!
Really awesome graphic on the phone.
Clearly for people stupid enough to not use a case.
Why would you care about a design on your phone with a case on it?
I don't use a case yet I don't feel stupid... Maybe because I am smart enough to not be careless with a phone I paid 680€ for.
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Some might say not using a case to protect a phone you spent 680€ on IS being careless... but I say to each their own.
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Wallpaper
moved from nexus 5 to HTCm8
And I thought mine looked cool when I put my new dBrand skin on it... five minutes before reading this. *sigh*
The design looks like a shirt ufc fan boys wear.
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I prefer the metal backs to this.
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The backs are still metal. The designs are etched in the metal.
That looks horrific.
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Is the camera any better on the M8 than on the M7 in low-light conditions? If not, I would rather see HTC spend their time and resources on camera improvements, than on this kind of stuff. I am starting to tire of my M7 camera being virtually unusable in low-light conditions. As much as I don't want to make my next phone a Samsung, I am now giving it serious consideration, as their phones appear to have way superior cameras.
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It's lots better! Still not perfect, but it's awesome. And your M7 cam is unusable in Low Light situations? That's strange because it was the opposite for me. Low light shots blow everything else out of the water, but if there's a lot of light, the M7 would not know how to handle it.
And I'm betting HTC spent very little time on this project, especially since there's only 24 made.
Strange. It seems everyone I talk to has a different experience with the M7 camera.
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Same problem with me but I know why ! I've had my m7 for over a year now and it first it was a beast in low light ! Now I always get a pinkish purple tint when it's dark . I know the reason tho, I am a power user on my phone, I play high graphic games with a controller, I stream hd movies and I customize my screen all the time. With that said it's a hardware issue not a software issue. I'm sure you noticed your phone get hot from time to time. Well that heat damaged the camera sensor . It's still good in good lighting but in low light it always has a tint. This is going to sound ridiculous but just to prove my point . (put your one m7 in the freezer for 5 minutes ) take it out and open your camera (in low light ofcoarse) the pink purple tint will be gone for a short while then it will return. So long story short the heat from using the HTC one damaged the sensor. Software will not fix it. As for me I don't buy a phone based on the camera. (My selfie game isn't crazy) and in day light it's still a great camera to post on social media. If your a megapixel counter then try the HTC E8 or move from HTC. I'm not a fanboy of any company I usually switch phone every couple months but with this phone it has not gave me a reason to for now.
Those designs aren't attractive on the M8. Looks like they were drawn on with a Sharpie.
I think some of the photos / mockups just aren't very good. From this picture you can better tell that the designs are etched in the metal: http://www.droid-life.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/PHUNK-One-M8.jpg
Thanks, that definitely does look better. Still not a fan of these though.
Beautiful! Absolutely stunning! I must have 10!
PHUNK THIS!!!!!
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FUGLY
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.......ugly phone is ugly
Agreed. I don't like that at all.
They could give this away
Now that's an idea.....
...And so it begins...
Would have made more sense to do this on the next-generation one m9 imho. It does look nice though
Posted via Android Central App on my HTC M8
Right about time to release it............ not.