It appears that not all HTC One (M8) handsets are created equal, at least in the U.S., where Sprint has apparently scored an exclusive version of the handset that packs Harman/Kardon speakers. The news was tweeted earlier this week by gadget leaker @evleaks and was then confirmed on the xda-developers forums.
Even though Sprint’s HTC One (M8) model may be special when it comes to sound, neither Sprint nor HTC are advertising the feature just yet.
Other users have found Harman/Kardon audio traces on their handsets, posting images that seem to prove their Sprint One (M8) have special sound capabilities. Specifically, a screenshot shows a Harman/Kardon audio menu in the Settings app, which doesn’t appear on other handset versions, including the AT&T and international versions that BGR has reviewed.
Screenshots showing the Harman/Kardon audio menu follow below.
UPDATE: Comments from an xda-developers member on the matter were removed from the forum, and the post.