Everything you need to know about the HTC One M9?
The HTC One M9 release date is fast approaching, with latest reports suggesting the HTC One M8 follow-on will be officially unveiled in the days leading up to MWC 2015.
Expected to land as a direct rival to the upcoming Samsung Galaxy S6, the eagerly awaited HTC One M9 - a handset tipped to make its first official appearance on March 1 - will build on its predecessor's stylish metal design with a mass of component upgrades and new features.
Leading this line of improved specs will be a major overhaul of the phone's imaging abilities. Based on latest reports, the One M9 will see HTC ditch its brief jaunt into dual-lens photography in favour of a more traditional 20.7-megapixel rear-mounted camera. What's more, in a bid to appease selfie lovers, a 13-megapixel secondary snapper is expected to feature up front.
Under the hood there have been contrasting reports suggesting the device will feature either Qualcomm's latest 64-bit Snapdragon 810 processor or a new, octa-core MediaTek chip. Either way, the M9 should offer plenty of grunt.
One area where the HTC One M9 might come up short compared with the competition, however, is on a visual front. Unlike the LG G3 and Samsung Galaxy Note 4, it is not expected that the M9 will joining the QHD display revolution.
While early reports claimed the phone would move into the 2560 x 1440 pixel display space, it now appears this screen jump will be saved for the spin-off HTC One M9 Plus. Instead, the M9 looks set to be bestowed with the same 5-inch, 1080p Full HD panel as its predecessor.
Set to go head-to-head with the likes of the iPhone 6 for smartphone supremacy, the HTC One M9 will reportedly run Google's latest Android 5.0 Lollipop OS direct from the box with a reworked HTC Sense 7.0 UI giving the device a more premium look and feel than its TouchWiz or Emotion UI skinned rivals.
We'll continue to update this post with all the latest HTC One M9 release date details and rumours moving forward. Bookmark it not to be kept up to date on all things M9 related.
HTC One M9 Release Date
While in recent years HTC has opted to forgo the scrum of an MWC unveiling, instead choosing to debut its latest flagship wares at a dedicated launch event in the weeks preceding or superseding the Barcelona-based conference, that looks set to change in 2015 with the HTC One M9 release date.
The Taiwanese manufacturer recently issued invites to its pre-MWC press conference to be held on March 1. Although failing to mention the HTC One M9 by name, the company has teased something big, bestowing its invites with the teasing slogan 'join us to see what's next'.
With MWC 2015 being held between March 2 and 5, HTC's March 1 unveiling will see the company look to avoid the throng of competition to be announced later in the week. In an unwanted twist, however, both Samsung and Huawei have also announced plans to unveil new devices on the Sunday before the show.
As well as going up against rivals, the M9 will not have the HTC launch limelight all to itself, either. It is widely expected that the company will use the event to introduce its first wearable device.
While set to target your wrist, this wearable is not believed to be a traditional smartwatch. Instead, HTC is believed to be readying a dedicated Nike Fuelband and Misfit Shine rivalling activity tracker for launch.
Given the handset is heading for an MWC-based bow, it is doubtful that the M9 will find itself on retailers' shelves as close to unveiling as its predecessor. Last year the M8 was both announced and made available for purchase on March 25.
Although an exact timeframe is currently unclear, we would expect the M9 to hit retailers within weeks of both the Galaxy S6 and Sony Xperia Z4, in what will be one of the busiest periods of the year for new handsets.
SEE ALSO: Samsung Galaxy S6 Release Date, Rumours, News, Specs and Price
HTC One M9 News
Although the HTC One M9 name is all but a certainty, there has been much back-and-forth on exactly what the device will be called. According to claimed insider sources, the Taiwanese manufacturer will adopt an all-new naming convention for its future flagship offerings.
The leak, which came courtesy of serial Twitter-based tipster @Upleaks, stated: “OK, here’s a “little” leak; Next HTC flagship is NOT the M9. They will not use simple codename like M* anymore.”
Although dismissing the HTC One M9 name, concrete details on what the device will actually be called are still few and far between.
While it has been suggested that the M9 could actually be known at the 'HTC Hima', it is currently unclear whether this is a development name or the full production title.
More recently, the M9 name has gained further backing, suggesting a surprise name change isn't on the cards after all. Contrasting reports aside, we would expect the M8 follow-on to be official known as the HTC One (M9).
Lending further credence to this theory is the revelation that HTC could be working on a phablet-sized version of its next flagship smartphone. The name tipped for this device? Only the HTC One M9 Plus.
This purportedly powerful slate will reportedly tout a 5.2-inch display with a mega 1440 x 2560 resolution. Also expected on board is a Snapdragon 810 chip clocked at 2.3Ghz, paired with 3GB of RAM, and 32GB of built-in storage.
Personally, we'd be surprised if HTC turned its back on the ‘One M’ brand. A series which has revived the company’s ailing smartphone fortunes, the product line is as key to the company – and as recognisable to the public – as its Desire efforts in years gone by.
SEE ALSO: Sony Xperia Z4 Release Date, Rumours, News Specs and Price
HTC One M9 Rumours
The era of QHD phones is firmly upon us and there have been suggestions the HTC One M9 will follow the trend to become the next high-end handset to move beyond Full HD into the realms visual supremacy.
According to certain reports, the M8 will adopt an LG G3-mimicking 2560 x 1440-pixel QHD panel.
This isn't a foregone conclusion, however. Contrasting reports have suggested the M9 will retain the same 5-inch, Full HD panel bestowed upon its predecessor.
The benefit of bringing a hi-res QHD display to a smaller panel is simple – a higher pixel density and even crisper visuals. The One M9 could feature a 564ppi density, sharper than either the G3 (534ppi) or Note 4 (515ppi). The negatives are pretty apparent too, however, with battery demand jumping massively with the switch to a 2K panel.
Although HTC has yet to comment on the screen technology, rival Sony has been outspoken on the drawbacks of QHD.
"We don’t believe the trade-off between having a 2K screen and battery consumption is the right trade-off for a consumer," Calum MacDougall, Sony's Director of Xperia Marketing told TrustedReviews recently.
While screen quality is still open for debate, so too is size. While a handful of leaks have suggested that the One M9 will match its smartphone rivals in stature, it is widely believed the device will line up smaller than either the G3 (5.5 inches) or the Galaxy Note 4 (5.7 inches).
Further HTC One M9 rumours have suggested the phone will echo the recently unveiled LG G Flex 2 in adopting Qualcomm's latest 64-bit, octa-core Snapdragon 810 processor.
This will reportedly by paired with 3GB of RAM and 32GB of internal storage, expandable via microSD card.
The latest rumours for the One M9 'Hima' see a new entrant to the chipset fray - namely a MediaTek offering.
Coming courtesy of the Chinese media, the thinking is that MediaTek will supply a high-end system-on-a-chip to usurp Snapdragon's hold on the Android market.
SEE ALSO: Samsung Galaxy Note 5 Release Date, Rumours, News, Specs and Price
HTC One M9 Specs
The HTC One M8 is less than a year old but its spec sheet is already looking old hat when compared with the latest throng of high-end smartphones. According to latest reports, the HTC One M9 is about to rectify this.
The One M8’s camera was a feature that was much anticipated, but ultimately failed to impress. The phone’s 4-Ultrapixel dual-lens snapper stood out from the competition, but not necessarily for the right reasons.
With the M9, the Taiwanese manufacturer looks set to revert to toeing the line. While a 20.7-megapixel, OIS-enhanced camera is tipped to feature on the phone’s rear, selfie lovers could be set to rejoice as a 13-megapixel front-facing snapper has also been rumoured for inclusion.
For those who can't wait to see what sort of image quality this new camera collection will offer, we've good news. An over eager HTC employee has let slip a number of sample images shot with a test M9.
Although offering little insight into the phone's true photographic capabilities, the teased images (below) have shown the handset could feature improved low-light and indoor shooting performances.
If this crowd-following camera doesn’t tickle your fancy, HTC has hinted that a potentially surprising addition could be on the cards.
Back in April, HTC imaging specialist Symon Whitehorn hinted that the manufacturer was already working on smartphone cameras with optical zoom lenses.
“Optical zooming in a smartphone is not too far off at all for HTC,” he told Vodafone.
“I can’t give too much away, but within 12-18 months we’ll see huge advantages in phone optics.”
He added: “Two years ago I would have said that phones will never replace DSLRs. Now I’m not so sure.”
Going hand-in-hand with strong visuals is impressive audio and we don’t expect the Galaxy S6 rival to fall short on this front.
It wouldn’t be a HTC flagship without dual stereo speakers up front, and the One M9 is expected to once again pair its audio enablers with the company’s BoomSound audio-enhancement technology.
What’s more, based on latest leaks, the handset’s power-hungry array of innards will be serviced by a sizeable battery. Leaks have suggested the handset will keep on chugging thanks to a 3500mAh Lithium-Ion battery.
This sizeable power supply will join Google's latest Android 5.0 Lollipop OS in running the M9 alongside a rework Sense 7.0 UI. Although the finer details of Sense 7.0 are still unclear, past iterations of HTC's custom interface have stood out as one of our favourite Android skins.
Although a feature not set to affect performance, the M9 will feature a slightly reworked design. Maintaining a sleek, curved, brushed metal finish, leaked images have shown the M9 will adopt a slightly more rounded design.
Like the M8, a selection of M9 colours have also leaked. While the silver and grey models have been the subject of the majority of leaks, recently a gold edition has popped up (below).
SEE ALSO: LG G4 Release Date, Rumours, News, Specs and Price
HTC One M9 Price
A move to a new 64-bit processor and high-end camera optics won't come cheap. Throw in a luxurious brushed-metal design as well and the HTC One M9 price might not be too easy on your wallet.
As you might expect, there's currently no official word on the HTC One M9 price. Based on the company’s past handset launches, however, we wouldn’t expect to see the upcoming device offered up much below the £550-600 marker at launch.
What would you like to see HTC bestow upon its next flagship phone? Let us know via the comments section below.