The final nail in the coffin for HTC. HTC One A9.

[lopri]

I get a sense that someone higher up in HTC headquarter really dislikes symmetry. (or really likes asymmetry)

The M7 looks best among the trio of M7/M8/M9 no doubt but I have heard that they had a build quality problem with that design.

 

[cronos]

I get a sense that someone higher up in HTC headquarter really dislikes symmetry. (or really likes asymmetry)

The M7 looks best among the trio of M7/M8/M9 no doubt but I have heard that they had a build quality problem with that design.

There's QC problem in maybe a few of the early batches. The edges weren't in line, etc. But other than that (and the overheating camera module that turn everything pink/purple), everything is fine.

 

[senseamp]

Would you guys get this or the Nexus 5X?
One A9 vs Nexus 5X
3GB > 2GB
SDCard > No SDCard
5" < 5.2"
617 < 808
2150mAh < 2700mAh
Non-Nexus < Nexus
Alloy > Plastic
$400 < $429 (32GB)
Partial NFC < Full NFC
OIS > No OIS

 

[amyklai]

Would you guys get this or the Nexus 5X?
One A9 vs Nexus 5X
3GB > 2GB
SDCard > No SDCard
5" < 5.2"
617 < 808
2150mAh < 2700mAh
Non-Nexus < Nexus
Alloy > Plastic
$400 < $429 (32GB)
Partial NFC < Full NFC
OIS > No OIS

The LG G4's also in that price range. It's bigger, but it has a great screen, a great camera, swappable battery and an SD card slot.

 

[Skurge]

Wow, this phone only has design going for it, and even that has some issues.

LG G4 is pretty damn close in price, the Moto X is too, and a Galaxy S6 is the same price on contract and $100 more retail and the design is just as good, but specs wise is far superior.

And then of course the Nexus 5X is a little more.

 

[Mondozei]

What do you need a finger print scanner for? On any phones I use, hitting the power button turns the phone on instantly. Don't waste time messing with any lock screen. If a thief steals my phone, there's nothing worthy in the phone and I just use a standby phone.
$400 is still over priced when there's moto g and Asus zenphone under $200

I got a Lenovo K3 Note for 150 dollars via importing from Aliexpress and it's a good 1080p 5.5" phone with decent amount of RAM and a decent camera.

Paying more than 2X for specs which aren't really better is a joke. And the hype around metal is BS, too. I'd prefer something lightweight and where I can easily change the battery over something like that.

But even the Moto G is overpriced. Xiaomi has a number of 1080p 5"+ models with good interior specs, some with a SD808, for around $200 or even lower. You can import those without issues.

Honestly, the budget segment is fairly broken in the West.

 

[Megatomic]

Random generic Chinese Android phones are a non-issue for 99% of the market here in the USA. Even my OPO is completely unrecognized by anyone who sees it. No one outside of the underwhelming minority of consumers who frequent tech blogs and forums is going to import an unknown device so forget that crap.

Now back on topic, the A9 is looking like a great phone to me. I am capable of getting a full day of use from my Moto X 2013 running Android 5.1. The A9 has a slightly larger battery and the battery saving features of Marshmallow to it's advantage. We're all going to have to wait for Anandtech and Ars to review it before any of us casts any judgement on it in that regard.

Design-wise, opinions are going to vary and if you like the design of the A9 - wonderful! If you do not - so be it! Buy or don't buy, it's your money after all.

Spec-wise, if you are a power user who plays high end games, the A9 will be anemic and you may want to shop elsewhere. If you are the average Joe, the SD617 has plenty to offer. Plus it has expandable storage which is a plus for everyone.

Camera-wise, Myriam Joire and Vlad Savov have both praised the A9 already. That's Myriam who is extremely picky over phone cameras and Vlad of iVerge. I don't need to say much more here.

For me, the A9 is looking really promising. For my IRL friends and family who aren't die-hard Apple users, the A9 is also really promising. We are the types who the A9 is being marketed towards, not the ultra bleeding edge spec lovers - they have their options elsewhere.

 

[Thanatosis]

Smart decision by HTC. They need to turn a profit or they need to go out of business, so they are providing what people on android appear to want: iOS hardware with android OS and an SD card slot.

The fingerprint scanner is a big deal too, for a $399 off contract phone that is an amazing deal. It is a shameless ripoff of the iPhone 6 in appearance, but so is that Meizu and Samsung has been doing the same crap for years. I can see this thing selling really really well, much better than most other midrange android phones. Just the fingerprint scanner is enough to make people consider it. The 5X is its only competition, and it has no SD card slot and is plastic and awful looking. Way better deal here with the A9.

 

[Megatomic]

Smart decision by HTC. They need to turn a profit or they need to go out of business, so they are providing what people on android appear to want: iOS hardware with android OS and an SD card slot.

The fingerprint scanner is a big deal too, for a $399 off contract phone that is an amazing deal. It is a shameless ripoff of the iPhone 6 in appearance, but so is that Meizu and Samsung has been doing the same crap for years. I can see this thing selling really really well, much better than most other midrange android phones. Just the fingerprint scanner is enough to make people consider it. The 5X is its only competition, and it has no SD card slot and is plastic and awful looking. Way better deal here with the A9.

I agree with everything you just said, thanks.

 

[senseamp]

The LG G4's also in that price range. It's bigger, but it has a great screen, a great camera, swappable battery and an SD card slot.

Too big.

 

[kaerflog]

Also, you were comparing the A9 to Galaxy S6. That's not exactly fair.

Well, HTC is trying to bill this as an iPhone 6 alternative, same price on contract, somewhat flagship phone so why can't it be compared to the S6 ??
Also you can find a brand new unlocked S6 for less than $500 so why can't it be compared ??
BTW, HTC is billing this as their flagship phone for the holiday season.

 

[Megatomic]

Too big.

My 5.5" OPO is too big for me overall. I love it when I'm not active, but I am a runner and the 5" screen size of the A9 is a HUGE benefit to me. If your lifestyle supports you using a giant phone full-time that's awesome, but mine does not.

 

[kpkp]

It's not a bad phone, except I am not sure they can go away with copying the iPhone bezels and battery size.
Also the $399 appears to be the promotional/launch price, making everything even less appealing.

 

[Megatomic]

It's not a bad phone, except I am not sure they can go away with copying the iPhone bezels and battery size.
Also the $399 appears to be the promotional/launch price, making everything even less appealing.

I do worry about that, JR Raphael tweeted that yesterday and he's right.

 

[kaerflog]

I'm not a HTC basher by any mean. The HD2 was revolutionary. That was my first real smartphone.
The HTC M7 was also revolutionary. You see how everyone copied HTC lines in the back for the antennas. HTC should have listened to their customers and build upon that. Instead they made 2 more designs just like and expect to win over their customers.
I remembered right before the M9 came out and there were rumors that the M9 was going to look like this and I said I'm buying one if that was true. Sadly the M9 looked exactly like the M8.

 

[cronos]

Well, HTC is trying to bill this as an iPhone 6 alternative, same price on contract, somewhat flagship phone so why can't it be compared to the S6 ??
Also you can find a brand new unlocked S6 for less than $500 so why can't it be compared ??
BTW, HTC is billing this as their flagship phone for the holiday season.

Because of the hardware inside it. Even you mentioned twice in the OP that this phone is mid-range (and complain about the price). No matter how you spin it, the Galaxy S6 is not mid-range, it's Samsung's this year's early flagship.

Now, if you *really* want to compare Samsung and HTC's mid-range releases towards the end of 2015, the Galaxy A8 would be the perfect comparison for the the One A9. They even have similar specs. Have at it.

Edit: Again, if you don't realize it, I'm agreeing with you that comparing this phone with the S6, of course most people would pick the S6, especially because the price has gone down significantly. I'm just saying it's not a fair comparison, hardware wise.

 

[senseamp]

What's the deal with the off screen home button but not other two buttons. Hello?

 

[Megatomic]

What's the deal with the off screen home button but not other two buttons. Hello?

Fingerprint reader. It just also happens to work as another home button if you'd like to use it as such.

 

[senseamp]

Fingerprint reader. It just also happens to work as another home button if you'd like to use it as such.

But why not add two more capacitive buttons so that screen real estate can be freed up?
Also, SD617+3GB of RAM vs SD808+2GB of RAM? Is CPU or RAM going to be more important in everyday use?

 

[Ichinisan]

 

[senseamp]

This is the "good artists copy, great artists steal" that Steve Jobs was talking about.
HTC was first with the metal case with plastic antenna strips, Apple used it, and now everyone thinks that it's Apple's design. So effectively, Apple didn't just copy HTC, it stole that design and made HTC look like a copier.

 

[lopri]

It is a rectangle with rounded corners. Of course it is an iPhone.

 

[Red Storm]

That is one ugly phone. I do find it interesting that sites/people are so quick to make iPhone comparisons, somehow forgetting that HTC made the M7 which this draws from. Unfortunately for HTC, their design went downhill after the M7.

 

[gus6464]

What's partial NFC?

 

[Megatomic]

That is one ugly phone. I do find it interesting that sites/people are so quick to make iPhone comparisons, somehow forgetting that HTC made the M7 which this draws from. Unfortunately for HTC, their design went downhill after the M7.

What's "ugly" about it?