HTC One M10 vs One M9: What’s the rumoured difference?

HTC announced its last flagship – the One M9 – at Mobile World Congress in February 2015. That device was then followed up by the One M9+ and more recently, the A9, the latter of which entered the mobile market as more of a mid-range device.

The next flagship – which has been given several names including One M10 and Perfume – isn’t due to launch until April this year but there are already plenty of rumours circulating about what the company’s new hero device might offer.

We have broken down the reports and rumours to sift out what specs we might see appear on what we are calling the HTC One M10, for now. Read on to find out how HTC’s next flagship could compare to the One M9, based on speculation.

HTC One M10 vs One M9: Design

The HTC One M9 measures 144.6 x 69.7 x 9.6mm and weighs 157g. It features a dual-tone metal build and it is a clear evolution of the HTC flagships that have gone before it. The M9 comes complete with BoomSound front-facing speakers and a HTC logo at the bottom of the device on the front.

The HTC One M10 is rumoured to carry the same measurements as the M9, but it is thought it will take its design cues from the recently launched A9 instead, offering a flatter and sleeker design. It has been suggested the M10 won’t sport BoomSound speakers but will offer a high-quality DAC and possibly with support for MQA instead.

Leaked images show the M10 to feature what appears to be as fingerprint sensor on the front capacitive button like the A9, as well as no HTC branding on the front of the handset. There also appears to be a ribbed side button like the A9.

HTC One M10 vs One M9: Display

The HTC One M9 features a 5-inch Full HD LCD display, delivering a pixel density of 441ppi. HTC has always been praised for its displays and its ability to deliver bright and vibrant colours, as well as white whites and black blacks, although the M9 wasn’t its strongest.

The HTC One M10 is rumoured to be changing things up entirely when it comes to the display however. Firstly, reports have claimed the size will be increased to 5.1-inches or 5.2-inches, which, if the measurements predicted are accurate, means the screen to body ratio on the M10 would be better than the M9.

It has also been suggested the resolution will increase to Quad HD and an AMOLED panel will be used instead of LCD, like the A9. If this is the case, you can expect a better display experience on the M10 over the M9 with sharper, clearer images thanks to the increased pixel density. If a 5.2-inch display appears, the M10 will offer a 565ppi, while a 5.1-inch display will provide a 576ppi. An AMOLED display will also mean brighter, more vibrant colours.

HTC One M10 vs One M9: Camera

The HTC One M9 features a 20-megapixel rear camera, coupled with an UltraPixel front camera. The main camera is capable of 4K video recording and it comes with an f/2.2 aperture lens and auto-focus. The front-facing camera has a wider aperture at f/2.0 and is capable of 1080p video recording.

There have been a couple of rumours relating to the M10’s camera. Some have claimed the new flagship will come with a 23-megapixel rear snapper, coupled with the same UltraPixel front-facing camera as the M9. Others have suggested the rear camera would be a 12-megapixel UltraPixel sensor, while there has also been talk of a 5-megapixel front-facing camera. In terms of the rear camera, some reports have said the aperture will be widened to f/1.9, which if true, should allow for better low light performance.

The front-facing UltraPixel camera works for the M9 so it wouldn’t be surprising to see HTC include this on the M10. What the company will do with the main camera is less predictable but chances are it will offer improved capabilities over the M9.

HTC One M10 vs One M9: Hardware

The HTC One M9 features the Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 processor under its hood, supported by 3GB of RAM and 32GB of internal storage. It has a microSD slot for further storage expansion and its battery capacity sits at 2840mAh.

The HTC One M10 is said to be coming with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 chip, coupled with 4GB of RAM and 32GB of internal storage. MicroSD is expected to make an appearance again. A 3000mAh battery has been touted.

There is no word on whether USB Type-C will make an appearance, allowing for faster charging and data transfer, but it has been rumoured the M10 might come with some sort of waterproofing.

HTC One M10 vs One M9: Software

The HTC One M9 launched with Android Lollipop, coupled with HTC Sense 7 which made its debut on the device. It has since been updated to Marshmallow.

The HTC One M10 is expected to launch with Android Marshmallow, with HTC Sense 8, a newly refreshed version.

However, the One A9 launched with Android Marshmallow and it came with a much lighter version of Sense called Sense 7_g, stripped down and closer to its Android origins – think Marshmallow with the best of Sense. There’s a chance the M10 could also launch with a stripped down version of Sense, named Sense 8.0_GP.

HTC One M10 vs One M9: Conclusion

The HTC One M10 or Perfume will undoubtedly come with upgraded hardware in comparison to the One M9 but it is also looking like it will come with an upgraded design too.

Many believe the next HTC flagship will follow in the footsteps of the A9 rather than the M9, bringing with it an improved camera, processor, extra RAM and possibly even a larger battery, as well as more refined software.

Everything is speculation for now but keep checking back as we will update this feature as more leaks appear and the official specs are announced.