The HTC One A9 is a quietly brilliant move for a failing company
By now you’ve probably heard all about HTC’s new One A9. There are two camps in regard to the company’s late-2015 flagship, and it seems like everyone either loves it or hates it. And while there is plenty of criticism that you can throw at HTC and the One A9, this phone is arguably the best chance the company has to plug the holes in its financially-sinking ship.
There are two distinct parts of the One A9 that are important here: price and design. The pricing is probably the more important of the two and is very telling about the direction HTC is planning on taking the One A9. It’s launching at $399 (in the United States, at least) which puts it directly between the two most competitive markets in the smartphone game.
It’s more expensive and more premium than the cutthroat budget market, going against the legion of budget Chinese smartphones and Motorola’s fantastic Moto E and Moto G, but remains priced below the heavy hitters like Samsung, LG, and Apple. That’s important because there really aren’t many smartphones in this price range, unless you count discounted older models. The biggest competitor HTC has to contend with at $399 Google’s and its Nexus line, which has always struggled to claim tons of market share thanks to a strained relationship with carriers and a lack of any real advertising. That last point might change with the Nexus 5X and Nexus 6P, but so far we haven’t seen a wildly successful Nexus device in the mainstream.
In this decidedly mid-range market, HTC has an opportunity to stand out more than they do at the extreme high-end and the extreme low-end. The HTC One line has struggled to stand up to Samsung and Apple in previous years, and HTC isn’t profitable enough to compete in a race to the bottom with shrinking margins. The One A9 hits a sweet spot between someone trying to save some cash but still looking for a premium, powerful device.
The One A9 doesn’t have ridiculous high-end specs on paper that match the Galaxy Note 5 or the LG V10, of course, but does it really need them? The Snapdragon 617 is the more advanced cousin of what we’ve seen in phones from just a couple years ago. The Galaxy S4 and original One M7 both used the Snapdragon 600, and if you’ve played with either of those devices recently, they still run pretty well. They aren’t going to do laps around a Galaxy S6, especially when it comes to gaming, but they hold up extremely well for web browsing, checking Facebook, sending text messages, and all of the things that most of us use our phones for 95% of the time. Processors have really only gotten better for things like gaming, and even older processors do just fine for all but the most demanding mobile games.
On top of that, the Snapdragon 617 is more power efficient than the original Snapdragon 600, which should make up for the admittedly small battery in the One A9. But between a more efficient processor, opting for a perfectly acceptable Full HD (1920×1080) AMOLED screen, and focusing on software, all signs point towards the One A9 doing more with less. It’s too early to say for sure just how the battery will hold up. At first glance, it looks like that’s been a serious priority for HTC.
And aside from the processor, HTC crammed in high-end specs where it mattered. The internal storage here, set at 32GB, should be a standard on all phones, and HTC included a microSD card slot. There’s 3GB of RAM on board, more than enough for multitasking, and the camera is shaping up to be one of the best HTC’s ever featured. There’s still the fantastic UltraPixel camera on the front of the device, which is really where it excels. The only thing that’s really missing would be the famous BoomSound speakers, but with all of the other hardware and software tweaks HTC has made for music listeners, that’s almost an acceptable loss.
HTC has also doubled down on software updates, promising the newest version of Android within 15 days of when Nexus devices receive software updates for its unlocked version. That’s as close to a Nexus device that you’re going to find from any manufacturer, bar none.
All of this brings up to the second major point about the One A9, and that’s the design. And we can all be completely honest here; it looks like an iPhone 6. You can argue that Apple subtly ripped HTC off with the original design of the iPhone 6, but what HTC did was a straight up, shameless rip-off of Apple’s flagship. And really, that’s not a bad thing. Love ’em or hate ’em, Apple knows how to design a smartphone. Even if you don’t like Apple’s design language, the iPhone 6 (and soon to be iPhone 6S) is the single most popular smartphone on the planet in terms of popularity and sales.
So while it’s kind of funny to see HTC boldly snag another company’s design quite so blatantly, that’s one less thing HTC had to worry about when designing the One A9. The iPhone 6 design is nearly universally loved with barely any complaints, excluding the protruding camera lens. There aren’t many high-end smartphones in 2015 that don’t have protruding cameras, and if that’s your biggest complaint with a device, it’s clearly doing everything else pretty well. The design fits well in hand, feels fantastic to use, and honestly just looks like one of the most attractive phones ever. There are some snags when you see the home button on the front of the device that acts as a fingerprint scanner, but again, Samsung and Apple are both selling phones by the truckload with front-facing fingerprint scanners, so that’s clearly something consumers want. Good artists copy, great artists steal, right?
The HTC One A9 is a mashup of the things that the vocal minority say they want. It has the attractive design and hardware of Apple’s iPhone, it offers the latest and greatest from Google, albeit with HTC Sense on top of everything, it’s easily unlockable for the tech crowd that wants to tinker and customize, and it focuses on doing the most with its hardware through software instead of just piling on more memory and faster processors, which doesn’t always work out. HTC found that out first-hand with the thermonuclear Snapdragon 810 incident earlier this year. The One A9 isn’t original, and it isn’t groundbreaking in any way, but it offers the best of multiple manufacturers in a price point that gives HTC a chance to survive to make another round of flagship phones.
This is all in theory, anyway. It’s up to HTC to execute. Fingers crossed.
Come comment on this article: The HTC One A9 is a quietly brilliant move for a failing company
Check out our gallery of the HTC One A9
So the new HTC One A9 arrived on my doorstep late in the afternoon yesterday. And like many of HTC’s devices, this is one premium piece of hardware. The One A9 features an all-metal unibody design that has been brushed twice and then received a bead-blasted finish. All around, it measures 145.7 x 70.8 x 7.26mm. HTC built another device that is both beautiful to look at and feel.
Need a look for yourself? Check out various shots of the One A9 after the break.
Note: Click any of the following images to view in a larger size.
Any questions about the HTC One A9? Comment below and I’ll be sure to answer your questions.
Come comment on this article: Check out our gallery of the HTC One A9
HTC exec defends One A9’s design: Apple copies us
You don’t need perfect vision to see that HTC’s latest smartphone, the One A9, is nearly identical to Apple’s iPhone 6 and 6s. But the Taiwan-based company swears Apple copied its design first, not the other way around, pointing to its One M7 and M8 flagships as proof — both came out before the iPhone 6 series. According to Want ChinaTimes, during a recent press briefing in Taiwan, HTC’s North Asia President Jack Tong responded to claims calling the A9 an iPhone clone. “We’re not copying. We made a unibody metal-clad phone in 2013 [the year the M7 was released],” he said. “It’s Apple that copies us in terms of the antenna design on the back.”
Via: BGR
Source: Want ChinaTimes
HTC executive is not amused: “It’s Apple that copies us.”
When HTC announced the A9 this week, some felt a strange twinge of déjà-vu: how could this familiar metal clad phone actually be “brand new?” Indeed allegations of copy-cat craftsmanship had been circulating for weeks now. After the official unveiling however, a much more vocal claim has been made, HTC it seems, is not very amused by the coarse commentary and spoke out about such similarities.
Jack Tong, President of HTC North Asia, had the following to say at a press event held today for the Taiwanese launch of the new phone:
“We’re not copying. We made a uni-body metal-clad phone in 2013. It’s Apple that copies us in terms of the antenna design on the back.”
The 2013 device in-question, for those wondering, was none other than the HTC One (M7), which truly turned heads at the time for making liberal use of metal in a time when everyone else was pushing plastic or gushing over glass.
Mr. Tong continued, stating that:
“The A9 is made thinner and more lightweight than our previous metal-clad phones. This is a change and evolution, and we’re not copying.”
First come, fast forgotten
The current accusations that HTC faces are hardly new in the mobile space. Apple – thanks to its high brand awareness and solid sales – occupies a pioneering place in the minds of the mainstream. For the vast majority of the world’s population, the iPhone was the first smartphone, and the iPad the first tablet. Seemingly everything these two products entail were all done by Apple first, a misconception that is only furthered by the company’s finely crafted marketing and liberal use of adjectives.
To all those who got there first however, their achievements are essentially forgotten. Numerous tablets were made running Windows XP, for example. Japan had NFC and even fingerprint readers over a decade ago. PDAs were basically prototype smartphones. Touch screens were first described in 1965. The whole situation is not unlike that which Nintendo enjoyed when it “invented” motion sensing (Wii), for example.
Line-up: Both the HTC One M7 (right) and One M8 (left) released before the iPhone 6 was ever announced.
While it’s quite easy to see the similarities between the HTC A9 and the Apple iPhone 6S, it’s also quite easy to see the similarities between the Apple iPhone 6 and the HTC One M7. Yet, because the public became aware of metal bodies and antenna lines through Apple’s design language, it makes sense that some individuals would have a gut reaction of a copy-cat crisis. The same has already been made about the Lenovo PHAB Plus, for example.
Privy to Preparedness
Aside from the strong words issued by Mr. Tong, a new leak provides some insight into the way the company is seeking to educate its staff about the claimed copying:
The slide is quite direct in what it states, and serves to reiterate the talking points mentioned earlier today in Taiwan.
A cross-licensing misconception
Around the time Apple and Samsung were waging war in a California courtroom, the Cupertino-based company entered into a cross-licensing agreement with HTC. Although the actual terms of deal are unknown, under the agreement, HTC is free to use the following technologies and UI elements on smartphones during the decade, among others:
- Slide to unlock
- Universal search
- Bounce scrolling
- Scroll locking
Nowhere was it specifically mentioned that HTC is given a green-light to copy Apple’s product designs however, and indeed this may be why the company has yet to sue the Taiwanese-based OEM on hardware design-related matters. It is thus erroneous to assume HTC is somehow “within its rights” to clone the iPhone and Apple would literally have to look the other way.
What’s to come
Lenovo has already been accused by some for “cloning” the iPhone.
Given that the HTC A9 was just announced, we won’t know how sales fare for some time. The device has certainly managed to pique the interest of those in the market for a mid-range product, and has definitely got people talking. Perhaps HTC could ask for nothing more, as this makes for an enormous amount of free press, the likes of which would otherwise cost exorbitant sums of money to generate.
It remains to be seen as to what Apple ultimately has to say about the device, if anything at all. If the company should take a critical opinion of the design, it would be an almost hypocritical statement given the iPhone 6’s similarities to the M7. In many ways, this new issue represents a very critical look at what Tim Cook’s Apple will do, as opposed to what Steve Job’s Apple already did.
Perhaps one thing that is a bit more certain, is that HTC will seek to focus on this new design language in the future, with Mr. Tong indicating it will be carried over to the M-series as well as the Desire line.
(function ()
document.getElementsByTagName(‘body’)[0]).appendChild(opst);
());
HTC One A9 design to extend to future products, such as the M Series
The HTC One A9 was not greeted with the most welcoming reception following its debut a couple days ago. While it appears to be a solidly built mid-ranger, its strikingly close resemblance to the iPhone just sticks out like a sore thumb.
One thing that was certainly on my mind was if this new design language would be carried over to the One M series devices (the M10 is expected in the Spring), or if the A9 is just something HTC is trying out. Unfortunately for folks who aren’t a fan of the new direction, it appears the former is the reality.
Reported via Focus Taiwan, HTC made a statement regarding its plan moving forward from the A9.
“Starting with the One A9, our design language will enter a different and fashionable phase“
HTC sees the design change in the A9 as a “milestone”. The report goes on to say that, “HTC will extend the new design of the One A9 to the company’s premium M series and affordable Desire family,”.
So there you have it. Love it or hate it, HTC is betting its future on this foundation. Hopefully the company has some good “different and fashionable” ideas up its sleeves to differentiate upcoming devices and sidestep further criticism of the all too familiar design.
Let us know how you feel about HTC’s new direction.
The post HTC One A9 design to extend to future products, such as the M Series appeared first on AndroidGuys.
The One A9 is the start of a fashionable phase over at HTC
A couple of days ago, HTC unveiled its new One A9 smartphone, which marked quite a few changes from the company’s long running One line-up of products. As well as new hardware and software features, the HTC One A9 is also a change in direction from a design standpoint, which sounds like it will become the norm for future HTC devices.
HTC North Asia President Jack Tone said today at the Taiwan launch of the One A9 that its new design language will be extended to the company’s future premium M series of smartphones, along with the affordable Desire range. HTC is pinning hopes on a more fashionable look for both its high-end and mid-tier devices, to help turn around its dwindling smartphone revenues.
“Starting with the One A9, our design language will enter a different and fashionable phase,” – Jack Tong, president of HTC North Asia
The HTC One A9 features a full metal unibody design like the One M series, but has a much more rounded look and a flat back this time around.
HTC has been struggling to maintain sustainable profits for a number of quarters and recently crashed out of the TWSE 50 Index. The company posted a quarterly loss of NT$4.48 billion ($138 million) in Q3, after revenue fell to just NT$21.4 billion ($658 million) from NT$41.9 billion ($1.29 billion) in the same period a year earlier. Despite featuring competitive hardware, many believe that similarities between the One M8 and M9 meant that the handset failed to grab consumer attention. Perhaps this is the issue that HTC’s smartphone redesign plans aim to address.
Read more: HTC One A9 first impressions: trying some new things
Do you believe that HTC’s focus on features and design over raw performance with the One A9 will win over consumers?
HTC executive answers backlash to the HTC One A9’s design, saying “Apple copied us”
(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push();
There’s been somewhat of an uproar after HTC announced the HTC One A9 a few days ago, primarily because of the appearance of the device – to the average consumer, it looks very much like HTC lifted the design of the One A9 from the iPhone 6. It’s been a sentiment that’s been echoed around the world, but a HTC executive has come out guns blazing, saying “Apple copied us”. The comments were made by Jack Tong, President of HTC North Asia, who said:
“We’re not copying. We made a uni-body metal-clad phone in 2013. It’s Apple that copies us in terms of the antenna design on the back.”
“The A9 is made thinner and more lightweight than our previous metal-clad phones. This is a change and evolution, and we’re not copying.”
The device in 2013 Tong refers to is of course the HTC One M7. However, while we agree with Tong that the concept of a uni-body metal phone may have been copied from Apple, the fact that the One A9 shares so much of its overall design with the iPhone 6 (and we’re talking about the detailed design, not the overall concept of having a metal phone) and was released a full year after the iPhone 6 is hard to swallow as a mere coincidence.
What do you think about Tong’s comments about the design of the One A9? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
Source: Want China Times via Phone Arena
The post HTC executive answers backlash to the HTC One A9’s design, saying “Apple copied us” appeared first on AndroidSPIN.
HTC One A9 availability – what we know so far
jQuery.ajax(
url: “//player.ooyala.com/v3/7f2b2d0412e84a188ede8d648751dc42?namespace=OoyalaPlayer7128&platform=html5-fallback”,
dataType: “script”,
success: function()
var ooyalaplayers = ooyalaplayers
);
HTC has just announced its newest addition to the One line, the One A9. Featuring an all-metal design, a new Snapdragon 617 processor, a 13MP rear camera and Android 6.0 Marshmallow, this is certainly an interesting device. Wondering where and when you can get your hands on one? We’ve got you covered. Here are a list of carriers and retailers who have announced plans to carry the device.
Related: HTC One A9 first impressions: trying some new things
United States availability
- AT&T – While details are pretty scarce at the moment, AT&T has just announced its plans to carry the device both online and in-store. Pricing, availability and additional details will be shared at a later date.
- Sprint – Sprint has revealed that the One A9 will be available on Friday, November 6th. You can pre-order the phone from Sprint for $199 with a two-year agreement or for $696 without a contract. Through January 7th, qualifying customers can pay $20 per month for a 24-month lease on the device. Also for a limited time customers activating a new One A9 will receive two monthly service credits for $20 each following the device’s activation.
- Don’t buy this phone outright from Sprint. You can purchase it unlocked from HTC.com for just $399.99 and save yourself almost $300.
- T-Mobile – While T-Mobile hasn’t officially revealed its plans to carry the One A9, the carrier is listed on HTC’s website as an available carrier if you’re looking to pre-order the phone.
U.K. availability
Unfortunately folks in the U.K. will have to pay a bit more for the device than residents in the United States. The unlocked One A9 will cost £429.99 from HTC.com, which translates to around a whopping $664 USD. And that’s not all! Not only do folks in the U.S. get to pay a much cheaper price for the model with 3GB of RAM and 32GB of storage, the device shipping to the U.K. is the lower-end variant with 2GB of RAM and 16GB of on-board storage. Ugh.
As for the carriers, only O2 has revealed its plans to carry the One A9, though availability details are scarce at the moment.
Canada availability
- HTC.com – Canadians can now pre-order the unlocked One A9 from HTC.com for $549.00 CAD. The device will be available in Opal Silver, Carbon Grey and Deep Garnet color options, with devices shipping out on November 6th.
HTC will be launching the device through Canadian carriers as well, though we have yet to hear any specifics.
Online availability
- HTC.com – If you happen to live in the U.S., you can already pre-order the unlocked One A9 from HTC.com for $399.99. The unlocked device comes in Opal Silver and Carbon Grey color options with 3GB of RAM and 32GB of on-board storage. The Deep Garnet color option is coming in a few weeks.
- Right now there are two different SKUs to choose from – one that’s specifically for Sprint, and another that works with T-Mobile and AT&T. The model that works with T-Mo and AT&T will get a software update that will allow use of the phone on Verizon’s network using LTE only with a previously activated SIM, giving support for full voice, data, SMS, and MMS.
Know any others?
Those are all the regions and carriers we know so far, but we’ll keep updating as we learn more. Did we miss something? Make sure to let us know in the comments. Oh, and if you’d like to learn more about the new smartphone, feel free to check out our previous coverage that we’ve linked below.
HTC One A9 vs Nexus 5X vs Moto X Style vs ZTE Axon: specs comparison
HTC unveiled today the One A9, and it’s an interesting device. Not because it looks nothing like its siblings in the One series, but because it doesn’t really try to compete on specs with the elite of Android. The $400 A9 certainly looks like a flagship, with its smooth metallic unibody. But judging from the way HTC is selling it, the phone looks like it’s designed to compete with the iPhone, rather than other Android devices.
HTC’s intentions aside, people will inevitably compare the A9 with Android phones in its price range. That said, just how good is the A9, on paper? How does it stand up to the Nexus 5X, the Moto X Style or the ZTE Axon? Let’s find out.
.rvs_wrapper
width: 350px;
.rvs_wrapper.align_left
float: left;
.rvs_wrapper.align_right
float: right;
.rvs_wrapper.align_center,
.rvs_wrapper.align_none
width: 100%;
.rvs_wrapper.align_center
text-align: center;
.rvs_wrapper.align_center.cbc-latest-videos ul li
float: none;
display: inline-block;
vertical-align: top;
.rvs_wrapper.cbc-latest-videos:not(.align_none) ul li:nth-child(2n+1)
clear: both;
.rvs_title
font-weight: 600 !important;
margin: 0 !important;
font-size: 24px !important;
.rvs_wrapper.align_right .rvs_title
padding-left: 20px;
.rvs_title a
font-family: ‘Roboto Condensed’;
color: #3a3a3a;
.rvs_wrapper.cbc-latest-videos ul
padding-top: 10px;
.rvs_wrapper.align_left.cbc-latest-videos ul li,
.rvs_wrapper.align_none.cbc-latest-videos ul li
padding: 0 15px 0 0;
.rvs_wrapper.align_right.cbc-latest-videos ul li
padding: 0 0 0 15px;
float: right;
.rvs_wrapper.align_center.cbc-latest-videos ul li
padding: 0 7px;
.rvs_wrapper.cbc-latest-videos ul li > a
font-weight: 400;
.rvs_wrapper.cbc-latest-videos ul li > a .yt-thumbnail
margin-bottom: 0;
@media only screen and (min-width : 480px)
body #page .rvs_wrapper.cbc-latest-videos ul
width: 100% !important;
@media only screen and (max-width : 480px)
body #page .rvs_wrapper.cbc-latest-videos
width: 100%;
float: none !important;
overflow-x: auto;
overflow-y: hidden;
body #page .rvs_wrapper.cbc-latest-videos ul
overflow: auto;
max-height: none;
body .rvs_wrapper.cbc-latest-videos ul li
float: left !important;
clear: none !important;
| HTC One A9 | Google Nexus 5X | Motorola Moto X Style (Pure Edition) | ZTE Axon | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Display | 5.0-inch AMOLED 1920 x 1080 |
5.2-inch LCD 1920 x 1080 |
5.7-inch LCD 2560 x 1440 |
5.5 inch LCD 2560 x 1440 |
| Processor | Qualcomm Snapdragon 617 | Qualcomm Snapdragon 808 | Qualcomm Snapdragon 808 | Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 |
| RAM | 2/3GB | 2GB | 3GB | 4GB |
| Storage | 16/32GB | 16/32GB | 16/32/64GB | 32GB |
| MicroSD | Yes, up to 2TB | No | Yes, up to 128GB | No |
| Software | Android 6.0 Marshmallow | Android 6.0 Marshmallow | Android 5.1.1 Lollipop | Android 5.1.1 Lollipop |
| Cameras | 13MP rear UltraPixel front |
12.3MP rear 5MP front |
21MP rear 5MP front |
13MP and 2MP dual rear 8MP front |
| Battery | Non-removable, 2,150mAh | Non-removable 2,700mAh | Non-removable 3,000mAh | Non-removable 3,000mAh |
| Fast Charging | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Wireless Charging | No | No | No | No |
| Fingerprint Scanner | Yes | Yes | No | Yes |
| Dimensions | 145.75 x 70.8 x 7.26mm 143g |
147.0 x 72.6 x 7.9mm 136g |
153.9 x 76.2 x 11.1mm 179g |
154 x 75 x 9.3mm 175g |
| Price (Unlocked) | $400 | $379 | $400 | $499 |
Build
The HTC One A9 is the only device in this comparison that features a full metallic unibody (the thin antenna lines on the back not considered). Featuring a brushed metal texture and available in gray, silver, gold, and red, the A9 is a little over 7-mm in thickness and comes with 2.5D Gorilla Glass 4 on the front.
The 5.2-inch Nexus 5X is a little thicker, but lighter at 136 grams, and that’s probably due to the plastic unibody. Google’s phone comes in black, white, and ice blue, and features Gorilla Glass 3.
The larger Moto X Style combines a metallic frame with backs of plastic, wood, or leather, and is definitely the most customizable device you can get right now, thanks to the Moto Maker program.
Finally, ZTE’s Axon combines a metallic body with plastic inserts at the top and bottom. The Axon’s most distinctive design elements are the geometric grilles from the front facing speakers and the rear camera module.
Display
The One A9 is surprisingly the only device on the list with an AMOLED display, measuring 5.0 inches and featuring a Full HD resolution. No, this isn’t the most vibrant display on the market, but the compact screen size and battery-saving AMOLED qualities should make for a pretty great display experience overall.
Google’s Nexus 5X also features a relatively small Full HD 5.2-inch display, only this one is of the LCD variety. This display is similar to what 2013’s Nexus 5 brought us. It’s not bad by any means, but we certainly would have liked to see the addition of an AMOLED panel, especially considering the 5X’s handy Ambient Display feature.
The Moto X Style features the largest display out of the bunch, coming in at 5.7 inches. It also has a higher resolution than both the 5X and A9. The Moto X Style also comes with Moto Display, similar to what’s seen on the Nexus 5X, so again, it’s odd that Motorola decided to choose an LCD panel over AMOLED this time around.
Last but not least, ZTE’s Axon comes with a 5.5-inch Quad HD LCD display. The Moto X Style is the Axon’s closest competitor when it comes to both screen size and resolution.
Processing
Processing power is where the One A9 falls behind its three competitors, at least on paper. The Snapdragon 617 processor inside the A9 has eight Cortex A53 cores that run at up to 1.5GHz, coupled with an Adreno 405 GPU. This recently announced processor is entirely mid-range, and we expect to see it in many more affordable phones over the next year.
The processor is coupled with 2GB of RAM (for the base, $400 model) or 3GB of RAM, which is on par with the Moto X Style, better than the Nexus 5X, but weaker than the Axon. RAM is important for multi-tasking, but 2GB should be fine for general usage, as our recent Nexus 5X impressions show.
See also: HTC One A9 officially announced: everything you need to know
Storage
There are two One A9 models: the cheaper model, with 2GB of RAM, comes with a paltry 16GB of RAM; the 3GB RAM model features 32GB of storage. Storage on both models can be supplemented via microSD.
The Nexus 5X famously lacks microSD, which makes Google’s choice to start it from 16GB that much harder to swallow. The Axon also lacks a microSD port, though it thankfully comes with 32GB of storage. Meanwhile, the Moto X Play stars from 16GB, but includes microSD support.
Connectivity
The One A9 features only limited support for NFC – it only works for Android Pay, in the regions where the payment service from Google is available. You won’t be able to make file transfers or use NFC for pairing various devices.
The Nexus 5X, the Axon, and the Moto X Style all feature full support for NFC. Standing out, the Nexus 5X features a USB Type C port, which is reversible and supports fast charging.
Battery
Due, at least in part, to its small and thin footprint, the One A9 comes with a rather small 2,150 mAh battery. Granted, the A9’s specs may be less taxing on the battery, but you will probably still have troubles going through a full day of usage. However, HTC has an ace in its sleeve – the A9 supports Qualcomm’s Quick Charge 2 fast charging standard, and support for the more efficient Quick Charge 3 standard will roll out to the device, via software update, in the following weeks.
By comparison, the Nexus 5X packs a 2,700 mAh battery (with fast charging), while the Moto X Play and Axon come with 3,000 mAh batteries (Quick Charging 2). None of our competitors feature wireless charging.
Sound
The One A9 comes with support for 24-bit, 192KHz high-resolution audio and a dedicated headphone amplifier, which HTC says can produce up to 2x the volume compared to competing smartphones. It comes with a single bottom-facing speaker, which actually sounds pretty decent so far.
In contrast, the Nexus 5X, Moto X Style and Axon all feature front-facing speakers. While it wouldn’t appear this way, the 5X and Axon only have one speaker, while the Moto X Style has two. Audio quality is pretty great on all three devices. Front-facing speakers are certainly the way to go, and given that the One M7 was one of the first devices to feature front speakers, we would have thought HTC has done away with bottom speakers for good.
See also: A closer look at the Axon phone’s “Hi-Fi Audio”
Camera
On the camera front, the One A9 comes with a 13MP rear camera and an UltraPixel front camera. Unfortunately we haven’t really gotten a chance to check it out yet, but HTC is saying it has a much improved interface that’s easier to use. It also has a sapphire glass lens cover, optical image stabilization (OIS), auto-focus, hyperlapse video support and the ability to shoot in RAW.
The Nexus 5X has a 12.3MP rear camera and an 5MP front, both of which we’ve found to be quite good so far. Google has definitely improved the cameras in its Nexus devices this year, and we’re excited to see how well they do against the competition.
The Moto X Style comes with a massive 21MP rear shooter and a 5MP front. In our full review, we told you that the Moto X’s camera is surprisingly great is most lighting conditions, save for low-light. It’s certainly not the best smartphone camera on the market, but it’s sure up there.
As for the ZTE Axon, this device features dual rear-facing cameras (13MP and 2MP) and an 8MP front-facing camera. The inclusion of a second camera on the back makes for easier depth refocusing after the fact, which has grown pretty popular as of late. In our full review, we found that both the rear and front-facing cameras were very good. The camera interface is simple, fast and overall a joy to use.
Software
The HTC One A9 is the first non-Nexus device to run Android 6.0 Marshmallow. It’s also running the latest version of HTC Sense, which we’ve found to be pretty snappy so far. When the device was announced, HTC also said that the unlocked One A9 will get the latest version of Android a mere 15 days after the Nexus devices are updated. That’s huge news, especially coming from a company who has struggled with timely software updates in the past.
Related: Unlocked HTC One A9: software upgrades within 15 days of every Nexus update
Of course, nothing beats the software experience on the Nexus 5X. It’s running the latest stock version of Android 6.0 Marshmallow, and will continue to be among the first Android devices to receive new updates for a few years.
The Moto X Style runs Android 5.1 Lollipop, but will be updated to Marshmallow soon enough. Motorola has been pretty good at providing timely software updates in the past, so Moto X Style owners probably don’t have very long to wait. It has a mostly-stock Android experience with just a few Motorola software features added in, which we’ve grown quite fond of over the years.
As for the ZTE Axon, this device comes with a pretty clean version of Android 5.1.1 Lollipop. For the most part, the Axon’s software is relatively stock, only with a few customizations thrown in. We’re still not entirely sure how timely ZTE plans to be with software updates, so there’s no telling when the Axon will be updated to Marshmallow.
What do you think about HTC’s newest device? If given the option, which smartphone on this list would you choose? Be sure to let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
HTC One A9 to get impeccably fast Android updates
HTC today revealed its next flagship device, the One A9. There’re some mixed feelings around the device so far, but one thing HTC isn’t skimping on is high promises. If you buy an unlocked HTC One A9, the Taiwanese-based company claims that you’ll have future Android versions just 15 days after they hit Nexus devices.
That’s some very good news, for sure. Motorola in the past has promised fast updates to the latest version of Android, but has failed to deliver the “fast” part of that promise. They’ve already outlined their Android 6.0 rollout, but it’s still nowhere near as fast as HTC’s 15 day claim.
One thing’s for sure, promising all of the latest updates in a timely manner is an attractive selling point. But is it enough to break HTC out of its bleak future?
source: HTC (Twitter)
Come comment on this article: HTC One A9 to get impeccably fast Android updates
AIVAnet 