HTC has committed to providing Android software updates to the new HTC One A9 within weeks of their availability.
The Taiwanese manufacturer recently announced its latest smartphone, the curiously iPhone 6S-like HTC One A9. Other than its familiar looks, one of the most notable features of the One A9 will be the rapid turnaround of its OS updates.
“This One A9 unlocked edition will provide you with every Android software update within 15 days of when Google first pushes to their Nexus line,” said HTC America president Jason Mackenzie (via The Verge).
Note that Mackenzie specifies the unlocked version of the HTC One A9, or the one you would buy outright from a retailer rather than the one you would receive when you sign up to a contract.
This is because mobile operators invariably slow software updates down with their own checks and additions.
Still, 15 days is a rapid turn-around given HTC’s own considerable Sense UI modifications. If it sounds at all fanciful, then note that it was Mackenzie who recently refused to join Samsung and LG in committing to monthly Android security updates. He called such assurances “unrealistic” thanks to those aforementioned carrier roadblocks.
In other words, HTC’s US chief is not prone to making wild promises when it comes to the matter of software updates.
Related: HTC One M10
HTC also has a proven existing policy of updating its mobile network-tied phones to the latest Android version within 90 days of Google making it available.
If you demand an up-to-date Android phone, then, HTC may just have joined the (small) list of possibilities, right behind the Nexus line.
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Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
