We’ve known it’s been coming for what feels like an age, but the HTC One A9 is finally official.
It’s the Taiwanese company’s latest smartphone, and fits into the mid-range market alongside Samsung’s Galaxy A-series handsets.
The device, which was codenamed both ‘Hima’ and ‘Aero’ prior to launch, runs on Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 617 chipset.
That’s a new mid-tier chip with eight processor cores and 64-bit architecture.
It doesn’t quite broach phablet territory, boasting a 5-inch display with a Full HD 1080p resolution – protected by Gorilla Glass 4.
It’s got an all-metal body with a prominent antenna band – also like the iPhone 6 – and features a fingerprint sensor built into the home button on the front.
The entry-level version of the device has 16GB of storage built-in, with 2GB of RAM also on board. A microSD slot also features, which is good for a theoretical 2TB storage expansion – good luck finding a microSD card that big.
It’s worth noting that in some markets, a 32GB storage/3GB RAM version of the device will be sold. However, this variant isn’t available for the UK launch.
Related: HTC One M10 release date
The HTC One A9 is equipped with a 13-megapixel image sensor with f/2.0 aperture, autofocus, a back-side illuminated sensor, optical image stabilisation, and support for 1080p video recording.
The front-facing camera, meanwhile, will snap your selfies using a HTC UltraPixel sensor with f/2.0 aperture and fixed focus.
You’ll be pleased to hear that the HTC One A9 supports 4G/LTE networks, and also ships with Dolby Audio.
The battery is relatively small at a 2,150mAh capacity, but drain shouldn’t be too intense thanks to the smaller display and mid-range processor.
It also supports Quick Charge 2.0, and is forward compatible with Quick Charge 3.0.
The UK release date is set for November, pricing at £429.99. It’s worth noting that the US will receive the higher-spec variant at a significantly lower $399.99 price point – what gives, HTC?
What do you make of HTC’s new smartphone? Let us know in the comments.
Check out our HTC One A9 hands-on video:
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Editorial independence
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.
