We wouldn’t be wrong if we called the HTC One M9 one of the most talked about smartphones at the MWC 2015 and there are reasons for that. The company has finally revamped its flagship handsets and since the M7 and M8 were relatively successful handsets, expectations were high from the HTC One M9 too. The HTC One M8 carried the baton forward from the M7 with an all-aluminium frame and a well-performing camera. It oozed premium feel in the typical HTC fashion. So will the HTC One M9 uphold the tradition? Let’s find out by stacking the two against each other.
Key Specs
| Model | HTC One M8 | HTC One M9 |
| Display | 5-inch Full HD | 5-inch Full HD |
| Processor | 2.3 GHz Quad Core Snapdragon 801 | 2.0 GHz Octa Core Snapdragon 810 |
| RAM | 2 GB | 3 GB |
| Internal Storage | 16/32 GB, Expandable 64 GB | 32 GB, Expandable 128 GB |
| OS | Android 4.4.4 KitKat | Android 5.0 Lollipop |
| Camera | 4 MP ultrapixel duo cam/ 5 MP | 20 MP AF 2016p Video/ 4 MP 1080p video |
| Dimension and Weight | 146.4 x 70.6 x 9.4 mm and 160g | 144.6 x 69.7 x 9.6 mm and 157g |
| Connectivity | 4G LTE, USB2.0, GPS/GLONASS, BT4.0 | BT 4.0, USB2.0, GPS/GLONASS, 4G LTE |
| Battery | 2,600 mAh | 2840mAh |
| Price | Rs. 49,900 (MRP) | T.B. A |
Display and Processor
The HTC One M9 actually has the same display as the HTC One M8. Both come with a 5-inch display with a 1920 x 1080p full HD resolution. The only difference being, while the HTC One M8 came with Corning Gorilla Glass 3, the HTC One M9 comes with Gorilla Glass 4. The HTC One M8 had a clear and smooth display and the HTC One M9, too, has the same. While the era of 2K displays are here, courtesy, Sony and Samsung, HTC seems satisfied with offering a full HD display. An average Joe might not make too much of a difference between the two, but a geek would, simply because the experience of playing high-end games on the device will differ.
As for the internals, the HTC One M8 came with a 2.3-GHz quad core Snapdragon 801 SoC, while the HTC One M9 comes with a 64-Bit octa core Snapdragon 810 SoC. You can expect a reasonable jump in performance while shifting from Snapdragon 801 to Snapdragon 810. The Snapdragon 810 has four cores clocked at 2.0 GHz and four at 1.5 GHz. The 810 might help you get more juice out of your smartphone since it can easily switch between the four fast and four slow cores, depending on how much power your device needs at the moment.
The RAM capacity has been increased to 3 GB to accompany the Snapdragon 810 chipset.
Camera and Internal Storage
The HTC One M9 sports a 20-megapixel rear cam, breaking from the typical HTC tradition of ‘UltraPixel’ cameras. While the HTC One M8 came with a 4-megapixel camera with a low-light sensor, the HTC One M9 has followed the crowd on this one. UltraPixel cameras performed better in low-light, and thankfully, HTC has endowed the M9 with the same, albeit with a huge push in megapixels and a much wider camera lens. But, the camera does not come with Optical Image Stabilization (OIS), so in some ways the One M8 is a much better bet in terms of camera. Basically, if you want detailed shots, go for M9 and if you want clarity, go for M8.
The front cam has now been pushed up to 4-megapixels, which don’t matter, since hey aren’t Ultrapixels. As for internal storage, the HTC One M8 came in both 16/32 GB versions, while the HTC One makes the jump straight to 32 GB. It also supports MicroSD storage up to 128 GB.
Battery and other features
While the HTC One M8 came with a non-removable 2600 mAh battery, it has been increased to 2840 mAh on the HTC One M9, still non-removable. The device also comes with Android 5.0 Lollipop OS and and Sense 7.0 UI.
Sense 7.0 makes your device more customizable with downloadable themes and icons that can be created based on your wallpaper. A Smart Launcher widget lets you easily launch your apps and new effects for the camera are things to look out for. The HTC One M9 is 4G LTE compatible, just like the HTC One M8. Both devices look somewhat the same, aside from the camera.
Conclusion
The HTC One M9 is not a major but, rather an incremental update to the HTC One M8. Most changes are obligatory only – whether it is BoomSound, an increase in the battery and internal memory. What will make or break this device, then, would be the 20-megapixel rear cam. The M9 looks and feels similar to the M8, but the camera tweak is enough to make it stand out. The fact that its too similar to the HTC One M8, will be an aberration in selling the device, as many would skip it and only HTC fanboys might go crazy over it. We expect the HTC One M9 to be launched at a high premium, just like the HTC One M8.
