A new member of the HTC family, the HTC One X9, is finally unveiled in China, bringing with it attractive design and specs.
The latest HTC device goes toe-to-toe with the other earlier released HTC smartphones. Can this new metallic Android device meet the expectations of HTC fans? How does it compare with HTC One A9 and HTC One M9?
HTC One X9
Perhaps, one of the best assets of this device is its price tag, which is at only $370. This makes the phone the most affordable "hero" device ever produced by the handset maker.
This device touting 5.5-inch 1080p screen within a body that measures 153.9 x 75.9 x 7.99 millimeters (6 x 2.99 x 0.31 inches). It comes equipped with the Helio X10 processor, which is an octa-core chipset from MediaTek.
Under the hood it packs in 32 GB of storage plus 3 GB of RAM. For those who need more storage, the phone sports a microSD slot which can accommodate up to 2 TB of storage.
What's notable with this phone is it offers dual Nano SIM slots.
Just like the more expensive One A9, the One X9 boasts a 13-megapixel f/2.0 main snapper, which comes along with optical image stabilization and dual-tone flash to make the offer more interesting. Its front shooter has UltraPixel f/2.0, which is designed to shoot good images even in low-light conditions.
To sweeten the pot, HTC added in Dolby BoomSound front-facing stereo speakers, which are absent from the more expensive One A9.
In terms of its operating system, there is no official word yet from HTC whether the phone will feature Android 6.0 Marshmallow.
Furthermore, the Taiwanese phone maker has not provided a date when the phone can be preordered more so as to when the shipping will start and how long deliveries will take.
It is likewise anticipated that HTC is going to offer a similar bargain when it starts releasing the phone outside of China.
This phone is powered by a 3,000 mAh battery.
The downside for this smartphone, though, is it lacks the fingerprint sensor present on the One A9.
At any rate, the One X9 seems to be an upgraded version of the One A9, so this phone could be a better alternative for those who think that the latter model is a bit underwhelming.
HTC One A9
Design-wise, the One A9 got a full metal body that gives it a look akin to iPhone 6. Purchasers will get to choose from an assortment of color options, which include Carbon Gray, Deep Garnet, Opal Silver and Topaz Gold.
When compared with the One M9, this phones seems to be larger yet slimmer, boasting 145.75 x 70.8 x 7.26 millimeters (5.7 x 2.79 x 0.28 inches) dimension. It is also lighter, weighing only 143 grams (5 ounces).
In terms of power, it has a Qualcomm Snapdragon 617 chipset.
The One X9 reigns supreme when it comes to battery capacity because the One A9 only comes with 2,150 mAh battery. However, this does not automatically translate to inefficiency, in fact with hardware and software optimization, One A9 is still it more power efficient if compared to One M9.
One A9 has two versions to choose from: 2 GB variant with 16 GB storage and 3 GB with 32 GB of storage. For those who need extra storage, and also comes with a microSD card slot.
What is worth mentioning with this particular handset is that it runs Android 6.0 Marshmallow.
The One A9 features a 5-inch display offering a resolution of 1,920 x 1,080 pixels and 441 ppi.
It uses an AMOLED panel providing richer colors and deeper blacks than the One M9. However, other people find such characteristics a bit less realistic.
In terms of its snappers, the phone sports a 4-megapixel UltraPixel one on the front for selfies while its main camera features a 13-megapixel with an f/2.0 aperture. This phone has optical image stabilization.
In terms of video, though, this phone only offers full HD video.
One of its best-selling points is the fingerprint scanner, which is deemed a major addition to handsets this year. This nifty feature allows for quick unlocking of the phone.
The One A9 has a speaker at the bottom of the phone. Instead of BoomSound speakers, it comes with BoomSound headphones, which can offer high sound quality, thanks to the Dolby Audio along with superior DAC.
Furthermore, the phone supports Android Pay.
HTC One M9
The One M9 has somehow always been put up against One A9 in terms of specs and worth.
The M9 steps in at 144.6 x 69.7 x 9.61 millimeters (5.7 x 2.74 x 0.38 inches), making it a bit smaller yet thicker than the A9. At 157 grams (5.54 ounces), it is heavier too. In terms of display, it has an LCD panel and a 5-inch screen.
Buyers can select from a variety of color options such as Gunmetal Gray, Amber Gold, Silver/Rose Gold, and Gold/Pink.
The phone is powered by Snapdragon 810 chipset and houses 3 GB of RAM. This means that it is better than the One A9 in terms of delivering graphic-intensive tasks.
It likewise offers 2,840 mAh battery, which is a bit more than what the One A9 has to offer.
It rocks 20-megapixel f/2.2 main camera. What's also worth mentioning is that it touts UHD 4K, which implies that if your focus is the video capture, you may want to pick One M9.
While it does not feature a fingerprint scanner, it is equipped with an IR blaster which allows users to control the TV.
Price-wise, you can buy this phone for around $649 according to the HTC website, but by now, lower prices are definitely available if you search hard enough online.
