HTC is finally rolling out the Android 5.1.1 Lollipop update for the Developer Edition of the HTC One M9, bringing with it a slew of improvements to the various issues plaguing owners of the special edition flagship smartphone.
The over-the-air update will bump the device's software version to 2.6.651.11. With nearly 800 MB in size, it is advisable that users download the firmware update over Wi-Fi to avoid exorbitant charges on mobile data.
Aside from the standard improvements that come with Android 5.1.1, the software update will also bring data performance and call drop improvements as well as enhancement to the battery life.
More importantly, Android 5.1.1 aims to provide a fix to the overheating issues users of smartphones running on Qualcomm's Snapdragon 810 currently experience, which is greatly exacerbated on the One M9 with its all-metal build. Hopefully, with the temperature management optimization tweaks HTC has included in the update, we see an improvement in the phone's ability to dissipate heat generated by its processor.
HTC is also rolling out tweaks to the camera software to address issues with photos taken both in bright and low-light conditions. With the latest update, users should be able to take better photos with automatic exposure under bright lights, while also being able to cut back on noise and blur in photos taken with low light. These two improvements have actually gone out to international and have taken a long time coming to the One M9 in the U.S.
While there are probably very few people who own the One M9 Developer Edition, this should be a piece of good news to most people who have the regular One M9, as it means the Android 5.1.1 update for the smartphone should not be so far around the corner.
In fact, last week, HTC said it will be rolling out the over-the-air update for the One M9 running on Sprint's network. Mo Versi, vice president of product management for Sprint himself took to Twitter to announce Android 5.1.1 OTA updates for the One M9.
HTC One (M9) Sprint Owners! We have received technical approval on Lollipop OS 5.1 which includes camera improvements. OTA to start on 7/1!
— Mo Versi (@moversi) June 29, 2015
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