HTC fans who have been looking forward to the HTC One A9, also known as the Hima Aero, may be in for a disappointment, as the upcoming smartphone may not be the high-end device to turn around HTC's fortunes after all.
These past few weeks, rumors about a high-end, ultra-powerful handset from HTC have been making the rounds of the Internet. We have heard of a device that will run on a deca-core, tri-cluster MediaTek Helio X20 processor paired with 4GB of RAM. Rumors have also cropped up that the device will tout a 5.2-inch Quad HD display, although newer leaks have pointed to a Full HD display, as well as a "groundbreaking" camera with an f/1.9 aperture and the ability to take and store pictures in RAW. The HTC One A9 is also believed to run on Android 6.0 Marshmallow out of the box.
Unfortunately, this doesn't seem to be the case. Twitter leaker @evleaks, also known as Evan Blass, has shared the specs for the HTC One A9, and although it appears to be a decent smartphone of mid-range quality, the HTC One A9 doesn't look like it will be the "hero product" that will put the company back on the map to compete again with the likes of Samsung and LG after its shares tanked with the failure of the HTC One M9.
HTC One A9 (Hima Aero): SD617, 5" FHD AMOLED, 2GB/16GB, 13MP/4UP OIS BSI, 2150mAh, microSD, fingerprint, metal, ~7mm, 6 colors. November.
— Evan Blass (@evleaks) September 15, 2015
Blass, a prominent leaker who has gained fame due to his highly accurate leaks, says the phone will run on the new octa-core Snapdragon 617 from Qualcomm. This will be paired with a 2GB RAM and 16GB built-in storage with the ability to expand via a microSD card.
The primary camera will be a 13MP shooter with optical image stabilization paired with a 4-UltraPixel camera in front. The phone also boasts a few high-end features, including a fingerprint scanner and Qualcomm's Quick Charge 3.0 built into its processor. It is powered by a decent 2,150mAh battery, as opposed to earlier rumors that said it will have a massive 3,500mAh battery. Blass says the HTC One A9 is 7mm thick, built with a metal enclosure for a premium feel, and will be available in six unnamed color options.
HTC is scheduled to unveil what appears to be two new devices on Sept. 29, and it is likely that the HTC One A9, possibly along with the company's Halfbeak smartwatch, will finally see the light of day.
Photo: Kārlis Dambrāns | Flickr
