HTC One M9 Rumours

The HTC One M9 Looks And Sounds Utterly STUNNINGMore Sharing Services

The update to the HTC One M8 will launch on March 1 2015. It's called the HTC One M9 AND these are its full specs

It's that time of year again where some of the biggest names in the Android mobile space push their latest flagship handset to the masses. Expect big things in the coming weeks. While Samsung is thought to be prepping at least one Galaxy S6 and Sony has a new Xperia Z4 in the pipeline, HTC has its own One brand due for the annual refresh.

The HTC One M9, as it is being called in rumours, is one of the most hotly anticipated devices at the moment - there's a loyal fanbase of users who love everything about the brand, and that's in no small part becuase it champions premium materials and luxurious design. It also has a few tricks that other manufacturers are yet to match - things like high-end front-facing stereo speakers.

The HTC One M9 is scheduled for launch at MWC 2015. It will also apparently be joined by HTC’s first ever wearable (a smartwatch, no less). A lot is already known about the M9, including details about its specs, hardware and overall design and finish. As releases go, there’ll be plenty in 2015. But none we’re looking forward to as much as this one. HTC has proven it KNOWS how to build a good phone, and 2015’s One M9 will be no exception to this rule. 

Read on to find out why. 

HTC One M9 Release Date

HTC has now officially announced a flagship launch date of March 1 and has begun sending out press invitations. Unlike last year's separate event for the HTC One M8, the M9 will be making an appearance at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona.

Of course HTC hasn't confirmed it's the M9 specifically, all we're getting is a teaser saying "utopia in progress", whatever the hell that's supposed to mean.

It's not really anything new, but it's always somewhat reassuring when prominent and oft-reliable big-name news sources chime in on mobile rumours. As of January 19, Bloomberg reports to have heard from an anonymous "person familiar with the matter," who seemingly backs up earlier claims that HTC is unveiling a flagship M9 phone with enhanced imaging at MWC in March. Hurrah.

HTC One M9 Specs

Leaked details suggest there will be a Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 octa-core chipset inside made up of a 2GHz quad-core Cortex A57 running alongside a 1.5GHz quad-core Cortex A53 setup. All this will be joined by 3GB of RAM as well as Cat 6 LTE connectivity.

Upleaks has secured the information from a trusted source suggesting the handset is set to be almost the same size as the HTC One M8. According to the leak it’ll have dimensions of 144.3 x 69.4 x 9.56 mm but there is currently no clue on the weight of the handset.

There will be a Full HD 5in screen as on the HTC One M8 and it’ll also launch with the latest and greatest Android Lollipop software on board. As for cameras we’ll see a 20.7MP main shooter on the back but it’s currently uncertain what the front facing snapper will be – the leak suggests either 4MP or 13MP. That could mean there are two versions of the phone doing the rounds or HTC just really isn’t sure how far to take its obsession with selfies.

As for the battery we can expect to see a 2,840mAh battery, a slight upgrade from the 2,600mAh offering on the M8.

HTC One M9 Design & Display

Another source claims to have got hold of the HTC One M9’s front panel and it suggests the next HTC flagship will have a strong screen-to-bodywork ratio with more display and less bezel. Here’s the image leaked from the source suggesting the bezels will be slimmed down quite some way.

In the image there isn’t the room for the BoomSound speakers at the top and bottom of the handset. Previous rumours suggest HTC is trying to thin those down even further though, so it may end up being an even more compact design than before.

The source claims the front panel is 5.2in, not 5.5in as we’ve heard from a variety of rumours. 

Other sources have suggested HTC is happy with the metal body found on its current flagship range and will keep the same style with a few refinements. Those same rumours suggest there will be the same three colours as the HTC One M8, grey, gold and silver as well as a “Gunmetal Gold” version as well.

Looking similar is one thing but the latest leaked picture of the HTC One M9 via Zol proves that the M9 will be a decidedly different beast than its predecessor. As you can see below, the HTC One M9’s design has been refined in many ways; it appears to be thinner and uses attractive metallic accents that bounce of the mirror black frontage. The back of the handset will apparently keep the same curved aluminum setup, which is fine by us as it not only looks great but also makes the handset easier to hold.

“The One (M9) will feature a 2560 x 1440 QHD display, Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 processor, 3GB of RAM, 13-megapixel front-facing camera, 20.7-megapixel main camera, 2,840mAh battery and Android 5.0 Lollipop,” according to BGR. The only discrepancy here –– compared to previous reports –– is the inclusion of a QHD display similar to what is found on the Nexus 6 and LG G3. Other reports had claimed the contrary; that HTC would stick to 1080p for its next flagship –– and we’d hoped that was going to be the case after testing a slew of QHD Android handsets in 2015. 

At first it appeared the company was sticking to its guns over display resolution and size, which meant the next HTC One would have the same size display as 2014's HTC One just with a slightly larger battery pack, which would mean, ladies and gentlemen, better battery performance. This is how the iPhone 6 Plus does it and why the Nexus 6, despite having a HUGE battery cell, can barely make it through 10 hours of heavy use.  

HTC appears to be looking at the complaints levelled at last year's model –– namely the camera, battery life and software –– and fixing those rather than arbitrarily updating EVERYTHING just for the hell of it. 

HTC One M9 Prototype Leaked

More leaks generally means a launch is getting closer, so with all the blurb pointing to a March launch it's perhaps not surprising we've now seen some photos showing off what appears to be the HTC One M9.

The images come courtesy of oft-reliable French tech site nowhereelse.fr, and show a design which looks VERY similar to the existing HTC One M8. Visible differences include what appears to be a much narrower bezel along the display edges, a tweaked punched speaker grille design, and a different style of camera port. It's thought the M9 will ditch the M8's dual-camera setup for a no-frills 20MP shooter, and here we have what appears to be a single lens inside a rounded-square port shape, flanked on one side by a dual-LED flash.

More images have now emerged via Phandroid showing off the One M9's design. As we already saw, it's got the familiar aluminium build and shape just like the M8.

However, there are some apparent tweaks to the design - most notably the power button seems to have moved from the top of the phone (as per the M8 and original HTC One), to the side, near to the volume rocker.

Phandroid reports that the snaps come from a "reliable source" with ties to HTC.

HTC One M9 Prototype Leaks May Be Decoy Devices

There've been quite a few leaks recently showcasing the HTC One M9's metallic design and features, but apparently we may have all been duped by trick often suspected of being at play inside the mobile industry ahead of big launches - decoys. According to a report from HTCSourcethe leaks we've seen so far "do not accurately represent the final design of the HTC One (M9)."

The report goes  on to add that the final product will show off some more significant changes from the One M8's design, notably including an edge-to-edge display panel. Meanwhile, it's thought the punched speaker grille style will go the way of the Dodo - instead we're hearing about a slit grille design over the BoomSound speakers. It's implied these speakers may have moved to the top and bottom panels of the handset, along the edges - this may be a move to accomodate a true edge-to-edge display as HTC's old speaker positioning could leave little room for touch sensors and such.

In addition, the source alleges that while the One M9 chassis we've been seeing may be inaccurate, it's thought the internal components are the same as the final product.

HTC One M9 Will Be Joined By 5.5in Edge-To-Edge HTC One "Max"?

Well there seems to be a bit of a back and forth over the HTC One M9, it appears the rumour-peddlers can't decide whether it'll be a big-screen device or not. However, there is an alternative hypothesis here, and one supported by HTC's earlier releases - a series of HTC One phones at different sizes.

We previously saw the HTC One Max - a 6in smartphone - launched shortly after the HTC One. Now it's being claimed that the HTC One M9 (or perhaps a variant of it) is being developed as another "Max" device with a 5.5in display. Not only is it a larger touchscreen, but according to the rumours it will be bezel-less, aka edge-to-edge.

The word comes via 4GNews, which also claims the display will feature a QHD 2560x1440 pixel resolution at 534 pixels-per-inch (ppi). It's also expected to feature a Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 at 2.3GHz and with 3GB of RAM, while the battery pack will be suitably hefty at 3,000mAh. We've only heard talk of one storage variant at 32GB so far and there's no mention of microSD at this stage.

Meanwhile, the rest of the report sounds similar to what we've heard already - a 20MP camera sensor on the back and a 4MP front-facing secondary, as well as HTC's impressive audio tech with front-facing speakers.

There's also some gossip about a fingerprint scanner, but seeing as the one on the original HTC One Max was about as useful as a chocolate fireguard and about as welcome as a fart in a space suit, we're not going to get too excited just yet.