Irish Tech News recently visited the launch in Ireland of the new HTC One M9. HTC’s latest flagship looks almost exactly like the M8, but can HTC’s latest addition to the One family rival the much loved prequel?

Look and Feel

HTC have thankfully kept the sleek, brushed aluminium unibody design that M8 users love. They’re very similar in size, although the One M9 is fractionally thicker at 9.6mm. Looking at the M8 and M9 side by side, they look very alike. There’s the two front-firing speakers, delivering HTC BoomSound™ with Dolby Audio, and the 5-inch screens, with slim black bezels around them.

The most noticeable change on the front is the upgraded camera sensor. HTC has moved the 4-megapixel Ultrapixel camera with its dual lenses from the back of the phone to the front, and at the back you have a massive 20.7-megapixel main camera with dual LED flash.

The balance of the phone feels more centered, not that the M8 was very top heavy but the M9 feels more comfortable in the hand. Add to this that the power button has been moved to the side of the phone, and you really feel that HTC have been listening to their M8 users.

What’s New?

HTC have added Dolby support to its BoomSound speakers (both with and without headphones connected) to create a virtual surround sound. Dolby’s digital signal processing makes the soundstage appear much larger by using clever software changes. You can use specific Boomsound profiles to switch between music modes and theatre modes depending on what you’re listening to.

The M9 is built for selfie lovers as the front facing 4-megapixel Ultrapixel camera has a wide-angle lens, designed to capture a larger field of view. Also included is the HTC Eye™ Experience software, which allows you to create Split Captures, take Voice Selfies, apply Live Makeup and more.

Specs

Operating System – Android 5.0 with Sense 7.0

Screen – 5-inch LCD with 1920 x 1080 resolution (441ppi)

Processor – Octa-core Snapdragon 810

RAM – 3GB

Storage – 32GB (microSD expandable)

Cameras – 20MP rear with two-tone flash, 4MP UltraPixel front

Connectivity – NFC, Wi-Fi, 3G/4G, Bluetooth 4.0, IR

Battery – 2840mAh

Dimensions – 145 x 70 x 9.6mm

Weight – 157g