Guest PaulOBrien Posted October 20, 2015 Report Share Posted October 20, 2015 So the HTC One A9 has now been announced, and you'll be able to buy it early in November. Once again, the device was much leaked and once again, the leaks were virtually spot on. We've had a bit of time with the device ahead of the official announcement, so read on for our first thoughts on HTC's latest phone ahead of a full review next week.DesignLet's cut to the chase. The HTC One A9 looks a lot like an iPhone. I personally think it looks too much like an iPhone. Yes, HTC have done metal before, yes, HTC have done plastic antenna strips before but there's something about the device that makes it feel less HTC and more Apple than what has gone previously. That's a bad thing... HTC can do design innovation.With that out of the way though, it has to be said that the One A9 looks and feels great. It is beautifully finished - i'd say better than any HTC device to date - with absolutely perfect manufacturing and wonderfully high quality feeling materials. The curved edges make it extremely comfortable to hold, the textured power button feels great and the size and depth of the fingerprint reader on the front are just perfect. Sure, the design isn't original but it is at least executed very well. Notice the lack of dual speaker Boomsound - previously a HTC trademark - the speaker is now on the bottom of the device. HTC still think the A9 provides a great audio experience (Single speaker Boomsound?), with a dedicated amplifier and Dolby + Hi Res audio.The phone will be available in Opal Silver, Carbon Grey, Deep Garnet or Topaz Gold depending on the market. The unit I tried was a white / silver version.Hardware & Software SpecsThe One A9 is positioned as a 'hero' device. That means it's not a flagship per se, but it is an aspirational product for other devices in the portfolio. It basically means it's not cheap but it's not quite flagship pricing either and as such it doesn't pack flagship specs. At a slightly eye-watering £429.99 SIM free however, other manufacturers' top models are within the same price bracket.What do you get for your money? You get Android 6.0 Marshmallow (impressive!) with a newly slimmed down version 7 of HTC Sense, a Snapdragon 617 octa-core processor with either 16GB ROM / 2GB RAM or 32GB ROM / 3GB RAM depending on market (the UK disappointingly gets the 16GB model). microSD expansion is included, which can be 'fused' with the internal storage thanks to Marshmallow. The full HD screen is a 5" unit covered with Gorilla Glass 4 and you get all the connectivity you'd expect - LTE, dual band WiFi, NFC, Bluetooth 4.1 etc. etc.CameraHTC are making a lot of noise about the camera. The main camera is a 13MP unit with a sapphire lens cover, f/2.0 aperture and - surprisingly given the size of the device - OIS. A pro mode and RAW capture is included. The front camera is the Ultrapixel unit we are so familiar with by now.BatteryAt 7.26mm thick, 70.8mm wide and 145.75mm tall, the One A9 was never going to have a massive battery and as such a 2150 mAh cell probably strikes fear into the heart of most Android users, even if it does include QuickCharge 2 support (with QuickCharge 3 coming via a software update). There's no wireless charging here either. We still await the first manufacturer to fuse Qi and metal construction.So is it any good?We'll let you know in our full review. I suspect to justify the purchase price, at least here in the UK, the A9 will need to be very good indeed. From our brief time with it the hardware feels fantastic and the software is silky smooth, but battery life and camera performance are the big outstanding questions. Watch this space! View full item Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Chewy11 Posted November 20, 2015 Report Share Posted November 20, 2015 It was 642$ taxed and delivered in Canadian dollars shipped to Montreal. Pre order discounted price at that.Best in hand feel since the M8 in my opinion.For a mid ranger its surprisingly smooth and fluid in day to day use. Good battery life. Great battery life considering the size.Camera is goodOEM accessories are rare and extravagantly priced. Ebay to the rescue... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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