HTC will supposedly launch its next flagship sometime in March 2015, calling it the HTC One M9 or even One M10. Even though the One M8 is still fresh and still considered among the best smartphones on the market, rumors about the HTC One M9 have already surfaced. We’ve seen various concept designs for the HTC One M9 and most of them are depicting a flagship that looks like that of our dreams.
The HTC One M9 is expected to be the pinnacle of smartphone design from the company and we think HTC will listen to customers and implement the changes many have been suggesting since the One M8 was launched. HTC did great with the One M8 metal unibody and front facing speakers, but the most criticized parts of the flagship were the hefty bezels and 4 UltraPixel camera which was above average but below expectations. With this in mind, we expect the HTC One M9 camera and design to be revamped in such a way to cater to these concerns.
HTC One M9 concept phone from Jermaine Smit
Consequently, based on user feedback and various concept images of the HTC One M9, we expect to see BoomSound speakers on the front of the device as well as a 16 or 20 MP camera with that nice depth sensor from the One M8. The HTC One M9 will have smaller bezels surrounding the BoomSound speakers on the front, which will be stepped up a notch, if we listen to rumors. At the same time, the metal unibody design will surely prevail with the One M9 as it did with its predecessor. The rounded back should be improved in such a way so as user can set their phones down while texting or browsing.
The HTC One M9 display should end up being a bit larger, maybe 5.2 inches in size and sport a QHD display and 564 ppi pixel density. The display size and resolution haven’t been confirmed, but it’s pretty likely that HTC will look to size up and compete with the Galaxy Note 4 and Nexus 6 a bit. Even so, the issue with QHD panels is the battery drain. Rumors say the HTC One M9 will end up being thinner than the iPhone 6 Plus, measuring 7 mm in thickness, but if HTC wants at least an average battery power coupled with that QHD panel, we’re fairly sure they’ll give up the thin ideas.
HTC One M9 leaked specs include a Qualcomm Snapdragon 805 CPU and 3 GB RAM, with Adreno 420 graphics, which should be more than enough for a device this size. Even though we don’t have much use for a QHD panel at the moment, the Snapdragon 805 CPU will surely be welcome for intensive gaming and such. There are rumors about a Snapdragon 810 ending up in the One M9 and the Samsung Galaxy S6, too for that matter. The 810 is a 64 bit architecture CPU which should be a welcoming configuration for Android 5.0 Lollipop.
We’ve seen glimpses of HTC Sense 7 on Android 5.0 Lollipop, which should end up on the One M9 once it is launched. That is, unless HTC gets Sense 8 done by the time. While we’re not sure whether HTC Sense 7 was intended as an update to the One M8 or the future UI for the One M9, from the leaked screenshots we’ve found online, it is looking great. The camera on the One M9 should be different, too, since many have complained about the 4 UltraPixel shooter on the One M8, saying the 13 MP sensor on the One E8 was actually better. We expect to see either an 8 UltraPixel sensor or a 16 or 20 MP camera, outfit with optical image stabilization and maybe a depth sensor. The front shooter will definitely go over the 5 MP mark. What’s more interesting is that HTC has previously talked about putting optical zoom on their phones in the following years, so the One M9 might be launch date for that new feature too.
However the HTC One M9 turns out, it should be the epitome of HTC design and practicality and we expect it to be nothing short of powerful and beautiful. As much as the One M8 has impressed the crowds, we are curious to see if the company manages to do the same with its 2015 flagship phone. Keep in mind that none of the HTC One M9 specs have been confirmed by HTC, so take these expectations with a grain of salt. Nonetheless, I should emphasize that most of these features and specs are pretty likely to be seen on the new HTC One M9 flagship in March 2015.