back to article HTC One M9 hands on: Like a smart M8 in a sharp suit

HTC's One is like a tasteful band that has been the critics' choice for years but never quite breaks through from cult status to superstardom. It's by far the classiest thing on the market – but its distinctiveness and craftmanship hasn't been rewarded by runaway success. If only HTC could convert glowing reviews into dollars …

  1. Martin Summers Silver badge

    Spot the difference?

    The top ones grey...

    Coat etc.

    1. Chris 244
      Coat

      Re: Spot the difference?

      Nah, very clearly it's white on gold.

      No wait...

  2. Shane McCarrick

    Sounds good!

    I've an upgrade due- my M7 is beginning to show its age (the microphone is slightly damaged- thanks to my 3 year old)- I'm thrilled that the M9 appears to be such a worthy successor. I hope Vodafone don't force me into another 24 month contract this time round- 2 years is a lifetime for a phone- especially when you have little helpers who like to borrow it to play their games.

    1. pryonic

      Re: Sounds good!

      Investigate what the SIM free costs are, buy it outright and go onto a much cheaper SIM-only plan. Might not be the best option for your circumstances but it's worth investigating and you get a phone without any operator bloatware.

      Hope it works out for you!

      1. Dave 126 Silver badge

        Re: Sounds good!

        If you buy outright, then you are covered by the Sales of Goods Act, so you can demand a replacement or a refund (your choice) if the phone proves unfit for purpose.

        1. Anonymous Coward
          Anonymous Coward

          Re: Sounds good!

          If you buy outright, then you are covered by the Sales of Goods Act, so you can demand a replacement or a refund (your choice) if the phone proves unfit for purpose.

          Buy it using a credit card, because that adds a 30 day return to your possibilities. Anything bought on credit has a 30 day "fully roll back the transaction" condition by law, enabling you to change your mind and bring the thing back (charging admin or restocking fees is not allowed either). Having said that, use with care - I tend not to use this unless the device I bought is really not up to scratch.

    2. jzlondon

      Re: Sounds good!

      You know that you can't be forced into a two year contract by anyone, right? At least not outside somewhere like North Korea.

  3. TechnologyEnthusiast

    Cool!

    Looking forward to getting this!!

  4. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Loved HTC phones until I discovered the iPhone.

    1. Piro Silver badge

      Then you REALLY loved HTC phones?

  5. localzuk Silver badge

    Good timing

    That'll do me nicely, as my contract is up! Running the M7 at the moment and the M9 seems like a good replacement! :D

  6. Alan Brown Silver badge

    Few changes but...

    HTC is being lambasted for that lack of change - which really doesn't make sense. Once you've got a decent form factor it's worthwhile sticking with it.

    1. localzuk Silver badge

      Re: Few changes but...

      Precisely. Its a good looking, sturdy phone. I've had my M7 for 2 years and have dropped it numerous times, onto concrete too, and its only signs of wear are a small scratch on the glass, and a few tiny scratches on the back. Why spend all that time changing everything if what they've got is already pretty darn good?

  7. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Standing still in terms of design won't help HTC though.

    HTC One was good, the M8 was understandably just a tweaked and larger One, this one needed to be a bit more different.

    Glad to see they've gone back to 32GB.

    1. Kristian Walsh Silver badge

      According to the usual factory hobby-photographers, there's also a larger M9 on its way. Also, not a hardware change, but it's been widely "leaked" that this phone will be sold in a version running Windows 10 Phone when that OS becomes available later this year.

      Not surprised they didn't change much. First, HTC aren't exactly swimming in money, and second: M8 was already a beautiful phone - especially the design and engineering of the antenna and rear casing, which makes Apple's later efforts with the iPhone 6 look clumsy by comparison.

  8. thomas k.

    M7 still good enough

    Just bought a 2nd M7 to have a spare one when they were on sale at BB. Just have to be a little choosier when loading up your music due to the 32 GB limit.

  9. El_Fev

    Android hardware is good....

    But it's lack of OS updates from the suppliers that puts me off, got burned by HTC and Samsung.

    Say what you like about iPhones, until the hardware cannot physically run the ew OS, you get updates.

    1. Kristian Walsh Silver badge

      Re: Android hardware is good....

      No, with Apple you always get one update beyond what that the hardware is capable of running.

      Whoever signed off iOS 8 as suitable for iPhone 4S was living in a dream world... or deliberately trying to force customers to ditch the 4S and buy the 6 instead.

    2. joejack

      Re: Android hardware is good....

      Since this is an HTC thread I'll hold on the "say what you like about iPhones." I will say that my 2-year-old HTC m7 was just updated to the latest Android 5.0. Very smooth process.

  10. jzlondon

    Looks very nice, I'm sure. But for the last couple of years, high end phones have been good enough. The reasons for being enthusiastic get less and less compelling.

  11. deive

    Love the ability to stream to many different protocols. Wish all phone had this!

  12. Michael H.F. Wilkinson Silver badge

    Nice

    Like my M8, will keep it for a while yet, but I like the fact that I can get something very much like it for a while yet,

  13. CCCP

    Questionable quality?

    The OH's HTC One was, was, awesome until the 1y warranty ran out. Then microphone, camera and screen developed FUBAR faults in rapid succession. The mic fault seems fairly well documented.

    Having said that, all the manufacturers seem to take a pretty laid back attitude to quality. Shame we can't get an actual measure of fault rate in the wild.

    1. joejack

      Re: Questionable quality?

      I wouldn't know about that. My phones don't last more than about a year before I drop them in soup, grind them into a rocking chair, or fling down the steps on the way to the train. Happily I'm signed up for a replacement plan.

  14. David Gale

    It's the camera, stupid!

    I'll be waiting to see the final shipped version's camera performance. The launch sample photographs were appalling! My M7, now smoother than ever on Android 5.0.2, has OIS and consistently outperforms my partner's M8 in both stills and video photography. Whoever took the decision to omit OIS from the camera specs of both M8 and M9 wants showing the door.

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