HTC One A9

38 'HTC One A9' stories August 2015 - January 2017

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As was rumored a number of times prior to its unveiling, the HTC One A9 has a solid, unibody metal design, albeit one that’s really slim. The device measures just 7mm thick and has slightly rounded edges and corners to make it feel comfortable in hand, and to make sure you notice how slim it is. Like most metal phones, there are two antenna bands on the back running parallel to each other; one near the top and the other near the bottom. The camera takes center position near the top edge, alongside an LED flash.

On the front, HTC has built in a 5-inch full HD AMOLED display coated with Gorilla Glass 4 which HTC claims gives it great outdoor visibility. On the back, the 13MP camera has optical image stabilization and phase-detection autofocus built in, to make even lowlight pictures look sharp and blur-free. You’ll be able to save images as RAW files, and access a Pro mode to capture photos with more manual controls. The front camera is an UltraPixel sensor to capture 300% more light than conventional cameras.

HTC One A9

The unlocked HTC One A9 is getting Android Nougat starting today

Stephen Hall Jan 16 2017 - 11:37 am PT

The slow crawl of Android phones getting updated to the latest version of Android continues, this time with the HTC One A9. Mo Versi, the HTC VP of Product Management, says on Twitter that the unlocked version of that phone will be getting Android Nougat via OTA starting tonight.

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HTC confirms One M9, One A9 and HTC 10 will get Android N

Cam Bunton May 18 2016 - 12:49 pm PT

Hot on the heels of Android N’s first beta landing for the public, HTC has already announced which of its phones will be receiving the next version of Google’s mobile OS. Whether it’s called Nutella, Nougat, Nachos or whatever you decide to name it, HTC will be pushing it out to HTC 10, One A9 and One M9 users.

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HTC announces that HTC 10, HTC One A9, HTC One M9 will get Android Nougat

Stephen Hall May 18 2016 - 9:54 am PT

As the release date for Android Nougat approaches (man, it’s going to take a while to get used to not calling it Android N), it’s now on the shoulders of Google’s OEM partners to bring the update to all of our favorite devices. Now, Taiwanese company HTC has announced that Android Nougat is coming to three of its most recent devices, the HTC 10, HTC One A9, and the HTC One M9…

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HTC unveils the One S9, a mid-range metal phone powered by the Helio X10

Edoardo Maggio Apr 26 2016 - 9:58 am PT

The HTC 10 flagship has just been announced, but the Taiwanese OEM does not seem to be stopping with One-related launches. First spotted on the company’s German website, HTC has now officially revealed the unexpected mid-range One S9…

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A Verizon-compatible HTC One A9 won’t happen, says the Taiwanese company

Edoardo Maggio Mar 4 2016 - 3:11 pm PT

In the somewhat troubled downhill path it entered a couple of years ago, HTC decided to change things up towards the end of last year, introducing a somewhat controversial new mid-range phone, the A9. Despite the lack of its signature front-facing speakers, the phone stood out. With a new, heavily iPhone-inspired design but a nonetheless solid build and decent specs, the Taiwanese company seemed to be onto something. There was even a promise of out of the box compatibility with AT&T and T-Mobile as well as Sprint.

HTC went a step further, however, saying that it would do everything in its power to provide support for Verizon, too, with a future software update. Unfortunately, as the company announced today, plans to make the device compatible with the Big Red’s network have been abandoned after a long period of testing…

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Opinion: HTC’s One M10 needs to be more than a shiny new phone to make up for past mistakes

Edoardo Maggio Feb 8 2016 - 12:32 pm PT

Back in early 2013, HTC surprised the smartphone world when the original One (codenamed M7) was revealed in all its shiny aluminum unibody glory. It wasn’t just a well-built and incredibly nicely designed phone: it had the invaluable pro of coming at the right time.

Save for Sony, whose Xperia Z lineup was maturing into an interesting — albeit already a tad repetitive — concept, all the major Android manufacturers were struggling to deliver a compelling product that ticked the aesthetics box as well as those regarding functionality.

Samsung, perhaps too focussed on cramming the latest and greatest specs into its devices, was often heavily dispraised for its poor use of plastic, a criticism that would endure for another two years, while LG’s G line of flagship smartphones certainly couldn’t raise a flag of uniqueness either, more or less tumbling in the same mud…

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Leaked HTC ‘Perfume’ confirms similar look as the One A9

Abner Li Feb 5 2016 - 10:15 am PT

While HTC won’t be announcing anything at this year’s Mobile World Congress, there have already been leaks about their upcoming successor to the One M9, codenamed the HTC Perfume. Confirming a previous rumor that the phone will look similar to the One A9 is the first leaked picture of it via Evleaks.

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HTC One M10 will purportedly pull a lot of inspiration from the HTC One A9

Stephen Hall Jan 26 2016 - 9:28 am PT

Not much about the HTC One M10 has leaked yet, which is an oddity for the Taiwanese company. HTC’s handsets—including most recently the HTC One M9 and A9—have a track record of being some of the first to leak in the Spring Android phone refresh cycle, making their way out via Evleaks, Upleaks, TENAA, and other sources. Unsurprisingly, it looks like Evleaks has his hands on some information. For now, though, all he’s saying is that those that like the HTC One A9 will love the HTC One M10…

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HTC One A9 OTA update brings January security patch and other bug fixes

Abner Li Jan 22 2016 - 9:09 am PT

HTC is keeping up its promise to update the One A9 within 15 days of Nexus devices getting updates. This OTA update for the struggling Taiwanese company‘s most recent handset includes January’s security update along with other bug fixes.

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Android 6.0 Marshmallow rolling out for unlocked HTC One M9 today, 6.0.1 for One A9

Cam Bunton Dec 23 2015 - 2:39 am PT

Earlier this month, a leaked roadmap suggested when each HTC device could expect to receive its update to Android Marshmallow. In it, the One A9 and One M9 were allegedly due to get their next updates in the first quarter of next year. While that may be true of some variants internationally, others should start seeing the update land today.

Mo Versi, the company’s US head of product management, tweeted to say that Android 6.0 for the unlocked HTC One M9 and 6.0.1 for the unlocked One A9 should be rolling out at some point over the next 24 hours. Being based in the States, we’re pretty confident this rollout only applies to the US models and — as always — those with carrier-locked, bloatware-laden versions will have to wait a little while longer before they see the newest software on their smartphones.

[tweet https://twitter.com/moversi/status/679481121604808704 align=’center’]

HTC’s One A9 was the first non-Nexus smartphone to launch with Android Marshmallow out of the box. Today’s update for users with that phone just brings some minor improvements, along with new emoji, to the Android-powered iPhone-lookalike.

For One M9 owners, this is the firs time they’ll be able to get a taste of the latest operating system from Google. Marshmallow brings a number of new features to the M9, most notable are the ‘Doze’ mode, which effectively stops the battery from running down during standby, plus the ability to ‘adopt’ a MicroSD card as internal storage.

WSJ: HTC facing sales ban in Germany over smartphone patent dispute, adding to company’s problems

Cam Bunton Dec 16 2015 - 4:09 am PT

A German court recently granted an injunction against HTC, and could lead to the Taiwanese manufacturer’s smartphones being taken off shelves in Germany. It’s not exactly the good news HTC was hoping for following a troubled year of slipping market share, dropping revenue and the lukewarm market response to its devices.

Wall Street Journal reports that a patent licensing firm named Acacia Research Group LLC won a lawsuit on November 27 which granted it an injunction against HTC smartphone sales through the country’s biggest telecommunications provider. HTC smartphones sold by Deutsche Telekom are expected to be pulled by the end of this month, although the manufacturer will be appealing to try to overturn the decision. HTC is understandably disappointed by the ruling, and is working with DT to ‘minimize disruption’ to its customers …

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Leaked roadmap suggests which (and likely when) HTC phones will get Android 6.0 Marshmallow

Cam Bunton Dec 14 2015 - 9:27 am PT

With Android Marshmallow having been announced more than two months ago, and released on new devices last month, now’s the time when Android owners start getting anxious about when they might see the latest version on their devices.

Most manufacturers have already announced that they will be rolling out Android 6.0. Some, like Motorola, have already started pushing it to customers while HTC was the first to launch a non-Nexus device with Android Marshmallow pre-loaded out of the box. For those with existing HTC phones, that won’t come as any comfort at all, but what might is a roadmap leaked by LlabTooFeR which shows which HTC phones are getting a taste of Marshmallow, and when the manufacturer has planned to push the updates…

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Today only: HTC offering up to 30% discount on all products site-wide, including One A9

Cam Bunton Nov 10 2015 - 4:15 am PT

HTC has kicked off its special 24-hour holiday deals today, offering up to 30% off all of its products. Customers who order phones or accessories from HTC’s official online store can get either 15%, 20% or 30% discount, depending on how much they spend. As you’d expect, the more you spend, the more discount you get. Here’s how it breaks down:

Spend $650 or more and get 30% off your order
Spend $400 or more and get 20% off your order
Spend $200 or more and get 15% off your order

As an example, you’d get about $100 off the $499 list price for the newly released One A9. Buy it together with the $180 Desire 626 and you’ll break the $650 barrier and receive a discount of just over $200, practically giving you the Desire 626 for free.

There are no special all CAPS codes to copy and paste at checkout. Add items to your basket as usual — anytime before midnight Pacific tonight, November 1oth — and you’ll get any qualifying discount added automatically. The deal is valid between 9pm Pacific last night and 11:59 Pacific tonight, and applies to any order up to $2000 before shipping and taxes. Orders have to be shipped to a valid address in the 50 United States, and the District of Columbia.

HTC’s new One A9 now officially available to buy in stores and online

Cam Bunton Nov 6 2015 - 7:35 am PT

HTC has announced that its latest device, the One A9, is now officially available to buy in stores and online. The phone comes in Opal Silver, Carbon Gray, Deep Garnet and Topaz Gold and can be purchased direct from HTC, AT&T or Sprint, and is also available as an unlocked international version on Amazon.

The smartphone has caused a little controversy since being announced just a few weeks ago. Many think it looks too much like an iPhone and HTC did itself no favors with the 1984-inspired advertisement. Still, the phone sounds promising enough, even if it is more expensive than we’d like.

The $400 (for a limited time) handset has a full HD 5-inch AMOLED display which HTC claims is bright, even in sunlight. It’s equipped with a fast fingerprint scanner, and is coated in 2.5D edge-to-edge Gorilla Glass. Inside, there’s an octa-core Snapdragon 617 processor with 3GB and 32GB internal storage. Because it runs Marshmallow 6.0, you can use the expandable storage for more than just storing media. You can extend storage up to 2TB via MicroSD and us it to store app data too. Other key specs include a 13MP camera with sapphire cover lens, 1080p video and autofocus on the back and a front facing UltraPixel camera.

If you’re dead set on getting HTC’s latest phone, you have a few purchasing options. You can buy it from AT&T for $99 on a two-year plan, or $17.34 on the Next 30 plan. On Sprint, the phone is $0 up front and $20 per month on a two-year lease. On Amazon, there are several unlocked international models available. The 16GB phones cost $488.90, while the 32GB ones are $529. HTC’s site still lists the phone as available on pre-order for $399, but that price will be upped to $499 shortly.

HTC’s ‘Be Brilliant’ ad for One A9 is very 1984-esque [Video]

Cam Bunton Nov 5 2015 - 4:48 am PT

HTC’s launch of the One A9 has caught the attention of many. The company insists that the latest mid-tier device isn’t an iPhone copy, despite the fact that — from almost every angle — it looks like one. Having spent time with it, we agree in many ways. Even if it is, the very fact it runs Android 6.0 is a big enough differentiating factor. Still, the Taiwanese manufacturer isn’t helping itself by releasing its latest advertising campaign.

The latest full length ad, named ‘Be Brilliant’ has a clear message: Be Different. Sound familiar?

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HTC says it will no longer try to predict its future following big Q3 loss

Ben Lovejoy Oct 30 2015 - 6:12 am PT

Discussing Q3 net losses equivalent to $139M – amounting to a painful 23.1% of revenues – HTC has given up on trying to predict its financial future. According to a tweet by the WSJ‘s Eva Dou, the company refused to give any Q4 guidance during today’s earnings call, and said that it will not be doing so for future quarters.

While the loss isn’t as bad as the $265M it made in the previous quarter thanks to ruthless cost-cutting measures, revenues are down and the loss as a percentage of revenue is up – leading some to question whether the company has a future …
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Review: Chasing Apple teaches HTC to trim down with very usable One A9

Seth Weintraub Oct 28 2015 - 12:50 pm PT

Unfortunately I don’t have too much to add on the experience of the HTC One A9 first look I posted last week. A TL;DR is that it looks a lot like an iPhone but nevertheless is a solid usable device with very respectable features at a very reasonable (although temporary) $399 price. The downsides are that it isn’t top-of-line specs, camera is just good (but not great), and of course HTC Sense and all the carrier garbage is still going to likely be on the phone you get (unless you opt for the unlocked version).

But really the One A9 is breaking new ground for HTC…
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HTC One A9 increasing in price to $499 starting Nov. 7

Chance Miller Oct 26 2015 - 9:05 pm PT

When HTC originally unveiled the One A9 last week it announced a price of $399 in the Untied States, but with denotation saying it was a “Limited time, promotional offer.” This evening, the company has come out and confirmed that the price of the device will increase sooner rather than later.

HTC said in a statement that regional sales teams have the ability to set prices independently of other areas, hence why the device is so much cheaper here in the United States than in Europe. As far as that “limited time, promotional offer” goes, HTC says the sale will end on November 7th. At that time, the price of the A9 will increase to $499.99 in the United States.

“The cost of the HTC One A9 is the same worldwide to all distributors and operator partners. For end consumers, HTC’s sales regions are given the freedom to set prices and promotions as they see fit for local market needs. The One A9 price in the US is a very limited-time promotional offer for that region’s online store, as well as select HTC-only franchise stores. The offer is a special promotional pre-sale and is expected to conclude once the One A9 is available on-shelf at major retail and distributor partners.

After the promotional pre-sale offer ends, the new price in the US at htc.com will be $499.99 beginning 12:01 a.m. on 11/7.”

You can read our early thoughts on the HTC One A9 here and decide if it’s worth the money for you.

HTC One A9 first look: An iPhone doubletake or incredible phone in its own right?

Seth Weintraub Oct 25 2015 - 9:52 am PT

I’ve had the HTC One A9 in my hands for a few days but didn’t want to give my initial thoughts until the Taiwanese smartphone maker pushed an update fix to the Android 6.0 phones yesterday.

I’ll get the obvious out of the way right off the bat: Yes, for better or worse, it looks like an iPhone 6. Sure, HTC invented the antenna strips with the M7 a few years ago and there are significant differences like the size (5-inches, halfway between the iPhone and iPhone Plus models) camera placement at the center top as opposed to corner and oval fingerprint reader instead of Apple’s circle. But the rounded edges speaker grill, colors and other design tweaks look way too much like the iPhone.

In fact, I’ve mistaken the A9 for my iPhone on a few occasions over the past few days and the A9 is black and my iPhone is white/silver! The iPhone resemblance is a big bummer because HTC has long taken pride in their distinctive, if not overly-heavy, phone designs.

Now that that’s out of the way, there are plenty of things to like about the new One A9, including the size as I mentioned before being right in between the two iPhone models. For me, 5 inch screens is the sweet spot, no question. HTC has removed most of everything else around the screen so this is really a svelte phone. The curves feel great in the hand, the buttons are placed perfectly. The power button has a distinct feel so you won’t mistakenly hit it when you are trying to turn up the volume.

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HTC chief: One A9 isn’t an iPhone clone, design will make its way across One M and Desire series

Cam Bunton Oct 22 2015 - 7:21 am PT

The HTC One A9 has received a lot of attention over the past few weeks and months. Even before it launched, there were concerns that it would look a little too much like an iPhone 6/6s. Afterwards, the response has been almost unanimous. Even some of the most passionate Android fans and blogs seem to be of the opinion that the HTC One A9 looks like an iPhone clone, albeit one with a few ‘interesting’ differences…

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9to5Toys Lunch Break: HTC One A9 $399 for a limited time, KMASHI 10,000mAh Battery $9, more

Stephen Hall Oct 21 2015 - 12:33 pm PT

Keep up with the best gear and deals on the web by signing up for the 9to5Toys Newsletter. Also, be sure to check us out on: Twitter, RSS Feed, Facebook, Google+ and Safari push notifications.

Today’s can’t miss deals:

HTC is offering limited time deal on pre-orders of the HTC One A9 at $399

USB Power Deals: KMASHI 10,000mAh Battery $9 (Reg. $14), 6-Ft. Braided MFi Lightning Cable $8.50, more

Nexus 6P sold out at Google Store, but still available via Huawei for $499 and up

Mpow Extendable Selfie Stick with built-in Bluetooth Remote Shutter: $5 Prime shipped (Reg. $15)

LG G3 D850 32 GB unlocked new 32 GB: $240 shipped (Reg. $400+) | eBay

Save $20 on select Kindle e-Readers, deals start at just $59 with free shipping

Dell Black Friday Ad Leak: Gears of War Xbox One w/ Fallout 4 + controller $300, VIZIO 60-Inch 4K HDTV $800, more

Amazon and Toys R Us give a peek at this year’s must-have holiday gifts

More new gear from today:

GoPro HERO4 Action Cameras: Black 4K $389 (Reg. $500), Silver w/ LCD Display $329 (Reg. $400)

VIZIO 2.1 Sound Stand w/ subwoofer & remote $100 shipped (Orig. $250)
Bluetooth Speakers: Mpow Armor Waterproof $20 Prime shipped (Reg. $36), Inateck Aluminum $37 shipped (Reg. $46)
Daily Deals: iHome Wireless Bluetooth USB FM Clock Radio $20, Logitech K400 Wireless Keyboard $20, more
Apple 15-inch Retina MacBook Pro 2.5GHz/16GB/512GB (newest version): $1,950 shipped (Reg. $2,499)
Games/Apps: Skylanders SuperChargers Pack (all platforms) $50 (Reg. $75), Angry Birds Seasons goes free, more iOS freebies
iPad mini 2 Wi-Fi 16GB in Silver or Space Gray: $230 shipped (Reg. $269)
Get a 64GB Wi-Fi iPad Air 2 for less than Apple charges for 16GB: $490 shipped (Reg. $599)

More deals still alive:

Seagate 4TB Portable USB 3 Hard Drive w/ 200GB Cloud: $150 shipped

21:9 Displays: Dell UltraSharp 34″ Curved $650, LG 34″ Curved $720, more

Media: Peanuts Holiday Collection HD Download $5 ($60 value), Spider-Man Blu-ray Trilogy $14, more
Networking: TP-Link AV1200 Powerline Kit $53 (Reg. $80), Linksys 802.11n Wireless Extender $30 (Reg. $36)
2.1-Ch. Home Audio: LG Soundbar 120W (refurb) $65 (Orig. $149), Harman Kardon 200W $120 (Orig. $200)
Acer Chromebook w/ full HD display 1.50GHz/4GB/16GB SSD: $249 shipped (Reg. $279)
Ticket To Ride goes free on iPhone for the first time in years (Reg. $2)
Samsung Smart 4K HDTVs: 40-inch $550 (Reg. $700+), 50-inch $699 (Reg. $1,000+)
Aukey 15,000mAh Quick Charge 2.0 power bank $22 Prime shipped (Reg. $35)
Freebies: System Monitor for iOS + OneNote/Evernote GTD eBook + The Peanuts Movie Stencil + More!
Jawbone UP Move Splash-Proof Bluetooth 4.0 Activity Tracker: $20 w/ in-store pickup (Reg. $50)
Display your iPhone 6/s w/ this Mpow Car Air Vent Mount $5 shipped (Reg. $9)
Save 20% off iTunes Digital Gift Cards: $25 for $20, $50 for $40, more
OtterBox SYMMETRY Series iPhone 6/6s Case $20 Prime shipped (Reg. $40)
Aukey 3-in-1 clip-on smartphone camera lens kit $10 Prime shipped (Reg. $16)
The original Bluetooth-enabled August Smart Lock drops to $199 (Orig. $250)
App Store Free App of the Week: Sky Gamblers Air Supremacy
Apple’s new 4K & 5K iMacs already seeing the first price cuts and tax-free options
Apple is dishing out free downloads of the award-winning puzzle game Shadowmatic
Amazon slashes prices on Levi’s jeans for Men, Women and Boys
Griffin Technology merch credit 50% off
Adjustable iPad mount for $17 Prime shipped (Orig. $30)

New products & more:

D-Link’s latest surveillance cameras go wide-angle with “less distortion” than the competition

Libratone introduces multi-room audio alongside two new colorful ZIPP speakers

Guitar Hero Live lands on iOS with a new mobile instrument bundle
Gold is Best: This one-off Macintosh is a must see with its walnut enclosure and shiny keyboard
This mini Segway hopes to take-off with its affordable price tag and compact design
You’ll have to hurry to grab one of these limited edition Fallout 4 Xbox One controllers
Waylens is the iOS-connected dashboard camera you’ve been waiting for
It took about 500,000 LEGO bricks to put this life-size Batmobile together
These futuristic looking headphones could be straight out of the Transformers movie series
NBA 2K16 hits iOS and Android with new gameplay, controls and updated graphics
Minecraft: Story Mode launches on iOS and Android with a new multi-episode campaign mode

Specifications compared: HTC One A9 vs. HTC One M9 and One M9+

Cam Bunton Oct 21 2015 - 4:28 am PT

Yesterday afternoon, HTC finally unveiled its long-rumored ‘Aero’ smartphone, officially named the HTC One A9. While it retains the unibody metal design that made the One series so popular, it’s a far cry from previous models in overall styling and form factor.

To get the obvious comparison out of the way early, it looks like an iPhone 6/6s, and sits somewhere between iPhone 6/6s and 6/6s Plus in size. Obvious comparisons aside, we wanted to see how the spec sheet measured up against HTC’s current crop of flagship phones, and to see whether or not this new design comes with a compromise…

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HTC almost announces a GPE One A9 without the name — but does it smell as sweet?

Stephen Hall Oct 20 2015 - 12:53 pm PT

Google Play Edition (GPE) devices are a thing of the past, but that’s not keeping HTC from tackling that very same segment of the market — the one that GPE devices failed to capture — with the “unlocked edition” of the HTC One A9.

In what feels like last-ditch effort to appeal to Android handset buyers that are usually targeted by Google itself with the Nexus line, the “unlocked edition” HTC One A9 offers updates within 15 days of Google’s Nexus line receiving them, less bloatware and pre-installed apps (no carrier software), and freedom to use the device on the carrier you choose…
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HTC posts 9 (yes, nine) YouTube videos showing off the new One A9

Stephen Hall Oct 20 2015 - 9:31 am PT

HTC just announced the HTC One A9, and a new phone means new marketing materials. It looks like the struggling Taiwanese company may have over-delivered in this area, as there are 9 (yes, nine) new YouTube videos on the company’s channel…
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