HTC One M9

The iPhone 6 Plus launch was riddled with endless #bendgate drama, but it looks like the latest flagship from Samsung doesn’t fare much better than Apple’s flagship—at least according to this test. Dozens of YouTube videos have given the latest iPhone line the beating, but now it looks like it’s time for the 2015 round of Android flagships to get tested as well…

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iFixit is known for their smartphone teardowns, and today they published their step-by-step walkthrough covering how to disassemble HTC’s latest flagship, the One M9. They’re adding to the device’s already less-than-awesome reception with this guide, though, giving the phone a mediocre 2/10 repairability grade and bashing the way its internals were designed the whole way through.
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HTC has today launched the M8s, a cheaper version of last year’s M8 flagship with specs that are just a bit less like a flagship. Taking a look at the above image, you might notice that the device isn’t like the cheaper “C” version of the iPhone 5—rather, the design of HTC’s new handset is almost exactly the same in terms of outer appearance. On the inside, though, there are definitely some compromises that will clearly set this handset apart from HTC’s current One M9 flagship.

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[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ycbnuPUuxNE]

Another year has passed and HTC’s latest flagship is here at last, but does it live up to the hype? This year we have a very familiar design and changes that will hopefully alter the future of the One lineup for the better. If you’re looking into upgrading to the One M9, pause that idea and check out our review (video above) to find out if it’s a worthy purchase…

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We’ve been seeing a lot of leaked detaills about the HTC One E9 and (E9+) roll out lately, but now we’re getting yet another look at a phone being referred to as the HTC One M9+. HTC sent out invites for an April 8th event depicting a device that hasn’t been officially announced (which is assumed to be this “plus” version of the HTC One M9), but now Upleaks has come out with some new renders of the upcoming smartphone.

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We’ve gotten a couple different looks at the HTC One E9 over the last week, but now Upleaks is at it again—this time with renders of what is purportedly the HTC One E9+. The device appears to come in three different color variants, including what looks to be brown/gold, black/silver, and gold/white.

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T-Mobile and AT&T both announced today that preorders for the HTC One M9 and the Samsung Galaxy S6 will begin tomorrow, and now Sprint has come out to do the same. It seems as if each carrier is using a different tactic to get you to go with their service (what’s new?), and Sprint’s method will be to offer a lease of the Samsung Galaxy S6 for completely free for those willing to sign up for the Sprint Unlimited Plus plan.
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While the new HTC M9 goes on sale tonight unsubsidized for $650, T-Mobile and AT&T have just announced plans to kick off a presale of the device starting tomorrow for $0 down on their usual financing plans.
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The HTC One M9 goes on sale tonight in the US. We’d love to tell you all about it, but it is currently under embargo and Dom will have an amazing video review when the embargo is eventually over. Sure, lots of publications got to review the almost identical international version, and to sum up those reviews, it isn’t a huge upgrade from the M8. Think tweaked look, more megapixels in the camera, and a slightly toned down Sense overlay.

The device that goes on sale tonight is the GSM version, which is similar to the one that will be sold on AT&T and T-Mobile in the US. It won’t be subsidized by the carriers and will cost $650.

If we were allowed to tell you about it, we’d probably tell you that the heat issues you’ve seen are unfounded. From pictures (above), you can tell it looks very nice in both the popular Gunmetal and Gold/Silver models. It feels less slippery in the hand and is very subtly smaller and lighter than its M8 predecessor (or so we’ve heard).

In general I do recommend buying a phone outright and getting yourself on an inexpensive pre-paid plan. If your carrier starts messing with you, you can easily go to another carrier either with number portability or, Google Voice/Hangouts (my choice).

Even with that in mind, though, should you buy this phone at full price? 
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Invites for an HTC event taking place in Beijing on April 8th, 2015 have reportedly been sent out to the Chinese media (via Nowwhereelse.fr). As you can see, the device shown on the image above is a bit different than the HTC One M9—it has a dual-camera set up and a circular main camera, rather than the single, rectangular shooter on the back of the new flagship. The render does look similar to the regular One M9 in some ways though, showing what looks to be the same dual-tone finish. In all likelihood, this is the rumored HTC One M9+.

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Just weeks before the release of HTC’s M9, CEO Peter Chou steps down from his position to focus on innovation. Chou has taken a position to lead HTC’s Future Development Lab. As for Chou’s replacement, chairwoman Cher Wang is stepping up to the plate to take over his position.

Wang co-founded HTC with Chou back in 1997 and since then she has taken over many of the daily operations within the company. This is definitely doing to be an interesting transition for both Chou and Wang as HTC approaches the launch of its 2015 One M9 flagship smartphone, Grip smartband, and Vive VR headset later this year…

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After plans of a beefed up protection plan leaked yesterday afternoon, HTC this morning came out to officially announce its “Uh Oh” free replacement service for the HTC One M9. But the announcement livestream that the company planned is still happening at 9 AM PST, and you can find the video embedded below for your viewing pleasure…
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If you’ve ever said “Uh-oh” as your smartphone fell to the ground, HTC knows how you feel. It is today announcing a free, one-year protection plan for the One M9 smartphone, offering a free replacement if you crack the screen or drop it in water. The company will also replace the phone if you want to switch carriers.

HTC UH OH Protection provides consumers who damage their new HTC One M9 with an untimely fall onto the pavement or into a toilet with a free phone replacement within 12 months of purchase. Consumers who don’t take advantage of UH OH Protection within the first 12 months will receive $100 towards the purchase of a future HTC One.

The UH-OH program is an extension of the HTC Advantage cover offered on the M8, which was limited to screen damage and only lasted for six months … 
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President of HTC America Jason Mackenzie told us yesterday that HTC has a big HTC One M9-related announcement scheduled for Wednesday, and today the HTCAmericas YouTube account has uploaded a countdown and stream for the event—coming to us live from Seattle in about 24 hours.

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It looks like there is definitely some truth to evidence suggesting that the Snapdragon 810 has been facing some problems with overheating. Dutch site Tweakers has taken the HTC One M9 through a series of tests, and it looks like overheating problems with Qualcomm’s processor are still very much a valid concern. Specifically, while running GFXBench, the site has recorded the HTC One M9 to have a surface temperature of around 55 degrees Celsius—or 131 degrees Fahrenheit.

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There’s definitely nothing completely conclusive about this, but the upcoming HTC One M9 flagship showed up on online retailer B&H’s website (via PhoneArena), sporting a price tag of $649 and an “available for purchase” date of Wednesday, March 25th. Since earlier this morning, both of these tidbits have been stripped from the page, and replaced with “Price not available yet” and “Coming soon” placeholders…
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