The final nail in the coffin for HTC. HTC One A9.

[Ravynmagi]

I love that HTC is making a phone with quick Android updates. However if I were to pick between this an the Nexus 5X, it's the Nexus 5X easily.

I think putting the fingerprint scanner on the back is a great idea. And also it has the large single touch scanner. I hate the thin swipe down scanners that it appears the One A9 has, it has never worked well on my Note 4.

Also the better processor and bigger battery seem far more valuable than an extra gig of RAM, especially for stock Android.

Also I read the $399 is a promo pre-order price for the 3GB model, which will go up once pre-orders end and the phone launches.

 

[kaerflog]

What's "ugly" about it?

How about bezels the size of Russia ?? This is 2015.
How about another useless HTC logo on top of the home button ??
The body itself is attractive but the bezels just killed it.
G2- 138.5mm x 70.9mm, 75.9% screen to body ratio. 5.2" screen
A9- 145.8mm x 70.8mm, 66.8% screen to body ratio. 5.0" screen

 

[leilah]

not bad but not great either.. looks like an iPhone though

 

[Megatomic]

How about bezels the size of Russia ?? This is 2015.
How about another useless HTC logo on top of the home button ??
The body itself is attractive but the bezels just killed it.
G2- 138.5mm x 70.9mm, 75.9% screen to body ratio. 5.2" screen
A9- 145.8mm x 70.8mm, 66.8% screen to body ratio. 5.0" screen

lol, ok.

 

[theeedude]

What's partial NFC?

I read that it only works for Google pay. Is that incorrect?

 

[Ichinisan]

This is the "good artists copy, great artists steal" that Steve Jobs was talking about.
HTC was first with the metal case with plastic antenna strips, Apple used it, and now everyone thinks that it's Apple's design. So effectively, Apple didn't just copy HTC, it stole that design and made HTC look like a copier.

iPhone 4 (June 24, 2010) was the first mainstream phone I know of with external antenna bands integrated into the housing. Tiny strips of plastic separated the different antennas.

If anything, I say the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus look remarkably like the original 2007 iPhone.

 

[Ichinisan]

What's "ugly" about it?

I also think the 6, 6s, 6 Plus, and 6s Plus are ugly compared to the 5/5s.

 

[Megatomic]

I also think the 6, 6s, 6 Plus, and 6s Plus are ugly compared to the 5/5s.

I'll give you that but I'd phrase it like this: the iPhone 5 series was more attractive than the iPhone 6 series. But I find it impossible to call any iPhone 5 or later (minus the 5C) or the A9 ugly.

 

[Red Storm]

I'll give you that but I'd phrase it like this: the iPhone 5 series was more attractive than the iPhone 6 series. But I find it impossible to call any iPhone 5 or later (minus the 5C) or the A9 ugly.

It's ugly because of what we've seen with other phones. The bezels don't need to be that huge, not in 2015. The home button looks out of place. HTC surprised everyone with a beautiful M7, but not only have they not improved it since then, they've actually made their design worse with each new phone it seems.

Bezel size is a very important design element. It's the difference between a sleek, modern device and one that looks like it came out years ago. Look at the iPad Air compared to the iPad 4, slimming down those side bezels made a huge difference.

 

[thilanliyan]

I hate the thin swipe down scanners that it appears the One A9 has, it has never worked well on my Note 4.

I don't believe it is one of the swipe down type....I think most manufacturers including Samsung have gotten away from them.

 

[theeedude]

iPhone 4 (June 24, 2010) was the first mainstream phone I know of with external antenna bands integrated into the housing. Tiny strips of plastic separated the different antennas.

If anything, I say the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus look remarkably like the original 2007 iPhone.

The horizontal plastic antenna strips across top and bottom started with HTC One M7.
At that time, Apple was still making flat back iPhone, and only with iPhone 6, it added those plastic strips.

So it got flatter and camera moved to the top strip. M8 had some camera thing on top strip too.

 

[Thanatosis]

The horizontal plastic antenna strips across top and bottom started with HTC One M7.
At that time, Apple was still making flat back iPhone, and only with iPhone 6, it added those plastic strips.

So it got flatter and camera moved to the top strip. M8 had some camera thing on top strip too.

The horizontal strips are not an HTC invention or an apple invention. They are a solution to a problem: How to get good reception in an aluminum unibody phone. There isn't any other way to do it, so I don't fault HTC or apple for "copying" each other. There simply isn't a better solution, so why should HTC (or apple) have to make a poor performing phone just to avoid the strips?

 

[Ichinisan]

The horizontal strips are not an HTC invention or an apple invention. They are a solution to a problem: How to get good reception in an aluminum unibody phone. There isn't any other way to do it, so I don't fault HTC or apple for "copying" each other. There simply isn't a better solution, so why should HTC (or apple) have to make a poor performing phone just to avoid the strips?

The iPhone 5 (2012) and 5s (2013) had similar sections that were glass. Not for antenna bands, but perhaps as RF window for other internal antennas...?

Anyway, it's certainly possible to do using the edges of the device like the 4, 4s, 5, and 5s did...but I guess it would still look like an Apple product that way too.

 

[middlehead]

This has been HTC moto the last 3-4 years.
"I don't care what it takes but we need to have a useless big black bar with the HTC logo on it"

The black bar is one of the outlets for antennae on the phone, which it has to have because of the metal body. Your dislike of it doesn't mean there's not a good reason.

 

[sweenish]

$399 is still a better buy than the Nexus 5X. You get a

1. better build quality,
2. probably a more efficient cpu,
3. 3GB of RAM,
4. 32GB of storage,
5. Gorilla Glass 4, quick charge,
6. prolly better speakers,
7. microSD.
8. The only concern is the camera.
9. The Nexus 5X is knock off device.

1. Debatable
2. blind assumption
3. sure
4. 5X has it also (Difference is all of $30 in the US for 32 GB)
5. 5X has these as well
6. blind assumption
7. sure
8. Debatable
9. Of what?

The debatable points are simply because the A9 isn't released yet, and the 5X reviews are hastily written after only 3 days.

So, of all your points, only two stick it out as actual pros for the demographics that would want them.

I feel like they are outweighed by the weak SoC and small battery, though. Blatant iPhone design aside, this isn't a phone worthy of its own big announce.

If they do manage to deliver on their 15 day update promise, I'll be impressed.

I just feel like the amount of hype HTC tried to put behind this phone was 1+ level stupid, while under-delivering compared to 1+. And that's sad.

 

[theeedude]

No quick charge and Gorilla Glass 3, not 4 on Nexus 5X

 

[pete6032]

Design aesthetics aren't that high up on my priority list. It goes in a case right away so I will never see 55% of it anyway.

 

[kaerflog]

The black bar is one of the outlets for antennae on the phone, which it has to have because of the metal body. Your dislike of it doesn't mean there's not a good reason.

Dude are we even on the same page ??
The black bar I'm talking about sits below the screen doing nothing but wasting space. HTC use that space to put their HTC logo on there.

 

[lopri]

It does not look bad at all in operation. (AMOLED FTW?)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ljltkzq-4Jc

P.S. And the more I look at it the more it looks like the M7/M8/M9. Snappy UI performance but that keyboard looks painful. (@5:19)

 

[kaerflog]

lol, ok.

Dude, you asked whats so "ugly" about and I told you so and your best answer is "lol, ok" ?? Did it ever occur to you that phones with big ass bezels are ugly compared to phones with less bezels ??

 

[sweenish]

No quick charge and Gorilla Glass 3, not 4 on Nexus 5X

I thought that the 5X and 6P had the same glass. Okay, then.

As for quick charge, the 5X will charge faster with the included Type-C charger than using Qualcomm's QC spec. So, sure, no Quick Charge (c), but you get fast charging. Faster than QC, according to Droid Life.

At the end of the day, I'd pick the 5X every time over the A9.

 

[mxnerd]

HTC One A9's UK pricing is really horrible. HTC never learn from its past failures.

http://www.androidcentral.com/please-dont-pay-470-htc-one-a9

The HTC One M9, the company's current European flagship, which sells for between £460-470 from independent retailers, with 3GB of RAM and 32GB of storage, a similarly impressive metal unibody, faster processor and significantly bigger battery.

Samsung's Galaxy S6 — the regular S6 goes for around £420 online, the S6 edge is little more expensive than the A9, at around £480. Same industry-leading internals as the Note 5 and S6 edge+, only with a smaller screen and battery.

The LG G4, going for £370 with a plastic back, or £410 with leather. More plastic than the A9, but high-end internals, a speedy CPU and one of the best cameras around.

Motorola's Moto X Style for £350, with 3GB of RAM, 32GB of storage, front-facing speakers, a higher-resolution display and a faster processor. Metal-framed, not metal bodied, but great build quality regardless.

The Nexus 5X, but more importantly the trailblazing Nexus 6P. It's likely Google's eating some of the cost here, but Carphone itself will sell you an unlocked 6P, with bleeding-edge internals for £439.99 off-contract.

 

[postmortemIA]

HTC A9 has deal breaker, battery size.
But Nexus 5X has it too: shameful 16GB of storage on base model with no SD card. Extra 16GB will cost you $50. For that much you can buy at least 64GB SSD in retail package...
Now real competitor to both is moto pure X. Its deal breaker is no fingerprint sensor.

 

[Megatomic]

Dude, you asked whats so "ugly" about and I told you so and your best answer is "lol, ok" ?? Did it ever occur to you that phones with big ass bezels are ugly compared to phones with less bezels ??

Sorry, I see larger bezels as less efficient not ugly. I reserve "ugly" for more emotional responses like gore, vomit, and other such things. The lol, ok response was me actually being humored by the exaggerated offense to the appearance of the A9 bezels.

 

[mrochester]

You can't charge a premium price for commodity hardware and software. HTC really needs to get out of the Android race to the bottom as fast as possible and give us customers something unique that makes us want to buy their devices.