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

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postmortemIA

postmortemIA

Diamond Member
Jul 11, 2006
7,721
40
91
Looks like HTC digital store charges state tax on orders... WTF. They don't have physical presence in my state. $30 more, not so great deal anymore.
 
Red Storm

Red Storm

Lifer
Oct 2, 2005
14,233
234
106
I find it interesting that they removed the front facing speakers, and yet somehow not only did the chunky bottom bezel remain, now the top bezel is big as well. What...? All for a fingerprint scanner which could have easily been put on the back?
 
Megatomic

Megatomic

Lifer
Nov 9, 2000
20,127
6
81
poofyhairguy said:
She is a huge HTC fan so I am a little skeptical, but on the All About Android podcast she was very positive about camera which is what she focuses on.
Click to expand...
Granted, she is an HTC fan. Who would be an unbiased source in your opinion? I'd say AT but we won't get a review of the A9 for a year if not longer lol. Maybe Ars, they gave it a good preview here.
 
poofyhairguy

poofyhairguy

Lifer
Nov 20, 2005
14,612
318
126
Megatomic said:
Granted, she is an HTC fan. Who would be an unbiased source in your opinion? I'd say AT but we won't get a review of the A9 for a year if not longer lol. Maybe Ars, they gave it a good preview here.
Click to expand...

Honestly I don't think any of the general reviews coming out will tell us much. All of the ones I have seen call it a $400 iPhone, and depending on the source that is considered to be either a good or a bad thing.

What will determine how good this device is are the battery tests. When we see some test at GSMArena that has this phone lasting longer than say a S6 then it's an instant buy.

HTC isn't an unknown player, Android offerings are fairly standard, and some of the biggest benefits (like the fast updates) can only be judged in hindsight. The battery life is really the only question. That small battery terrifies me personally. You almost have to hope that a lighter Sense plus 6.0's Doze= battery magic.
 
Megatomic

Megatomic

Lifer
Nov 9, 2000
20,127
6
81
poofyhairguy said:
Honestly I don't think any of the general reviews coming out will tell us much. All of the ones I have seen call it a $400 iPhone, and depending on the source that is considered to be either a good or a bad thing.

What will determine how good this device is are the battery tests. When we see some test at GSMArena that has this phone lasting longer than say a S6 then it's an instant buy.

HTC isn't an unknown player, Android offerings are fairly standard, and some of the biggest benefits (like the fast updates) can only be judged in hindsight. The battery life is really the only question. That small battery terrifies me personally. You almost have to hope that a lighter Sense plus 6.0's Doze= battery magic.
Click to expand...
You pegged me there, too. Battery life is the only ambiguity for me, all else is great in my opinion.
 
vi edit

vi edit

Elite Member
Super Moderator
Oct 28, 1999
62,484
8,345
126
Will this have that sensor hub to allow Doze to fully work? Or is that required?
 
Megatomic

Megatomic

Lifer
Nov 9, 2000
20,127
6
81
Well, it's all over the web as of last night that on 11/7 the price jumps up to $499. Ain't gonna happen for me. It's a great phone at $399 not $499, at least not in my estimation. I'll likely go for a N5X if the price doesn't back to a reasonable point when it's time for me to upgrade. This really bums me out. :(
 
postmortemIA

postmortemIA

Diamond Member
Jul 11, 2006
7,721
40
91
Nice marketing ploy, now it is 'only' $399.. It is "definitely worth more!"

Probably it won't work out. First will go down for black Friday and then permanently after Christmas.

M9 is supposed to be $600+, yet it can be found for $430 online.
 
pete6032

pete6032

Diamond Member
Dec 3, 2010
8,280
3,687
136
How does this phone, with a Snapdragon 617 compare to older phones with Snapdragon 800 processors (LG G2)? Faster or slower?
 
K

kaerflog

Golden Member
Jul 23, 2010
1,899
4
76
Megatomic said:
Well, it's all over the web as of last night that on 11/7 the price jumps up to $499. Ain't gonna happen for me. It's a great phone at $399 not $499, at least not in my estimation. I'll likely go for a N5X if the price doesn't back to a reasonable point when it's time for me to upgrade. This really bums me out. :(
Click to expand...

LOL, change of heart already ??
You've been praising this phone since the beginning of the thread. I would have suspect that you will pre-order this phone as soon as its available.
Dang is the #1 fan isn't going to get this phone, I wonder who will. Yeah NOBODY !!
 
Megatomic

Megatomic

Lifer
Nov 9, 2000
20,127
6
81
kaerflog said:
LOL, change of heart already ??
You've been praising this phone since the beginning of the thread. I would have suspect that you will pre-order this phone as soon as its available.
Dang is the #1 fan isn't going to get this phone, I wonder who will. Yeah NOBODY !!
Click to expand...
If I had the money available I would have. Times are tight though, but maybe when my contract is up in January my employer will let me opt for an A9.

ps- I knew this was coming. lol
 
Last edited:
Artdeco

Artdeco

Platinum Member
Mar 14, 2015
2,682
1
0
They'll have to drop the price back down, volume will crater once they bump the prices.
 
cronos

cronos

Diamond Member
Nov 7, 2001
9,380
26
101
kaerflog said:
LOL, change of heart already ??
You've been praising this phone since the beginning of the thread. I would have suspect that you will pre-order this phone as soon as its available.
Dang is the #1 fan isn't going to get this phone, I wonder who will. Yeah NOBODY !!
Click to expand...

Speaking of change of heart, I've been reading the reviews that were coming out in the past couple of days, and I've actually started leaning the other way :D

I still think it looks worse than the M7, and its likeness to the iPhone 6 is a tad unsettling, but besides the look and the smaller battery, everything else this phone has featured is basically what I want on my next phone. About the battery, I mostly care about stand-by time, so Doze will help a lot, which may make this a non-issue completely for me.

That makes it a trade-off of look/form vs. price for me. The only other phone out right now with everything I want is the Z5 compact. So I could get this for $400 pre-order price, with HTC warranty and uh-oh protection, or my other alternative is importing the Z5 compact (likely without any meaningful warranty) for ~$150 more. Decisions...

Of course I could always just stick with the M7 and ride with it for another six months or more. I don't really *have* to get a new phone now. Which is probably what I'll end up doing :)
 
pete6032

pete6032

Diamond Member
Dec 3, 2010
8,280
3,687
136
:\ :| :colbert:
FCMYAz9.png
 
pete6032

pete6032

Diamond Member
Dec 3, 2010
8,280
3,687
136
postmortemIA said:
Looks like HTC digital store charges state tax on orders... WTF. They don't have physical presence in my state. $30 more, not so great deal anymore.
Click to expand...

If an online retailer doesn't charge you sales tax on a taxable item, you are supposed to assess it yourself and report it on your state income tax form and pay it at the end of the year.
 
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