HTC One M9 Review: Evolution, Rather Than Revolution

The HTC One M9 is the brand's latest flagship smartphone and goes to head to head with the likes of the iPhone 6 and the incoming Samsung Galaxy S6.

Rather than totally reinvent its top-tier handset, HTC has combined the best elements from the original HTC One M7 and the follow-up HTC One M8 to produce a subtly improved handset.

Along with a new two-tone chassis, the phone's profile has been slightly reshaped, the processor has been upgraded from quad-core to octa-core and a 20MP rear camera has been added.

Is the HTC One M9 the maker's best phone yet? And it worth upgrading to? Read on to find out.

Price: £580
Release date: From 31 March

HTC One M9 specs:
Android 5.0 (Lollipop)
Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 octa-core CPU (4 x 2GHz + 4 x 1.5GHz, 64-bit processing)
32GB storage (expandable up to 128GB via microSD)
3GB RAM
20MP read camera, f/2.2, 27.8mm, 4K recording
HTC Ultrapixel front camera, f/2.0, 26.8mm lens, 1080p recording
HTC BoomSound speakers wih Dolby Audio
Bluetooth 4.1, Wi-Fi (802.11a/b/n/ac), DLNA, micro USB, NFC, 3.5mm stereo jack
2840mAh battery
144.6 x 69.7 x 9.61mm
157g

HTC One M9 verdict

While the design hasn't been completely overhauled, it has been given a few neat tweaks including a new two-tone finish. We're big fans of the new gold and silver chassis - HTC's 'flagship' colourway for this model, but you can also choose from a gunmetal grey and a gold option.

The phone feels more comfortable to hold than the M8 as it's very slightly shorter with a more ergonomic back. The weighting feels slightly more even than on the previous model so it's much easier to use one-handed. However, it's still a stretch to reach the top of the screen. We would have liked to see some sort of software solution, like Apple's dropdown screen.

The M9 is very slightly lighter than the previous model, though not so you'd notice and it still feels a fair bit heavier than most of its top-flight rivals.

The power button has been moved down from the top of the button to the right-hand edge, which is a good thing but it does take a while to get used to the new location, especially as it's easy to get it mixed up with the almost-identical volume buttons that it sits next to.

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The handset sports the same hairline texture as the previous model, along with scratch-resistant coating - good news if your phone tends to get scratched when it's in your bag or pocket. We carted the phone around for a couple of weeks without a case and it didn't appear to pick up any noteable nicks or marks.

As with previous HTC One models, the back of the phone warms up pretty quickly with constant use, especially when watching a video or playing a graphics-heavy game, but no more so than most other top-flight phones.

HTC's 'ultrapixel' camera which appeared on the back of the HTC One M8, has been moved to the front on the new model. This is great news because the camera is excellent in low light, making it one of the best selfie cameras we've soon on a phone so far.

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In contrast, the new 20MP on the rear of the phone is rather disappointing. A high pixel count doesn't always mean a quality camera, and that appears to be the case here. While not a complete disaster, picture quality still doesn't quite match up to rival phones from Apple, Samsung and Sony.

The front-facing BoomSound speakers from the previous model have been updated to included support from legendary audio brand Dolby, a partnership that was first seen on the recent HTC Desire 826. The resulting pseudo 5.1 surround sound is excellent, making these the best smartphone speakers around.

The M9 has Google's Android 5.0 Lollipop at its core along with HTC Sense (now on version 7), which is easily one of the best Android 'skins' around, adding a few HTC-exclusive features, but not messing with the base Android functions.

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The picture-based Blinkfeed news feed is back again - just swipe right from the home screen to fire it up - while a new feature enables you to choose from a series of preloaded 'Themes' which not only include the wallpaper and colour scheme but also the app icon design, sounds and fonts.

We liked the Innerspace theme, which included the house-based 'Home' icon redesigned to look like a tiny planet. What's more, you can create your own themes, using one of your own photos or any other picture in your phone's gallery. We tried it out with a few different pictures and it worked surprisingly well.

Sense Home works well, recognising whether you're at work, home or out and about and adjusting the home screen apps accordingly. It can even give useful hints and set times of day, such as spotting that's it's lunch time and suggesting nearby restaurants.

The 2840mAh battery will easily get you through a day with power to spare, though there's no real leap since the last model. The phone also sports a couple of power saving modes, which turn off all but the essential functions and as always, turning down the screen brightness is one of the most effective ways of making the battery last longer.

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Is the HTC One M9 the best Android phone around? We can't answer that until we've given the incoming Samsung Galaxy S6 a thorough testing, but we can say that this is certainly the best-looking Android phone you can buy and HTC's most impressive effort to date.

The M9 is an excellent phone but it doesn't come cheap. The improvements are small, so we wouldn't necessarily recommend rushing to upgrade from the M8 unless you're at the end of your contract or you simply cannot live without a two-tone phone that's brilliant at selfies.

Rating: 4/5