Apple, Samsung, and LG have all been making notable improvements to their respective phones' camera software and hardware, and the One M9's shots just haven't improved enough to be comparable to today's leading handsets. The HTC One M9's camera simply lacks the color detail and sharpness of other phones in its price range. When blown up on bigger screens, though, it's a different story altogether. When viewing on smaller screens or social networks, the pictures do look great.
The new camera, while capable of capturing more pixels, isn't a vast improvement over its predecessors and still falls behind other high-end Android phones. Unfortunately, not much is different this time around.
This has been an area of much pain for HTC's flagship line, and has been the one feature that has consistently held the phone back. Gone are the UltraPixels and the gimmicky setup that included two rear cameras-this time around, HTC opted for a more traditional 20-megapixel camera. The biggest change to the HTC One, however, is the rear-facing camera. The results are actually impressive for a front-facing camera and should satiate those who enjoy taking photos of themselves to share on various social networks.
I actually preferred using the speakers over a set of earbuds, especially since I didn't have to peform the odd hand-cupping tactic that many have done when attempting to reroute audio from a weak, rear-positioned speaker.Ĭompleting the face of the One M9 is a 4-megapixel camera that utilizes HTC's UltraPixel technology. Sound, whether from music or videos, is loud and clear, and general performace is far better than any other phone speakers I've ever heard. The screen looks great from just about any angle, and the lack of obvious pixels and jagged edges proves that a 1440p resolution is completely overkill for phones of this size.Ībove and below the screen are HTC's BoomSound speakers, which are absolutely fantastic.
Unfortunately, the volume buttons and power button are essentially the same size and distance from one another, causing me to constantly hit the wrong button with my thumb, even after a week of use.Īlong the front side of the device is a 5-inch 1080p Super LCD 3 display, the same size and resolution found on last year's model. Slight changes have been made to the phone's hardware buttons, with the power button being moved from the hard-to-reach top of the phone to a more easily accessible location along the right side of the device. Unless gold is your thing, I'd highly recommend the gunmetal version over the alternatives. Our gunmetal grey review unit looked attractive and sleek from any vantage point, and was more aesthetically pleasing than the two-toned gold and silver version. The weight and density of the case feel great and lets you know that the device you're holding is worth its price tag. The HTC One M9 looks nearly identical to the previous two models, with a classy metal casing wrapped around the back and a black bezel surrounding its display.