HTC One M9 – Hypertext

Design: why change what’s already excellent

I will not deny it: after seeing the rendering of what the future would be based on the leaks One M9, and then see the real smartphone at MWC 2015, I could not help feeling a little disappointed. Although the design of M7 and M8 was awesome and keep it did was not a bad idea, the truth is that I would like to see a design change more drastic , not commit to a model continuity as it costs us differentiate the front of a M9 M8 One.

However, that disappointment was gradually disappearing as more time was the One M9 in hand. And that brings a feeling using a smartphone premium , with quality materials and excellent construction, which should be the minimum to require on a smartphone with a price as well. Some may think that this continuity HTC model is boring, but this does not mean that a mere One M9 M8 updated with new components while maintaining identical outside, but there have been a number of changes.

For starters, the One M9 is smaller and lighter than its predecessor . Yes, the difference is almost imperceptible, but it’s there, and any reduction in weight and size is always welcome, especially on a smartphone with a considerable despite having a 5-inch screen size. Another very interesting change is the new step edge having around, similar to recent models bq but much more subtle and helps to keep it from sliding to catch it in an unusual position.

Finally, the new physical change that HTC has introduced for the One M9 is the new button layout, placing the buttons on and off with the volume controls along the right side of the smartphone, and to facilitate the distinction of the power button, This has a rugged touch that helps to identify it. This change was , for me, the most necessary and logical in the evolution of the One range, because a button on the top edge is something that even historical and Apple have left behind.

Moreover, talking One design M9 is talking about his predecessor still maintain off-loading ports and headphones at the bottom that does not become a nuisance in the day this curious arrangement, still quite large and some people may have problems to handle in one hand and remains a beautiful smartphone and love from the first time anyone catches. HTC already had the homework done before , and these bugfixes only make further raise the status of quality set by the design of HTC.

Display

In a 2015 in which the 2K will be one of the main protagonists, which I consider appropriate only in certain cases, the fact that the One M9 were to reach a panel of 1080p 5 inch saw it as the appropriate strategy HTC, especially if we consider the quality of the screen One M8, regarded by the public as one of the best screens last year.

Unfortunately, my experience with the screen has worsened as else used. Just start using the M9 One can not notice anything, but as you’re setting more and more you realize that the maximum brightness is not too high , especially when compared to other smartphones Current and even earlier generations. This occurs as a result your visibility outdoors is correct, but not anywhere near the more visible in direct sunlight panel.

However, problems do not stop there . The contrast is lower than expected on a high-end as the M9 and while the color reproduction is correct, as we look at the screen angle we see a degradation of steep black color, quickly passing a gray clearer and clearer as the angle is more acute. Fortunately, the protective glass is of excellent quality and does not prevent proper viewing the rest of the screen, although I wish it had a better oleophobic layer because, as you neglect, fingerprints begin to pile up quickly.

In short, the screen has been the most disappointing M9 One section, mainly because it is very difficult not to compare it with its predecessor. If they had used exactly the same panel as the One M8, we would have given us complacent. Instead, they have chosen a panel of inferior quality losing the fame achieved by the One M7 and M8 , something inexplicable.

Camera

After the failed experiment Ultrapíxel camera, HTC had to follow the stream of other manufacturers incorporating a rear camera with a similar technology to other competitors and Ultrapíxel leave fallow until its evolution more meaningful. However, HTC made an interesting move by moving its technology to the front chamber, arguing that it would be more appropriate for selfies especially in low light field where technology Ultrapíxel shines.

However, the highlight in the previous leaks presentation was the camera 20 megapixel , which for a while we thought it would be a Sony sensor used by most major manufacturers, but eventually was a sensor Toshiba , less known and which, not surprisingly, were more wary about its performance, especially without an optical stabilizer to accompany the lens. And we did well to be wary because in most circumstances, the camera has trouble taking a picture devoid of noise though is quick to focus and shoot.

Something that also bothered us is the HTC maneuver not provide access to Camera2 API for HTC One M9 , preventing access manual controls and making it impossible to take pictures in RAW format. Fortunately, follow Ultrapíxel including front camera itself has been a success, offering excellent performance . But since a picture is worth a thousand words, the better we’re going to analyze the images one by one so you can see the good and bad of the photographic section of One M9.

The fuzziness is evident. Although the day was overcast, the lens does not capture as much light as it should.

Very much background noise. As we expand, the colors are totally faded and blurry shapes

Look on the right side of the image and check as the tablecloth is fully blur. Besides, the contrast of light is brutal. Which gives the lens suffers less light to capture detail

In interiors, the noise is incredible, even in lighted areas. The parquet is a blur as it moves away from the lens.

A close-up where we have this totally burned white area (was yellow . Originally course) and once again, image noise

In this photograph and the following lenses difference seen in indoors at night. In this photo, the noise dominates the image, with very little light and little detail.

In this image, improved light due to Ultrapíxel, but the noise is being present.

One of the few decent pictures I have taken with little noise and good color reproduction, although expand a bit, we see how the colors are faded.

On the sides the image loses definition and detail due to noise, although the color reproduction here is decent

Front camera outdoors during the day. Excellent capture light and a decent standard of detail for many megapixels.

All these images were taken fully into Auto, or ISO Exposure untouched. Anyway, if you want to see full quality images, you leave them here so you can download them.

Software and sound

We have already seen in previous smartphones from HTC light layer of customizing the Taiwanese company, idea provide good performance and fluidity throughout the system, and this time with the One M9 is no exception. Although personally I still prefer the simplicity of Android stock, Sense 7 in Android Lollipop maintains the standard set by Sense 6 add value without disturbing the user too absurd functions you’ll never or use, at most, you will use once to show it to your friends, then it will be forgotten in a drawer (the application drawer) forever.

My favorite feature has been Blinkfeed , the which will condense all your social networks (Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr, Google + …) into a single timeline, but my advice is to disable some of the accounts to focus on what’s important, because if not just saturated with much information. Customization is also a strong point in the launcher from HTC, and can download additional themes, change the main launcher colors, font style and even the navigation buttons. Nothing too groundbreaking in this section, but expect less from HTC when talking about software.

Nor was no surprise paragraph sound HTC One M9 with its striking dual speakers. On this occasion, HTC have collaborated with Dolby to promise an authentic stereo sound effect would be better than any other smartphone, and although this last part is true, there is nothing too new in this section. The sound is clear and any other device, the amount of volume is enough to hear what you want even in moderately noisy environments, but you can not appreciate a momentous leap forward from the One M8 . However, if you want a smartphone for sound, One M9 is a must have .

Performance and autonomy

We arrived at one of the trickiest parts the analysis due to the controversial SoC carrying the M9 One inside, the Snapdragon 810 Qualcomm, which we have heard various rumors questioning his performance. We already had chance to try it at MWC 2015 and although we had not noticed anything too rare in the little time we had in hand, I was a little worried at this point. Fortunately, the end result is decent .

little Though common in normal use, the heating problem is still there. I say decent, not good because the One M9 in certain circumstances itself is heated , but this warming has not been intolerable and occurs only when we are asking for the maximum device like playing a demanding game in power graphic or when we run several times for benchmark . However, we have to make clear that the latter was only to prove the effectiveness of the 810 later form a software update One M9 promised to solve the heating problems.

And even fix these problems, HTC’s solution has been to lower the clock speed of the processor when the temperature exceeded a limit solution that can sense the difference in score between benchmarks. But beyond this “problem” with warming, which Qualcomm’s fault rather than HTC, the overall performance of One M9 is excellent . With 3 GB of RAM, multitasking is ridiculously smooth and Snapdragon 810 is soon to open any application or game, no matter what size it is weighing

Unfortunately, one aspect that itself has been deeply disappointed autonomy HTC One M9. Despite having more power than the One M8 and in theory architecture 20nm Snapdragon 810 is highly optimized, cost me get through the day with spare battery , all with mediocre consumption, and 4 half hours of screen Wi-Fi and 3 hours if I was out all day with data. These figures may have been good two or three years ago, but in 2015 this is unacceptable , especially if we consider improving yes have other devices.