Review
Roderick Scott 0

To kick off the 2015 Android flagships, we wanted to switch gears a bit in our review format.  Instead of the more lengthy review and go the list route.  We're gonna use this format for this and the Galaxy S6.  So you've been warned.  

HTC One M9 review

Starting off the year w/ the latest new-new is the High Tech Company or better known as HTC.  They have been killing the game w/ their award-winning design on their high-end devices.  However in the past, there has been one or two things preventing it to really go head-to-head against the likes of LG & Samsung.  

HTC returns w/ their 3rd rendition of their flagship M series Android device: the One M9.  We wanted to break down this part of the review into the reason why you should buy this.  We got our top 3 factors along w/ a few reasons that are kind of in the middle.  



1. BoomSound/Audio

M9 BoomSound

The M9's version of BoomSound utilizes Dolby Digital audio profile to offer a great mobile audio experience.  This offers a 5.1 surround sound effect that has yet to be beat by any other smartphone manufacturer for 3 years running.  It still remains to be the best way to do front-facing speakers on a smartphone as HTC continues to do it better.  
 

HTC played it safe w/ their 2015 flagship. 

2. Design

 HTC One M9 review

HTC One M9 review HTC retains the illustrious all-aluminum unibody look to it.  On the surface it look s more or less exactly the same as last year's model but they made sure to add a bit more to it.  The devil is in the details.  It's not as sloped & smooth as the M8.  There's a lot more refinement involved like more rigid edges and is a little less unibody in a 2-layer design between the front & the back.  Making it overall a lot less slippery to hold.  

 

M9 Camera Test

3. Software

 Sense 7 UI

Sense 7 UI B 

While I have never been a huge fan of HTC's Sense UI, they made sure to fix things this time around.  Lollipop does a world of wonders for Sense 7.  It adds a lot more customization to HTC devices.  BlinkFeed as Yelp integration for places to eat, change themes/icons, and the new Sense Home widget in which you can setup your hand-picked apps for home and work based on your location.  Making Sense a lot more open for personalization ever before.  I know that this might be more of a reason not to than others but for me, this is good news.
 
 

3 Reasons Not To Buy The HTC One M9

 M9 Review Grade

Those of you w/ the M7, this will make a great upgrade - if you're still sticking w/ HTC.

In-Betweens:

  • Battery Life - the 2840 mAh battery is pretty good but not as good as the one on the M8.  You probably get under 24 hours but over 12 hours though.  The octa-core CPU is more than likely the culprit.  
  • Performance - this is the 2nd Android device support Snapdragon's 810 octa-core CPU.  There isn't a real huge difference in speed & processes between Snapdragon's quad-core CPU though.   
  • Uh-Oh Protection - HTC probably has the best warranty w/ their Uh-Oh Protection.  If you were to crack your screen in the 1st 12 months of having your M9.  HTC replaces your device for free.

TG 2 Cents

HTC kind of played it safe w/ their 2015 flagship.  Not quite the best year to be modest w/ the M9 as Samsung and LG looking to step things up to make Android a lot more competitive.  The design is still OK as it is more refined, the display is still good for a 1080p panel, the octa-core CPU performs well, Boom Sound still reigns supreme, and the camera is still just meh-to-OK.  Those of you w/ the M7, this will make a great upgrade - if you're still sticking w/ HTC.  Those of you w/ the M8, just wait for the Lollipop update if it has yet to come to your device.  Perhaps next year they can break their record and actually produce a modern Android flagship device.
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Author: Roderick Scott

Father. Husband. Creative. Mild foodie. Batman in my dreams.