For a couple of months now I have been using the flagship from HTC as one of my main smartphones and for today's Friday Column I would like to share my impressions of the model.
Introduction
In our editorial office, each author, in addition to the tested devices, has one or two main ones. These are the very 'islands of stability' that we use when there are no test smartphones or when you need to be absolutely sure that the phone will definitely not let you down (work at exhibitions, for example). For these purposes I use HTC One M9 and Apple iPhone 6. Let's talk about the first one.
Appearance
It seems to me that starting from One M7 in HTC they found their universal design and in subsequent models they simply continue to use it. I do not think this is something bad, remember the same Apple, which change the design every couple of years, and even then not always significantly. I love the way the One M8 looked, and after upgrading to the M9 I did not feel any discomfort.
Overall dimensions
My impression is that HTC are keeping clear of the size race hosted by Apple and Samsung. The One M9 is not a super light or super thin smartphone. It has the usual dimensions, typical of a five-inch device. By the way, lovers of 'holding a thing in their hands' will definitely like it.
Screen
Honestly, I did not notice any significant changes in the display quality of the M9 compared to the M8: the same good quality screen with maximum viewing angles, natural color reproduction and good behavior in the sun. Is there a lack of 2k resolution here? I didn't notice him.
Stereo speakers
A great initiative from HTC since the time of the M7 is to place two stereo speakers at once on the front side. I liked it a couple of years ago, and I am sincerely glad that they did not touch the speakers in the M8 and then in the M9, but left them just as good.
Work speed
If Samsung defeated jams in TouchWiz just a year ago, then HTC got rid of them with the release of the M7. The device works great and I didn't notice any slowdowns with any use.
Heat
But the smartphone has become hotter than the M8, however, this is not the fault of the NTS, but Qualcomm, which did not work with its Snapdragon 810. Unfortunately, sometimes there are situations when the device starts to warm up literally out of the blue: you can just check your mail or turn pages in browser and directly feel how the device heats up more and more.
Working hours
I have long understood that there is only one parameter that determines the battery life: whether the smartphone will last the whole day or not. In the case of the One M9, there are no problems here, and in which case you can enable the emergency power saving mode.
HTC Sense
To be honest, Sense is no longer as exciting to me as it was in the days of Android 2.x, however, I should thank Google for improving the operating system to such an extent that third-party shells are no longer needed.
If we talk about specific shortcomings, then it is worth remembering at least the dialer in Sense, which used to be one of the best, and now it cannot even pull up high-quality photos of contacts from the cloud. And the smart T9 is not so convenient anymore: you dial a few digits in your phone and realize that the first number does not suit you. If earlier you could see a list of other matches, now this requires an additional press.
Or here's the notification curtain, there are only three parameters available for quick brightness adjustment. If you want more detailed settings, then you need to go into the settings, although many manufacturers have already carried the adjustment slider into the shutter.
And there are many such little things. I think that HTC and other companies need to follow the path of simplifying their shells and changing the stock as little as possible Android.
Camera
On the part of the camera, let me quote Artem Lutfullin:
One of the main differences HTC One M9 from last year's model is a completely new main camera module with dual LED flash in different tones and a sensor resolution of 20 megapixels. For those who, having opened the review, immediately went to this point, I will write the following: the camera in HTC One M9 is better than in M8 and M7 in terms of image detail (of course), is still very fast, but slightly worse in automatic white balance and low-light performance. Yes, the One M9 is inferior to such devices as the Samsung Galaxy S6 or Note 4 in terms of the camera, but, in general, the module turned out to be quite good, and for smartphones HTC it is just excellent.
I agree with Artyom's words both in terms of detail and that the camera is inferior to the flagships from Samsung. So keep this in mind if the camera's photo capabilities are important to you. Personally, the camera in the One M9 was enough for my eyes, but I don't shoot very much either.
Backup
The last fact I decided to allocate my own backup service from HTC. The function works for five points, settings, applications, desktops, SMS-ki and call history are backed up. The only downside is that you will need to re-authorize in social networks and other accounts.
Conclusion
In retail, One M9 is now sold for 36,000 rubles. This is not a bad value in my opinion considering the aftermath of the MTS price war and the corresponding price tag for the Galaxy S6. Of course, the flagship from Samsung has several advantages, for example, a camera, a higher-resolution display and more compact dimensions, but the M9 also has something to brag about: take the same stereo speakers, a quieter shell HTC Sense, and, unlike S6, there is no copying of the same iPhone in appearance.
Related links
Smartphone review HTC One M9
Three weeks with HTC One M9