HTC One M9 Release: What to Expect in the U.S. is a post by Cory Gunther from Gotta Be Mobile.
Only a few days remain between now and when HTC takes the stage to formally announce the all-new HTC One M9 smartphone. We’ve seen a ton of different HTC One M9 rumors, leaks, and images surface over the past few months, but one question that remains the biggest mystery is the release date. With that in mind, here we take a look at what to expect about the HTC One M9, and its potential release date in the United States.
The past week we’ve learned more about the HTC One M9 than the last few months, thanks to three videos that leaked, but we still don’t have a release date. As we approach the March 1st announcement and possible release date of the handset, rumors are starting to heat up. Everything from leaked specs and details, to concept render images based off of designs that have leaked over the past few months.
Read: HTC One M9 Leak Could Show Final Design
After a successful HTC One and HTC One M8 in 2014, the company is looking to built on that success with an all-new smartphone in the first half of this year. It is codenamed the HTC Hima, but will most likely be released as the HTC One M9, the New HTC One, or something else, and here’s what you should know about how the U.S. release date could play out.
The first few rumors started floating around in September of last year with concepts and other light news, and since then they’ve only continued to arrive at a staggering pace. We’ve seen everything from images, renders, new images suggestions previous ones were fake, and most recently videos showing the all new phone.
In 2014, the HTC One M8 was rumored for months and leaked enough times that we knew exactly what to expect come the March 27th announcement date. There were hardly any surprises left, but this year the One M9 will be announced along with a few other things. We could see a second, bigger HTC One Max, a new HTC smartwatch, and possibly some fitness related accessories. Before we get ahead of ourselves, here’s what we know about the phone, and what you need to know about its potential release in the United States.
HTC One M9
Before the videos that leaked this week (one below) we weren’t sure what the phone looked like. Images that leaked were reported as fake, and reports claimed one leak from @evleaks could be the final design. At this point though, that’s likely wrong, and the device shown in the video below is the new HTC One M9.
For now we know they have a few surprises up their sleeves, including the design and possibly the release date, as well as the chance that we could be seeing a second device announced the same day. The last rumor we saw suggested March 1st they’ll announce both the HTC One M9, and a new HTC One Max with a bigger 5.5 or 5.7-inch display.
Before we talk about the potential release date, here is what we think we know about the hardware and software, as well as all the specs that will be on board this new smartphone.
HTC One M9 Specs (Rumored)
- 5.inch 1920 x 1080p HD Display
- 2.3 GHz 8-core Snapdragon 810 processor (64-bit)
- 3GB of RAM
- 32GB of internal storage and a micro-SD slot for expansion
- 20.7 MP rear facing camera and 4 Ultrapixel front shooter (or 12 MP front)
- Android 5.0.1 Lollipop and HTC Sense UI 7.0
- Dual HTC Boomsound Speakers with Dolby 5.1 Audio Technology
- 2,900 mAh battery
- more
The biggest changes here are the 8-core processor, the 20 megapixel rear camera, the replacing the front facing camera with a 4 Ultrapixel lens for better selfies. That said, one rumor claims the front camera will be a 12 megapixel lens instead, which would be a welcomed addition. At this time we don’t think the device will have a fresh new design, and all the images and leaks we’ve seen thus far are of the new phone. It won’t look much different than last years, but be radically improved in the camera, battery, and specs department.
HTC One M9 Release Date
The biggest mystery that remains is the release date, and that’s what most people are interested in. Reason being is because both the HTC One M9 and Samsung Galaxy S6 will be announced on March 1st, so whoever is first to market will have an edge over the other.
Last year the HTC One M8 was announced on March 27th, and released the exact same day. This surprised all potential buyers, other manufacturers, and more. However, in the United States it was only available from Verizon, while other carriers had to wait until mid-April to offer the new device. All said, this is better than the usual 1-2 month delay most Android manufacturers have between the announcement and the release date.
If HTC follows the same strategy and plan as last year, they’ll announce the HTC One M9 smartphone (and maybe a bigger brother) on March 1st, and release it the same day. Buyers can expect it to be available in international markets, unlocked developer units, and more, but we’re not sure on the US release. We could see the same Verizon exclusive this year, or just a global release all on starting March 1st.
Here at Gotta Be Mobile, we’re expecting the “New HTC One” to be announced AND released on March 1st, but we can’t be sure. It’s a month earlier than last year, and would be hard to pull off and have all carriers on board. If they do release it on March 1st, expect only one carrier to have it, maybe two, with others to quickly follow. It could take US carriers 1-2 weeks to get ready and release it, and we’ll know for sure in just a few days. It’s also worth noting that HTC’s official UK Twitter account is already teasing the “New HTC One” is coming soon, which they wouldn’t do if a release date wasn’t near.
All the leaks thus far have been about the specs, camera, or design, with no talk of the release date. This is most likely because materials haven’t surfaced because the release date isn’t known, or because HTC is doing a better job keeping things under wraps and plan to launch and release it starting March 1st, just like they did last year.
US Carriers
As we mentioned above, Verizon had a big lead and exclusive on the HTC One M8 last year, and we could see something similar here in 2015. Last year HTC’s flagship One M8 was released on all five major US carriers, as well as smaller regional and pre-paid options and the same will likely hold true to the One M9 release. Expect it to be available from all sources in the United States, we just don’t know when.
At this point we know nearly everything about the HTC One M9 already. The biggest things potential buyers are looking forward to from the March 1st unveiling is the release date, if a bigger HTC One Max will be revealed, and the rumored HTC smartwatch. We can’t imagine HTC releasing it on day one last year, then taking a month to deliver this year, so expect tons of information and an actual release date in the next few weeks at most. Stay tuned for more details.
HTC One M9 Release: What to Expect in the U.S. is a post by Cory Gunther from Gotta Be Mobile.
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