The Gen XY Lifestyle
What to Make of the HTC One A9
An Apple iPhone running Android OS? While HTC’s phones have always gave that impression, the HTC One A9 perhaps comes closest to matching that description.
The new phone features latest Android 6.0 Marshmallow OS, with the ubiquitous HTC Sense for added personalisation. It also uses a Snapdragon 617 processor, indicating that it is a mid-range phone – at least in processing power. It partially explains the stripped-down nature of the A9, though not necessarily for the worse. It’s available in both 16 and 32GB configurations and supports up to 2TB on microSD.
The A9 is interesting; firstly there’s a massive change in terms of design, with nary a semblance of the familiar M series. It looks more akin to an iPhone, even bearing similar colours in grey, silver, and gold, but with exception of a Deep Garnet. The A9 also utilises a five-inch, Full-HD AMOLED screen, which is a departure from its usual In-Plane Switching (IPS) panel technology.
The equally ubiquitous BoomSound speakers are missing, and in its place, lies a new multi-directional fingerprint scanner. However, BoomSound enhancements and Dolby Audio are available over headphones. The built-in Digital to Analog Converter supports high resolution, 24-bit, 192KHz files and the built-in amplifier is claimed to double the output of other handsets – HTC One phones have a reputation for being able to support many power-hungry headphones (audiophile-level headphones tend need more power to drive the speakers), and this seems no different.
While the A9 sports many midrange features, its cameras, are of the premium variety. The 13-megapixel rear camera has Optical Image Stabilisation (OIS) built in to minimise hand shake, while the front facing UltraPixel camera is able to capture 300% more light than competing smartphone cameras for better pictures in poor light conditions. There’s also a Pro mode available for manual control of the camera, and RAW files for those who like post-shot editing.
There’re also new power-saving capabilities: Doze turns off power hungry applications when the phone is idle, App Standby shuts down unused apps until you need it again. HTC rates the A9 to be able play 12 hours of HD video on a single charge. The A9 supports fast charging in form of the optional Rapid Charger 2.0, with support for Qualcomm Quick Charge 3.0 coming in the near future.
The design choice might leave a big question mark, but feature set seems well thought out for a mid-tier device; the eventual local price will be the biggest determinant. Availability has been set for November, but prices and availability of colours are yet to be finalised.
