Phones HTC “Hima” Flagship Device Rumored to Sport Snapdragon 810, 5-Inch FHD Display, 20.7M

[Savor]

For me, I am now understanding why many people left HTC in droves unlike 5 years ago when they were still mildly popular.

My recent issue with the so-called 2013 Best Smartphone of the Year is weak range with Wi-Fi. If I am close to my parents' router, I can get 14 mbps download speed according to the Ookla Speedtest app. From about 30 feet away, only 3-4 mbps while the Xiaomi Mi 3 gets 10-14 mbps anywhere in the house. I even had to reset the M7 to factory settings and deleted all the files but still 3-4 mbps from 30 feet away. I no longer enjoy using this beautiful but useless phone. I would trade it for a Huawei Ascend Mate 2 with Jelly Bean 4.3 if I could. M7 IS A PERFECT DESIGN. GREAT DISPLAY & AUDIO. But performance is where it took a hit and you won't really see it until many months later.

I can't see myself getting M9 no matter how beautiful it looks. First off, either my next phone have a removable battery or extremely long battery life. Second, I feel I graduated from the 5 inch/FHD and need something bigger like anywhere from 5.5-6 inches. And last, metal gets hotter. A 105 battery temperature on my M7 feels like 118-120 on the plastic Xiaomi. Metal is something I would listen to. Not look or hold all day long. Phablets is next for me. Their benefits far outweigh their awkwardly large form factor.

Enjoy HTC but beware of the caveats.

 

[AppleRobert]

For me, I am now understanding why many people left HTC in droves unlike 5 years ago when they were still mildly popular.

My recent issue with the so-called 2013 Best Smartphone of the Year is weak range with Wi-Fi. If I am close to my parents' router, I can get 14 mbps download speed according to the Ookla Speedtest app. From about 30 feet away, only 3-4 mbps while the Xiaomi Mi 3 gets 10-14 mbps anywhere in the house. I even had to reset the M7 to factory settings and deleted all the files but still 3-4 mbps from 30 feet away. I no longer enjoy using this beautiful but useless phone. I would trade it for a Huawei Ascend Mate 2 with Jelly Bean 4.3 if I could. M7 IS A PERFECT DESIGN. GREAT DISPLAY & AUDIO. But performance is where it took a hit and you won't really see it until many months later.

I can't see myself getting M9 no matter how beautiful it looks. First off, either my next phone have a removable battery or extremely long battery life. Second, I feel I graduated from the 5 inch/FHD and need something bigger like anywhere from 5.5-6 inches. And last, metal gets hotter. A 105 battery temperature on my M7 feels like 118-120 on the plastic Xiaomi. Metal is something I would listen to. Not look or hold all day long. Phablets is next for me. Their benefits far outweigh their awkwardly large form factor.

Enjoy HTC but beware of the caveats.

Like every other flagship smartphone one way or another so one as usual needs to pick what is best for them.

RUMORED specs show 5.5" screen and large battery so I doubt if the latter comes to fruition that most will not have any problem getting through the day. The cost? I assume its weight will turn off some.

I'll vouch for my Ascend. it is a sleeper IMHO and I'm very happy I picked one up.

 

[Zaft]

Which is exactly why I was expecting a NEW design from HTC. This is their third time releasing the same design. They don't have the consumer base to release essentially the same phone again and again.

Firstly HTC has their own design that does not look like an iPhone. Cant say the same for some Samsung phones (Alpha)

Secondly the design is very good. Apple hasn't changed the design of the MacBook air since 2010. Great design can last a while sometimes.

 

[jamezr]

Firstly HTC has their own design that does not look like an iPhone. Cant say the same for some Samsung phones (Alpha)

Secondly the design is very good. Apple hasn't changed the design of the MacBook air since 2010. Great design can last a while sometimes.

I agree.....Its more the other way around. Apple has definitely copied HTC's design queues in the M7, M8 on the iPhone 6.

 

[Zaft]

I agree.....Its more the other way around. Apple has definitely copied HTC's design queues in the M7, M8 on the iPhone 6.

How so? You cant say antenna lines since that's required for an all metal phone.

 

[jamezr]

How so? You cant say antenna lines since that's required for an all metal phone.

Just look at pictures on the M7 and M8 and the purposed pictures of the M9 from post #92. Then look at the iPhone 6. They all look very similar from the all metal unibody design and antenna breaks and larger LCD screen. Not just from the back but the front as well.
I am not complaining...they ALL borrow from each other.

 

[Zaft]

Just look at pictures on the M7 and M8 and the purposed pictures of the M9 from post #92. Then look at the iPhone 6. They all look very similar from the all metal unibody design and antenna breaks and larger LCD screen. Not just from the back but the front as well.
I am not complaining...they ALL borrow from each other.

I personally had an HTC One M8 for a week, really well built phone. Looks better then the iPhone 6 which is my main phone imo. I don't really see much of a similarity other then metal. That's just me though.

 

[joshwithachance]

Firstly HTC has their own design that does not look like an iPhone. Cant say the same for some Samsung phones (Alpha)

Secondly the design is very good. Apple hasn't changed the design of the MacBook air since 2010. Great design can last a while sometimes.

Good point. The MBA has had the same (gorgeous) design for quite a while now.

 

[spriter]

I really hope this takes decent photos. If so, I'm in as it ticks all the boxes.

And if the reduced chin/bezels are true then bonus.

 

[tbayrgs]

I really hope this takes decent photos. If so, I'm in as it ticks all the boxes.

And if the reduced chin/bezels are true then bonus.

Camera and to a lesser extent, size were the two glaring weaknesses of the M8. If the design is even close to those photos and the rumored camera shows he much needed improvement, this would be the closest that I've seen to the perfect Android device. Almost enough to get me off the iPhone....almost.

 

[spriter]

Camera and to a lesser extent, size were the two glaring weaknesses of the M8. If the design is even close to those photos and the rumored camera shows he much needed improvement, this would be the closest that I've seen to the perfect Android device. Almost enough to get me off the iPhone....almost.

Heh, always keep one iOS and Android device on the go.

I'm ready to pull the trigger and have this as my Android daily. My only fear is that it sounds/looks too good to be true and there'll be some tragic caveat.

I sincerely hope I'm wrong.

 

[tbayrgs]

Heh, always keep one iOS and Android device on the go.

I'm ready to pull the trigger and have this as my Android daily. My only fear is that it sowunds/looks too good to be true and there'll be some tragic caveat.

I sincerely hope I'm wrong.

Sadly, this is too often the case so I m right there with you hoping it's not the case.

If I had the need for multiple lines I'd absolutely have an Android as a counterpart to my iPhone. As I only use a single line, and also otherwise rely on numerous Apple devices, I persoanlly find the intra-ecosystem benefits too valuable to step away from. I've come to realize that though I'm a heavy smartphone user, I'm not a power user and don't rely on much of the advantages in using an Android phone.

If I did switch though, this would be my clear cut favorite. I spent the better part of a year using an M7 Dev Edition and even with its shortcomings, it has been my favorite Android experience to date.

 

[AppleRobert]

HTC is doing better but still not sure how this will sell regardless of it covering all the bases perhaps. Cannot wait to take a look see when it is on display somewhere.

 

[epicrayban]

I feel the same way as others here.... I'm super excited about the potentials of the M9. New design, if true, is gorgeous (much prettier than the iPhone 6 design, IMO. There's something more elegant and sleek, yet industrial and powerful looking about the M9 renders). And with them finally putting in a proper camera, that might finally dispel their two year Ultrapixel stint that backfired so badly.

My last reservation is about Sense. I know it's a decently light skin, but it doesn't seem to offer the rich customization that say the Xperia skin or the Cyanogen skin offers. And currently, a big part of why I am loving my Android experience so much is cause of Cyanogen's additional features. They really go a long way.

Time will tell. I think many people will keep an eye on this.

 

[tbayrgs]

I feel the same way as others here.... I'm super excited about the potentials of the M9. New design, if true, is gorgeous (much prettier than the iPhone 6 design, IMO. There's something more elegant and sleek, yet industrial and powerful looking about the M9 renders). And with them finally putting in a proper camera, that might finally dispel their two year Ultrapixel stint that backfired so badly.

My last reservation is about Sense. I know it's a decently light skin, but it doesn't seem to offer the rich customization that say the Xperia skin or the Cyanogen skin offers. And currently, a big part of why I am loving my Android experience so much is cause of Cyanogen's additional features. They really go a long way.

Time will tell. I think many people will keep an eye on this.

I'm curious, as I've never used CM, what additional features do you find so valuable?

I'm a big fan of stock Android as well but found a Sense to be of little to no hindrance. I also liked a bunch of what HTC added, including the camera/photo features and Blinkfeed. The beauty of Sense, vs. a skin like TW, was that if you didn't like its design, you could run any customization on top of it (i.e. i like Google Now launcher or Nova, as well as apps like Swipepad for gesture options) and the phone still flew.

 

[epicrayban]

I'm curious, as I've never used CM, what additional features do you find so valuable?

Happy to explain! I even took screen grabs to elaborate!

I mean, just take a look at the main settings menu. There are additional things you wouldn't find on stock Android.

If you jump into any one of those settings up there, there are things you can change/add that really help make the experience better. Some examples...


Double tap to wake. Very useful feature especially when in one-handed use for such a large phone:

The different things you can do/customize for your Quick Settings panel (still don't know why stock doesn't allow this! Ditto for Control Center):

Here's what mine actually looks like:

One of my favorite things? The ability to customize the Quick launcher from the Google Now gesture. You can designate different things. I keep mine simple and just have the middle-up gesture shut off my screen. Along with double tap to wake, I never have to press my Power/wake button.

So many things you can change those gestures to, including "Select Application" so you can launch any third party app you wish:

Another thing I love? Arrow keys on the bottom on-screen buttons:

Example here. Those arrows at the bottom only appear when you have your keyboard activated. When you put away the keyboard, the arrows disappear.

Speaking of on-screen buttons. You can customize them! Add buttons, change the order, etc. I keep mine simple and the same as stock, of course:

Things you can do with the lock screen:

Special gestures. I don't bother with this, but pretty neat stuff:

And lastly, themes:

You can install entire theme packs, or just dive in and only change specific things. For example, I run Google Now Launcher, but use Moonshine icon packs. So I get everything else looking nearly like stock, but I get to use a different/better icon pack.



To sum up...

There are probably a few more things I'm forgetting, but that should give you a nice play by play of what is possible with Cyanogen. All these little additional features really go a long way in bettering the day-to-day user experience. Double-tap to wake alone, just to take one example, really changes how you use your phone every time you pick it up. It's a pleasure.


PS. I almost forgot this is actually an HTC One M9 thread. Sorry to derail! Back to regularly scheduled programming!

 

[Tig Bitties]

Why is this M9 thread towards the bottom of the page, and the last post was 4 days ago Where as the S6 is posted in like every hour or more.

 

[AppleRobert]

Why is this M9 thread towards the bottom of the page, and the last post was 4 days ago Where as the S6 is posted in like every hour or more.

Cause HTC is not on many radars.

Like I said, we will see how it sells.

 

[Tig Bitties]

Cause HTC is not on many radars.

Like I said, we will see how it sells.

Sadly that's right. Too bad, as the M9 may well be one of the best Android smartphones of 2015. Like last year, IMO the M8 is easily in the top 3 best Android phones released last year.

 

[gotluck]

Personally I favor the HTC m9 this year so far. If we're losing the removable battery of the s6, why stay with Samsung? That is assuming the m9 camera is good

HTC has a better software track record imo which is what it seems like it will come at down to, along with aesthetics

I suppose the processor may be better on the s6 we shall see. At this point I trust Qualcomm more

 

[jamezr]

Personally I favor the HTC m9 this year so far. If we're losing the removable battery of the s6, why stay with Samsung? That is assuming the m9 camera is good

HTC has a better software track record imo which is what it seems like it will come at down to, along with aesthetics

I suppose the processor may be better on the s6 we shall see. At this point I trust Qualcomm more

I am leaning toward the M9 too. The whole removable battery thing doesn't matter to me as the M9 doesn't have a removable battery. But am looking forward to being able to unlock the M9 and flas whatever ROMs i desire. Might not be for everyone but it adds more customization for me.
I just hope they get the camera right. M ore MP doesn't always make things better.

 

[Fireblade]

Me too, M9 or G4 this year.

 

[epicrayban]

Obviously it's too early to commit to anything, but the M9 is my front runner too.

Though I'm more than happy enough with my OnePlus to wait to see what the rest of the year brings too.

 

[gotluck]

I am leaning toward the M9 too. The whole removable battery thing doesn't matter to me as the M9 doesn't have a removable battery. But am looking forward to being able to unlock the M9 and flas whatever ROMs i desire. Might not be for everyone but it adds more customization for me.
I just hope they get the camera right. M ore MP doesn't always make things better.

I would imagine you could still buy a bootloader unlock able T-Mobile s6 and use it on att, but that messes with the whole warranty support from att stores issue I hear you.

I hear you on not caring about the removable battery, but I feel like that was one of the main differentiators btw the s series and the one, along with the camera (at least historically). Now it feels like the s series is directly competing with the one because they seem to have exactly the same hardware features aside from the processor and potentially more power/performance hungry screen on the s6

S4 vs m7, s4 had removable battery, sd card, better camera
S5 vs m8, s5 had removable battery, better camera
S6 vs m9, ???

 

[epicrayban]

New potential leaked specs from benchmarking: http://www.phonearena.com/news/Susp...-13MP-selfie-camera-and-more-revealed_id66193


Everything sounds great, except for the 1440 x 2560 resolution. That could be a big drag on the battery life.

Everything else sounds very lovely, though.