To virtually nobody's surprise, HTC unveiled the latest iteration of its flagship smartphone, the One M9, at the Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Barcelona on Sunday.
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Rumours of a larger "phablet" version of the phone did not come to fruition, although the Taiwanese manufacturer also unveiled its first wearable device, the Grip, and its first virtual reality headset, the Vive, with content partner Valve.
The One M9 continues the same design elements as the One M8, though its single-piece aluminium body has been twice-anodised to create a two-tone effect with rose-gold-coloured edging. It will be available in dual-tone gold and silver or gold and pink, or in single-tone gunmetal grey or gold.
It feels sturdy and smooth to hold and with a 5-inch screen almost identical to the M8's, it's easy for those with smaller hands to use.
From the front it looks incredibly similar to the One M8 but flip it around and you'll see HTC has ditched the dual camera for a single 20MP camera with sapphire glass, sticking one of the 'four Ultrapixel' cameras from the One M8 on the front instead, for improved selfies.
It's a shame because the One M8's dual camera allowed for fantastic foregrounding and backgrounding with its U-Focus feature once in edit mode, creating very professional-looking snaps.
HTC assured Fairfax Media this feature would return in the form of a software upgrade, some time after the One M9 is released in mid-March. The rear-facing camera can shoot 4K high-definition video, the front-facing camera 1080p.
Most smartphone manufacturers use megapixels in their cameras, and that has unwittingly become an identifier for camera quality despite many other variables — software, aperture etc — coming into play. When HTC introduced its 'Ultrapixel' technology in the M8 — the pixels are bigger which is why you get four on the same size sensor you would usually get 13 megapixels — the company tried to show off how larger pixels could let in more light, but the megapixel paradigm seems to have won out for now where HTC is concerned.
HTC doesn't disappoint on the software front, at least when it comes to photographs. The companies Android skin —HTC Sense — is getting an upgrade with Sense 7 due sometime after the One M9 hits stores, and will be available for download on previous HTC devices.
Photo-wise it includes some gimmicky editing elements including double exposure and some weird shape distortion filters, as well as new iterations of 3D overlays, such as rose petals or snow falling while the photograph slowly zooms.
It can also recognise and group all photos of the same person.
Sense 7 sports a super-cool feature where you can automatically broadcast whatever's happening on your phone with compatible smart TVs or audio systems in your home, simply by swiping up with three fingers.
Other additions include app suggestions based on your activity, and location-based suggestions, drawing on Google's sophisticated (or spooky, depending on how you look at it) ecosystem.
And, you can personalise your home screen with three different modes: work, home and play.
Forrester Research analyst Thomas Husson pointed to HTC's innovative twist on the Android 5.0 Lollipop OS as a key drawcard for consumers, saying it "has the makings of a great product".
"In particular, its ability to display apps on the home screen based on context allows for more personalised consumer experiences," Mr Husson said.
Finally, the One M9 has dual speakers on the front, just like the One M8 did — only this time they have 5.1-channel Dolby Surround Sound.
When compared to any other smartphone they sound good — clearer, beefier — but ultimately they still make for tinny listening. The use case is also unclear — after all, no one likes a sodcaster.
However HTC told Fairfax Media the improved sound quality will be apparent when listening through headphones or speakers — which unfortunately we didn't get a chance to try — and that HTC would be bringing out worthy high-performance headphones of its own, sometime in the future, at a "good" price.
Prices for the One M9 have yet to be announced, though HTC's spin on this is along the lines of "luxury without the high price tag".
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The writer travelled to Barcelona courtesy of HTC.
