HTC One A9 Revealed

Brooklyn, NY – Prior to today’s Tidal X: 2010 concert, which is sponsored by HTC, the Taiwanese company unveiled its latest smartphone in the HTC One A9.

The new HTC phone, which will be fitted with a 5-inch, edge to edge, 2.5D Corning Gorilla Glass 4 Full HD AMOLED screen, will be the first non-Nexus Android powered phone to come out of the box with Android Marshmallow and of course with the company’s own software suite, HTC Sense, which will again come with HTC Themes to allow customization of your HTC Phone. HTC mentioned during the reveal that there are currently 23 000 Themes available and if you can’t find one you like, you can always use their simple Theme Maker web tool to create your own.  With Android Marshmallow, right away users of the A9 can use Android Pay ad Google’s Now on Tap, which will give you contextual information on what’s on your screen in that very moment. What's more is that HTC is promising that whenever a new Android update gets released, it will make it's way to your phone within 15 days!

HTC is promising a strong battery life with its 2150 mAh battery that comes equipped with Quick Charge 2.0 support and will be compatible with Quick Charge 3.0 with a future software upgrade. HTC’s website is touting the battery life at 12 hours for HD video playback, 60 hours on Audio playback, Internet Usage on Wi-Fi at 9 hours, Talk time on 3G network at 16 hours and Standby time on 3G network at up to 18 days. Another impressive spec that should make lots of people happy, since it’s a feature quite a few flagships are opting to remove, is that the HTC One A9 will allow it’s standard 16GB/32GB storage to expand to up to 2TB on a micro SD Card. You read that correctly, 2TB.

Now while the BoomSound stereo speakers familiar to HTC fans have been removed in favor of a fingerprint scanner, HTC is still promising high quality sound. To do this, HTC has packed their phone with HTC BoomSound integrated into the headset combined with Dolby Audio surround sound technology, delivering immersive and vibrant sound that matches a live experience. The A9 will also have a built in Digital to Analog Converter, which upgrade the audio to 24bit, 192 KHz quality and a powerful high-output headphone amplifier, which provides more power and dynamic range to your music.

Last but not least, the Camera. The HTC One A9 has a 13MP rear camera that features Optical Image Stabilization, which automatically minimizes shakes and corrects vibrations to give you crystal clear pictures every time. Its front Camera will be the usual HTC Ultrapixel camera. The phone will also offer RAW capture, allowing users the freedom an unmatched level of detail to edit their images after they’ve taken them. They also have the one-button enhancement feature for those quick pics. Also showcased in the reveal, HTC now has a hyperlapse editing tool, allowing users to speed up their videos to 12 times faster for a dramatic time-lapse effect. There is also HTC Zoe which allows users to easily edit their best shots videos into one professional-looking highlight reel, for those who love making montages.

The HTC One A9 is slated to be released in Canada sometime in November and will be priced at $549.99 CAD and will be available in Carbon Gray, Opal Silver, Deep Garnet and Topaz Gold. 

HTC ONE A9 Full Specs
As Provided By http://www.htc.com/ca

Size	145.75 x 70.8. x 7.26 mm
Sensors	Ambient light sensor, Proximity sensor, Motion G sensor, Compass sensor, Gyro sensor, Magnetic sensor, Sensor Hub, Fingerprint sensor
Sound	Dolby Audio™* with Hi-Res Audio
Platform	Android™ 6.0 with HTC Sense™
Connectivity	NFC, Bluetooth® 4.1, Wi-Fi®: 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac (2.4 & 5 GHz), 3.5 mm stereo audio jack, micro-USB 2.0 (5-pin) por
Weight	143g
CPU Speed	Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ 617, Octa-core 64-bit, 4 x 1.5GHz + 4 x 1.2GHz Memory
Camera	Main camera: 13MP with sapphire cover lens, auto-focus, BSI sensor, OIS ƒ/2.0, 1080p video recording Front camera: HTC UltraPixel™, fixed focus, ƒ/2.0, 1080p video recording
SIM Card Type	nano SIM
Multimedia	Playback: .aac, .amr, .ogg, .m4a, .mid, .mp3, .wav, .wma, .flac, ac3, ec3, eac3 Recording: .aac Video supported formats: Playback: .3gp, .3g2, .mp4, .wmv, .avi, .mkv   Recording: .mp4
Memory	32GB ROM / 3GB RAM; Extended memory: microSD™ up to 2TB   Extended memory limited to available microSD card size.
Network	2G/2.5G - GSM/GPRS/EDGE: 850/900/1800/1900 MHz; 3G UMTS: 850/AWS(1700)/1900/2100 MHz; 4G LTE: FDD 2,3,4,5,7,12,13,17,29
Battery	Capacity: 2150 mAh with Quick Charge 2.0 support (forward compatible with Quick Charge 3.0 with future software upgrade); HD video playback: up to 12 hours; Audio playback: up to 60 hours; Internet use on WiFi: up to 9 hours; Talk time on 3G network: up to 16 hours; Standby time on 3G network: up to 18 days

[MWC 2015] HTC unveils the HTC One M9

While the torrent leaks of photos, videos and specs kept the M9 as mobile tech's worse secret, HTC still proudly took the stage today at MWC to unveil their 2015 flagship device in the HTC One M9. While many are quick top point out the more than striking resemblance to the HTC One M8, the M9 takes many of the issues brought up with the M8 and addresses them in this year's iteration.

The three most noticeable hardware changes on the M9 include the shift from the 4MP UltraPixel camera (now relegated to the front facing duties) + Depth Sensor to a more conventional 20.7MP rear facing shooter, the placement of the power button on the side of the device rather than top and finally a "sharpening of the edges to improve grip on a pretty slippery phone.

Under the hood there are some significant improvements with HTC opting for the new Snapdragon 810 Octa Core 4 x 2.0 GHz + 4 x 1.5 GHz SoC, Adreno 430 GPU, 3GB of RAM, 32GB of internal storage expandable by micro SD, 1080p 5 inch Super LCD 3 display, a 2840 mAh battery and is running Android 5.0 Lollipop with Sense 7 on top.

The M9 will be available from Bell, Rogers, SaskTel, TELUS, and Videotron

We can't wait till we get our hands on the M9 to try out.

Check out the full press release after the break.

Canadian Motorola Moto G (2013), Moto X (2014), LG G3 and HTC One M7 recieving Android 5.0 Lollipop

Looks like it's Lollipop week as not one or two or three but four devices from three different manufacturers nonetheless have started receiving their upgrade to Android 5.0 Lollipop.

This morning we got word from our friends at LG that the G3 would start getting the upgrade starting today.

“Bringing the new Lollipop Android update to LG G3 users has been a top priority for us,” said Eunice Lee, Brand Manager of Mobile Communications, LG Canada. “LG is committed to providing our customers with the best mobile experience, and the Lollipop upgrade is a key part of that innovative experience. The new Android OS brings a refreshed interface to the LG G3 that complements its existing design and enhances the device’s functionality. We believe that our customers will find great value in the Lollipop upgrade.”

On the side of Motorola, the Moto G (first gen) from Virgin, TELUS, Koodo, Videotron, WIND and the unlocked retail version should all have started receiving the update as of yesterday. The LTE version from Rogers, Fido and Videotron however are not part of this initial rollout.

The Moto X second gen from WIND is also getting a second attempt at a Lollipop upgrade after the last attempt cause some devices to be bricked. No word yet on the original Moto X, as Motorola is stated to be needing more time due to the custom X8 Compute platform SoC used in the original Moto X.

Lastly, one of our readers has informed us (later confirmed by MobileSyrup) that the HTC One M7 has also started start getting it's rollout to Lollipop as well. (Thanks Alex!)

If you're one of the owners of these devices let us know how the update process goes!

Canadian HTC One M8 receiving Android 5.0.1 Lollipop

HTC had promised that it would keep its flagships updated within 90 of receiving code from Google for a new version of the Android OS. While it missed that mark by a few days, HTC has finally delivered the Lollipop Android 5 update to Canadian HTC One M8s. Last week, just before the weekend Bell, SaskTel and WIND M8s got the update first and today Rogers and TELUS versions followed suit.

This has been confirmed by users and by HTC America VP Mo Versi on Twitter.

HTC's RE camera now available in Canada from Staples

With the surprising entry into the GoPro dominated handheld camera market, HTC is finally making their RE camera available in Canada via Staples. Our friends have let us know that the RE will be available at Staples this week for $199.55.

Specs include a 16MP sensor that shoots 1080p 30fps FHD videos, capability to take 1,200 16MP photos on a single charge, memory expandability by up to 128GB of additional storage via MicroSD slot, submersible up to 1 meter for 30 minutes, Bluetooth-enabled, Wi-Fi capable (802.11b/g/n).

While $200 might be a tough sell for what is basically an accessory for your smartphone, there might just be a market for such a device where the GoPro might be too feature rich. With talks already of a RE successor, it will be interesting to see how HTC fairs in this competitive market segment.

Google officially announces the Android 5.0 Lollipop powered Nexus 6 and Nexus 9, coming soon to Canada

With a very low key announcement, Google in partnership with HTC and Motorola have officially unveiled the Nexus 6 and Nexus 9. We have the following information from our friends at TELUS, HTC and Motorola about the Canadian availability.

The Nexus 6 will be made by Motorola and is heavily inspired by the 2014 Moto X but with aspirations of phablet domination. While the Nexus 9 on the other hand is HTC's grand re-entrance into the incredibly cutthroat tablet market. With an 8.9 inch display, the Nexus 9 fall between the iPad Mini and iPad Air in terms of size.

Price for the Nexus 6 are the big shocker today as the usually ultra affordable flagship Nexus Handset is a surprising $749 for the 32GB version (expected to be $799 for the 64GB version). Price for the Nexus 9 in Canada isn't clear but we expect it to be in the $399 range to be competitive with both the iPads.

Carrier availability for the Nexus 6 is expected to be widespread but for now all we have is information from our friends at TELUS that it wil be coming "later this year". As for the Nexus 9, TELUS also tell us that it (the LTE version) will be available "later this year" and HTC adds that it will also be coming to Canadians via Futureshop/Best Buy as well as the LTE version via Rogers.

For specs, the Nexus 6 is sporting a 5.96-inch 2560x1440 QHD AMOLED display, 2.7GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 805 Processor, Adreno 420 GPU, 3GB of RAM, 32/64GB of internal storage, 13MP f2.0 Rear Facing Camera and 3220mAh battery

While the Nexus 9 is sporting a 8.9" 2048x1536 QXGA IPS LCD, 2.3GHz 64-bit Tegra K1 Processor, 192-core Kepler GPU, 2GB of RAM, 16/32GB of internal storage, 8MP f2.0 Rear Facing Camera and 6700mAh battery

Google also announced that the Nexus 7 (2012 and 2013), Nexus 4, Nexus 5 and Nexus 10 will all get upgrades to Android 5.0 Lollipop.

More info on Both devices and Android 5.0 Lollipop in the near future.

HTC officially announces the HTC One Mini 2

With the HTC One M8 available for several weeks now, it was only natural that rumors of a "mini" version were going to surface. Now HTC puts an end to the rumors by officially announcing the HTC One Mini 2. The One Mini 2 has a 4.5-inch 720p Super LCD 2 (326ppi), a 1.2Ghz quad-core Snapdragon 400 processor, 1GB of RAM, 16GB of internal storage (with a microSD slot), a 2110mAh battery, Android 4.4.2 KitKat with Sense 6.0.

If the specs seem familiar it's because they fall very close to that on the original One Mini. Looks wise, the One Mini 2 looks very much like the M8 with the unibody aluminum. What is noticeably different is the missing Duo Camera which HTC replaced a more conventional 13MP BSI camera.

No word on Canadian availability, but if things go like with the original One Mini, we expect a US carrier to pickup the One Mini 2, then probably a Canadian carrier afterwards.

HTC One M7 to get Sense 6 tomorrow ahead of schedule

We reported last month that the HTC One M7 was going to get an upgrade to Sense 6 or "Sixth Sense" at the end of this month. It looks like HTC is ahead of schedule as according to MobileSyrup, the One M7 is slated to get the upgrade this Monday May 12th. This is a great turnaround to see the year old M7 get some love. There nothing that will inspire buyer's confidence more than a company showing that they care for their current customers.

HTC One mini 2 leaked by evleaks

After giving us practically every bit of info we expected from the HTC One M8, evleaks is at it again, this time giving us a glimpse of the this year's "Mini" the HTC One mini 2. As expected it looks very much like an HTC One M8 except smaller.

Also noticeable is the lack of the Duo Camera Sensor. This means in all likelihood the very same 4MP Ultra Pixel Camera in the current HTC One Mini. Specs are expected to be lower than the M8, with a 4.5 inch 720p display, a quad-core 1.4GHz Snapdragon 400, 1GB of RAM and 16GB of internal storage and Android 4.4 + Sense 6.

HTC One M7 to see upgrade to Sense 6 or "Sixth Sense" by end of May

To HTC One M7 owners who are a bit envious of the M8's new Sense 6 features, there is good news straight from HTC Americas boss Jason Mackenzie. According to his official Twitter feed, the HTC One M7 will be getting an upgrade to Sense 6 by the end of May.

This includes all the goodies that only M8 owner enjoyed to day. We do wonder if this extends to the One Mini as well as the One Max but considering how the last updates went we wouldn't be surprised if this was the case.

In any case, we are glad to see HTC continue their commitment to bringing updates to existing customers.

HTC Desire 601 Android 4.4 KitKat update available for some Canadian carrier coming soon to others

While the Desire 601 isn't the most high end device on the market or even in HTC own lineup of 2013 smartphones, it certainly hasn't been forgotten. According to HTC's software update schedule and corroborated by Rogers' own OS Upgrade Schedule, the Desire 601 on Bell, Fido, Koodo, Rogers and SaskTel should start seeing OTA updates to Android 4.4 KitKat while the Virgin, Videotron and WIND versions are in the final certification stage.

If you have a Desire 601 and are getting the OTA, drop us a line and let us know how it goes.

HTC One Mini now available from Fido

Our time with the HTC One mini showed us that being "mini" didn't mean budget or low performance. While it didn't have the specs that the bigger One M7 had, it certainly wasn't a slouch and in terms of software updates is treated in the same was as the former flagship HTC One.

Today the One Mini is now headed to Fido after being an exclusive to Rogers for the past few months. This makes sense since the One Mini is a nice offering at the mid-range level and at $0 on Fido smart plan or $150 on standard plans. Check out our full review of the One mini here.

HTC unveils the All new HTC One (M8)

The HTC One finally has a successor in the the new HTC One (M8). Like its predecessor the M8 is a continuation of HTC's incredible industrial design prowess. The new One is once again made entirely out of aluminum and is built to feel even better in the hand than last year's model.

Specs include a 2.3GHz Quad core Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 SoC, 2GB of RAM, Adreno 330 GPU, 32GB of internal storage which can be expanded by microSD, Dual Camera Ultrapixel camera, 5MP front facing camera, 2600mAh battery and is powered by Android 4.4.2 with Sense 6 or "Sixth Sense".

Making its return is the Ultrapixel camera, but this time with a secondary camera for depth perception. Also making a return is HTC Boomsound, with an improved Stereospeaker system which HTC claims is louder and clearer than last years incarnation.

HTC did make a significant change when it comes to the display on the M8 as it is now a 5 inch 1080p display and has surprisingly went with on screen navigation buttons rather than the Capacitive buttons we've known HTC to favor.

Overall we can't wait till we get our hands on the M8 to try out.

All new HTC One will be available from Rogers, Bell, TELUS, WIND and SaskTel at launch

We're less than an hour away from the launch of the all new HTC One and still information is getting out. This time it's info from HTC's own website with the M8 buy now page being up ahead of today's launch. Rogers, Bell, TELUS, WIND and SaskTel look like the carriers that will be makign the One available and if the rumors are true they could be available starting today.

Just 30 minutes till the big announcement.

Rogers LG G2, Sony Xperia Z1 and HTC Desire 601 KitKat Update coming soon

Rogers has updated their OS Upgrade page and they detail that the LG G2, Sony Xperia Z1 as well HTC Desire 601 will be receiving an upgrade to Android 4.4 KitKat "Soon". While "Coming soon" is abotu as vague as you can get, the HTC One and One Mini had the same status and had their update roll out a few days later.

We hope for the same with this crop of smartphones. On HTC's OS upgrade page the Desire 601's is stated upgrade s stated to be in certification not only on Rogers but all carriers its sold by including Videotron, WIND, Koodo, etc. While we can't assume rollout will be simultaneous it at least give an idea of the timeline for updates.

Rogers HTC One Mini now receiving update to Android 4.4 KitKat

Just as previously outlined as "late February" in the Rogers OS Upgrade page, the HTC One Mini is apparently now receiving Android 4.4.2 KitKat. According to the Rogers OS Upgrade page and HTC's own Software update page, the certification process for One Mini's upgrade to Android 4.4.2 is complete.

One Mini users can expect similar improvements that the flagship HTC One owners have enjoyed for the last month. If you have a Rogers HTC One Mini check Settings -> About Phone -> Software update for your update and let us know how it goes down.

We suspect that this means our AT&T friends in the US should be getting the update pretty shortly. This also completes the rollout of Android 4.4 to all of HTC's major 2013 smartphone releases in Canada on every carrier which in its self a great thing to see and a nice feat. Now to see how the update process goes for the Desire 601.

[MWC 2014] HTC One named best smartphone at MWC 2014

With MWC in full swing, what would a conference be without some prizes being handed out. One winner caught our attention in the category of Best Smartphone and it was one of our favorite phones of the year in the HTC One. Despite being almost a year old at this point the One impressed the judges enough to still stand out compared to 680 other entries including newer phones released in 2013.

The HTC One remained one of the most advanced smartphones throughout 2013. Its great design and excellent user interface continue to provide a differentiated user experience, standing out from the competition - Judges’comments

Given that the One was just about universally praised by most of the mobile tech media, including AndroidBugle, we are not surprised by the choice. All of this only makes us more excited for March 25th when we hope to see the follow-up to the 2014 MWC Best Smartphone.

Check out the full press release after the break

HTC's next flagship to be unveiled March 25th and gets new leaked images

We must be close to a release as HTC flagship leaks have been a torrent recently, and early this morning we got the most significant leak yet. Renown leaker Evan Blass aka. evleaks has released the most convincingly real renders we've seen to date.

The renders confirm many of the rumors including, HTC's adoption of on-screen buttons, dual sensor camera, and similar build to the current flagship HTC One. One interesting thing about the render is that the slot for the micro/nano SIM looks like it's much wider than needed giving us the feeling it might also have a slot for a MicroSD card. Evan also says that the phone will be called the "All New HTC One" and will come in grey, silver and gold.

All this speculation well come to an end on March 25th, as HTC has sent out invites to members of the press for the HTC event held in New York and London. Till then we'll probably keep seeing leeks like these.

HTC One Mini Android 4.4 KitKat update in Certification phase, rollout in the coming days

While the HTC One update to Android 4.4 was rolled out in a  pretty speedy fashion, the One Mini has taken a bit longer to get its 4.4 update without mentioning that it skipped 4.3 altogether. One Mini owners can be relieved to hear that the One Mini's Android 4.4. KitKat update is now in the certification phase meaning it is most likely in Rogers' testing labs.

This is corroborated by Roger's OS Upgrade page which states that the One Mini should be getting Android 4.4 KitKat by the end of this month.

With HTC's renewed commitment to bringing updates to the One line, we wouldn't be surprised to see the update sooner than later.

HTC commits to 2 years of upgrades for flagship handsets moving forward

Yesterday, HTC held an "Ask Me Anything" session on the /r/Android section of reddit. We have to commend them for arranging the AMA as the Android subreddit hasn't been the kindest to HTC in the past few months.

Nevertheless some interesting tidbits did come out of the AMA, HTC has been looking at adding full RGB Notification LEDs, they are "exploring" ways of upgrading the AT&T HTC One X to Android 4.4 (no word on the Canadian version and probably most interestingly, HTC is now committed to keeping devices up to date for 2 years after release for flagship devices moving forward. 

While this is a nice show of faith, we will only know how this promise will be kept two years from now and more importantly what happens to the 2013 HTC One and "mid range" devices like the HTC One Mini and HTC Desire series.

HTC also reiterated that the AT&T One Mini should be getting Android 4.4 in April. Which is later than what Rogers is indicating on the their OS upgrade page. 

You can check out all of the Questions and answers here.