HTC One M9 Release Date, Specs News: Device Launch Set Spring 2015
HTC's next flagship phone, the HTC One M9, is set to launch just in time for the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain on March 2.
While the specific release date for the M9 has been set on the first day of March, price and specifications of the Taiwanese manufacturer's latest smartphone model are still under speculation despite HTC's preparation for its launch date following the MWC show.
Now going by the name Hima, after the smartphone and tablets company announced it will no longer be using M codenames, the device will be available for the rest of the U.K. several weeks after its official launch date.
A Windows version of the HTC One M9, or Hima, is also expected to appear on the market by June or July 2015.
With HTC's consistent pricing for all its smartphones, users may expect this next-gen device to retail between $770 (£500) to $925 (£600), giving due consideration to research and development, and inflation, as well as shipping costs. However, a price drop may be anticipated in the months following its launch.
In online leaked photos at Nowhereelse.com which were subsequently taken down, images show the Hima to be a twin to the M8 in appearance, except for its supposed 20-megapixel camera which is square rather than round-shaped. In theory, the Hima is said to be an exceedingly thin 7mm, considering its large HD display and octocore processor.
According to U.S. blogger, Evan Blass, who also leaked a different design of the Hima on his Twitter account, @evleaks, this next flagship phone is likely to be available in two sizes, following an HTC One M9 Plus dual handset speculation fueled by Tech Advisor earlier in February.
However, all these leaked images are said to be HTC decoy dummy units intended to throw competitors off the scent.
HTC Source says the Hima is rumored to have borrowed design inspiration from Google's Nexus 9 tablet, with the HTC logo moving down to the smartphone's bottom speaker. The BoomSound speaker panels, taller and taking up more space, will be hidden behind the device's edge-to-edge glass.