Motorola's Moto X Force smartphone with 'shatterproof display' to be launched in India soon!

Motorola has now announced the launch of another variant of its Moto X smartphone--the Moto X Force. The company claims that this smartphone comes equipped with an unbreakable display, which is the world's first shatterproof display. According to Motorola, the 'Moto Shattershield' technology helps the display to absorb the shock and prevent the screen from cracking. Surprised? Wait till you read this. Motorola claims that the screen won't shatter for almost four years!

In the US, Moto X Force has been launched as the Droid Turbo 2, but in the other part of the world, it would be rolled out as Moto X Force only. The sale is likely to begin this November.

What powers Motorola Moto X Force? A Qualcomm's Snapdragon 810 octa-core chipset paired with 3GB of RAM, the Moto X Force is equipped with a 5.4-inch QHD (2560x1440 pixels) display and a 3,760mAh battery. As far as storage capacity is concerned, this device comes with two different internal storage options: 32GB and 64GB, which can be expanded up to 2TB via a microSD card.

On the camera front, the Moto X Force carries a 21MP rear camera with dual-LED flash and Phase Detection Auto Focus, 5MP selfie camera. Moving on to the connectivity aspect of this device, this smart has a single-SIM card slot, 4G LTE, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth.

OnePlus X matches solid design with an eye-catching price tag

The OnePlus X has been officially unveiled in London, with a sleek new look and a price tag which will have everyone's bank manager smiling.

OnePlus has moved away from the design ethos of it flagships, the One and 2, with the OnePlus X sporting a metal frame and glass clad front and back. It's fair to say there is more than a passing resemblance to the iPhone 4 and iPhone 4S in play here - which may irk some people.

A quick peek under the hood though and the OnePlus X sports a reasonably strong line up of specs with a Snapdragon 801 processor, 3GB of RAM, 16GB of internal storage, microSD slot, 5-inch full HD display, 13MP rear camera, 8MP front snapper and a 2,525mAh battery.

The processor is rather old, featuring in some of the top handsets from 2014, so performance won't be up there with the OnePlus 2.


Price, price baby

It's OnePlus' slimmest handset to date at 6.9mm, and with dimensions of 140 x 69mm it should fit in the hand a lot easier than its bigger brothers.

Running the show you get Android 5.1.1 Lollipop, which has been coated in the Chinese firm's own Oxygen OS - a light skin which adds additional features to the interface.

The OnePlus X is priced at just £199 (around US$300, AU$400) for the Oynx (black) model, with a release date set for November 5.

If you fancy the Ceramic edition (which is heavier at 160g vs 138g) then you're looking at £269 (around US$400, AU$550) - and this variant is limited to 10,000 units. Is the added price for exclusivity worth it? We'll leave that decision up to you.

OnePlus X vs OnePlus 2: the battle of the brilliant budget phones

The OnePlus X, the OnePlus Mini, the OnePlus 3 - call it what you like, but it's the new member of the low-priced phone family, and it's taking the Chinese brand in a whole new direction.

This is a phone that's all about style over substance, with some oddly low-power choices when it comes to the spec sheet, and some surprising twists when it comes to the design.

So how much of a change of pace is this for OnePlus? Let's compare the all-new X to the recently-launched OnePlus 2 to see where the big differences lie:
Design



The OnePlus X is all about the style of the phone, coming in onyx glass or fired ceramic. The screen rolls into the phone and the weight is right down, coming in as low as 136g for the glass version, or a little weightier for the more premium ceramic.

The OnePlus 2 is a long way from being an ugly phone, but it's not quite got the same style of the OnePlus X. The screen is a flatter affair and the rear of the phone is interchangeable - which is cool if you're a fan of bamboo or Kevlar. It's a decent-looking phone, but the build quality is much higher in the X.


Display



The display on the OnePlus X is a much smaller affair than the OnePlus 2: it's five inches compared to the 5.5-incher on the older phone.

However, rather than LCD it's OLED, which means richer colours and contrast ratio, and as it's smaller (but sticks with the 1080p resolution) it's sharper, 441ppi compared to 401.

And by using OLED the battery life can be saved by only firing the parts of the screen that are needed, so when you get a notification it'll show up in grayscale - something the 2 simply can't do.
Power and performance



Here's where things get dicey for the OnePlus X. It's inexplicably got the Qualcomm Snapdragon 801, which is a chipset from 2013. A quad-core affair, it's nowhere near the power of the 810 that's hidden inside the OnePlus 2.

The newer phone 'only' has 3GB of RAM (although that's more than enough for most tasks) compared to the 4GB of the OnePlus 2, and that will likely mean it's a lot slower on the heavier tasks.

In short, the X is a phone that's more about looks than performance - OnePlus is finding ways to save money, and going low on the CPU is the way to do it.
Camera



The camera in the OnePlus X and 2 are both 13MP sensors, and while the new one is made by Samsung it's not in the same category of the OnePlus 2.

The key here is low-light performance, with the f/2.2 of the X nowhere near the f/2.0 of the OnePlus 2, which also looks likely to have larger pixels too.

The X does have a better front-facing camera though, if selfies are your thing.
OS



Here's where things match up a little: both phones are using OxygenOS, OnePlus' own overlay sitting on top of Android 5.1.

That allows loads of little features like easier customisation of widgets and the like, and it's still very close to stock Android. There are some slight upgrades on the X, like the aforementioned duo-chrome notifications but this is more to do with the OLED display.
Features



There are a tonne of features on the OnePlus X that you might not find on the 2 - well, there's one big one that will keep the fans happy: a microSD slot.

You can do the clever Flex thing with it, where you can use it as internal storage for apps and stuff, but at up to 128GB space there's a lot of media you can fling in there.

For some reason OnePlus is going crazy with the fact there's an FM radio on the OnePlus X. Nobody cares, but hey, it's apparently 2009 and we're all listening to radio on our phones like our grandparents.

The OnePlus 2 has a fingerprint sensor though, which is missing from the X and would help with security massively.
Battery



The OnePlus 2 trounces the X in terms of battery size: the 2525mAh of the latter dwarfed by the 3300mAh power pack thrown into the older phone.

Using that older processor might, possibly, lead to some battery savings thanks to being only needed to push four cores, but they're clocked to a much higher speed (2.6GHz compared to the 1.58GHz of the hardest-working of the octa-core in the OP2) so the savings might not be that high.

Just don't be surprised when the battery tests show that the OnePlus 2 is miles better than the X in terms of battery life.
Price and availability



The OnePlus X is at least a cheaper option: £199 / $249 / around AU$350 compared to the £239 / $329 / around AU$515 for the older (but better specified) phone.

The price of the OnePlus X does rise with the use of ceramic materials, and you're stuck with only 16GB of internal storage where bumping up the cost of the OnePlus 2 at least gets you 64GB of memory.

Both are still only available with an invite, whether that's by sticking your name on the reserve list, having a chum who has one, getting on social media or just waiting with a bag outside the OnePlus offices and hoping someone randomly throws one out the window.

The OnePlus X goes on sale early November, with the ceramic version coming towards the end of the month.
Verdict

There's a very simple theme that keeps emerging here: the OnePlus X is a phone that's more about substance over style. It's a phone that uses words like 'onyx' and 'ceramic' when describing the exterior, where with the OnePlus 2 it seemed to be more of an afterthought.

It almost beggars belief how old the chipset is in the OnePlus X, but at least that helps the brand bring the cost down to a really amazing level. At least there's a chance that the extre other features, like a nicer OLED screen and a decent slug of RAM, will help it zip along acceptably.

The OnePlus 2 is a phone for the fans, those that want a phablet with a lot of power and don't want to spend a lot of money on it.

Both are attractive in their own way, but you'll have to work out whether you want a pocketable and stylish phone or all the latest specs if you're thinking of picking up a OnePlus in 2015.

OnePlus X release date, news and features

OnePlus X release date, news and features

Everything you need to know about the OnePlus X

We've heard word of a smaller, daintier OnePlus device for months - in fact, ever since the first OnePlus One came out all that time ago.

Well, we've finally got it, and it's going to be something you won't have seen from OnePlus up until now: a phone that's all about design over spec. It's smaller, cheaper and more angular than the previous models from the firm, with a smaller battery and much older processor.

There's a weird mix of spec on this phone actually, ranging from new technology to enable cool new features to components that definitely belong on older or cheaper phones. So what's it all about?
Release date

There are two release dates to talk about here, as the OnePlus X is coming in two design flavors. If you're thinking of going for glass (onyx glass, if we're being specific) then you'll be able to get your hands on that on November 5 for Europe and India (or November 19 if you're in the US).

However, if you're thinking you want to be one of the 10,000 in the world to grab a ceramic device, then you'll have to wait until November 24 - sadly, it doesn't seem like you'll be able to pick this up in North America or Australia.

As you can see, there's going to be some exclusivity here. There will only be 10,000 invites issued for the ceramic version of the OnePlus X because, well, that's all that are being made.

If you want the glass, there's still the same old invite process - so it's a case of finding a chum who's already bought one, social media, or just sticking your name on the reservations list.
Price

Once again, OnePlus has come out with a cracking price for its new phone. The OnePlus X price has been set at £199 / $249 / around AU$350, which is pretty great even when you consider it's only coming with 16GB of onboard storage.



The ceramic model is a little more expensive though (well, more than a little) such is its exclusivity: £269 / around $365 / around AU$515.
Design

The design is the key thing here for the new OnePlus X, with most of the literature surrounding it talking about the way it's been created - rolling glass, smooth and polished glass, sleek lines - and it shows.

The smaller dimensions make this a smartphone, rather than a phablet - the OnePlus X is certainly more pocketable.

Both models are 140 x 69 x 6.9 mm, but the glass version is 138g where the ceramic option is a meaty 160g - thanks to some kiln / super thin mold magic, but the upshot is the frames are the same but the premium version comes with more mass.

The screen is a smaller five inches in size to make it more palm friendly, and the glass or ceramic models are framed around a metal chassis.



It looks a bit like a fusion of the iPhone 5 and iPhone 6, in truth.
Specs

You want some specs? Yeah? Have we got some lovely specs for you!

Let's get the most mental one out of the way: this phone is running the Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 chipset, which is as old as the hills (well, 2013 to be exact).

Its four cores have been clocked up to 2.6GHz, but that's possibly going to have an effect on battery - which is only 2525mAh, compared to the 3300mAh of the OnePlus 2.

There is 3GB of RAM shoved in there to make it whizz along a little bit faster, but it's not going to be able to do a lot to help that older CPU.



The Wi-Fi levels have been slightly compromised as a result - you won't be having fun on 802.11ac here as its only b/g/n supported.

However, it seems like most LTE bands are baked in there, and with Bluetooth 4.0 on board that's enough to allow for smart connections.
Features

The main feature a lot of OnePlus users will care about is the addition of the microSD slot, giving you the chance to expand up to 128GB of storage on top of the 16GB offered internally.

Should the X be upgraded to Android Marshmallow there's every chance you'll be able to integrate this into the internal storage, but for now that's your lot.

OxygenOS, OnePlus' proprietary overlay on top of Android Lollipop (5.1), comes with a bunch of novel features though. For instance, combined with the OLED display used on the new X, a 'duochrome' (read: black and white) mode will display your notifications to save battery life.

There's also an FM radio for some odd reason - not weird that it's there, but strange that OnePlus is making such a big deal about it. Perhaps it's a big hitter in some of the other countries the brand is strong in.

Other features like Dark Mode (for easier night viewing) will be familiar to OnePlus users, as the overlay is largely the same as used on the previous phablet models.



There's a rocker switch on the side of the phone with three levels allowing you to choose between all noises, priority only and off - something that we saw in the OnePlus 2 already.

And Swiftkey is once again on board to let you tap in a little easier. Nice.
Camera

The camera on the OnePlus X is a 13MP affair, with an f/2.2 aperture and Isocell technology (presumably from Samsung). It's also got a rather fast 0.2second autofocus on board, with phase detection autofocus.

That's not quite as good as the camera in the OnePlus 2, despite being the same resolution. The low light capabilities aren't quite as decent, although the autofocus is really rather impressive.



On the front things have been boosted though, with an 8MP sensor - although with an f/2.4 aperture it's not going to be that great in low light.
Battery

The battery life of the OnePlus X is something that might worry a few, as not only is it smaller than the OnePlus 2 (2525mAh compared to 3300mAh) but it's also using a much older chipset which might not be as efficient.

There's an odd lack of battery life being specified by OnePlus, which is always a slightly worrying sign. Then again, this is a brand that knows how to optimise it devices to make sure they function as well as possible - and a battery of this size in a mid-range phone isn't the worst we've ever seen.

Let's see if things like duochrome notifications and OnePlus engineering expertise work together to improve the power management.
Should I buy the OnePlus X?

Well, should you? The tricky thing here is it seems that the ceramic version of the OnePlus X looks to be the more premium and desirable model, and with that only being limited to 10,000 people it's not going to be easy to get hold of one.

If you're wondering whether this phone is for you, you'll have to ask yourself whether the lower price is enough to offset the slightly less impressive spec sheet. That's a very low price, but there are a few issues with the specs that might put you off.

But in reality, this is a phone for those that get what OnePlus is about: a small, inexperienced brand that's trying to challenge the way we think about our smartphones.

The design is the big thing that will get you - a sleeker device that fits more nicely in the hand rather than a powerhouse that's pushing at the best spec list at every avenue.

OnePlus X

OnePlus X

OnePlus

PROS:

• Low cost
• Improved design
• MicroSD slot

CONS:

• Old processor
• Fingerprint magnet

Hands on: OnePlus X review

This is a flash hands on, giving you an instant flavour of the phone while we spend more time with it. We will update this hands on review very soon with more information. In the meantime, enjoy our selection of photos of the OnePlus X.

OnePlus is expanding its range of smartphones with the OnePlus X, which slides in below the Chinese firm's flagship OnePlus 2.

It's a mid-tier offering with a highly reasonable price tag, aimed at encouraging those on tighter budgets, and with a stronger sense of style, to jump aboard the start-up's bandwagon.

At £200 (around US$300, AU$400) the OnePlus X is, at least on paper, a value for money offering with its Snapdragon 801 processor, 3GB of RAM, 5-inch full HD display, 13MP rear camera and 8MP front snapper.

As I approached the handset on the stand I was struck with a certain sense of deja vu, as there's an air of the iPhone 4 about the OnePlus X. This isn't the first phone to be compared to an iPhone, nor will it be the last, but from a OnePlus perspective the design language is a step in the right direction.

The OnePlus X looks and feels more premium than both the OnePlus One and OnePlus 2, and I can see this design having a wider appeal with consumers.

In fact, considering the price the OnePlus X is fantastically built - it could easily pass itself off as a handset almost double the price in the design department.

At 6.9mm thick, it's the thinnest OnePlus handset to date and the 5-inch display keeps the dimensions to a palm friendly 140 x 69mm. It's much easier to hold in one hand than its bigger brothers.

The micro cuts in the metal frame that runs around the circumference of the OnePlus X adds a level of grip - which is handy as the glass/ceramic finish can be a little slippery.

One negative point on the design of the OnePlus X however, it's an absolute fingerprint magnet. I lost track of the number of times I had to wipe the handset down, front and back, during my hands on time. It's highly frustrating.

For the first time on a OnePlus handset, the OnePlus X sports an AMOLED screen, making for brighter, more vibrant colours.

The 5-inch screen is a comfortable size, and the full HD resolution means everything looks clean and sharp.

The OnePlus X will be able to buy (with an invite) from November 5 for the first month. From month two there will be weekly open sales, increasing in duration as time goes on.

Why Samsung really wants to put a Snapdragon 820 in the Galaxy S7

Why Samsung really wants to put a Snapdragon 820 in the Galaxy S7

It's nice when everyone gets along, right? That's got to be the reason that Samsung seems so hell-bent on getting the new Qualcomm chip to work.
Reports are emerging that Samsung is working hard to make sure the new Snapdragon 820 chipset doesn't have the same overheating problems as its predecessor, coming up with new ways of helping make sure it stays cool.
The first is simply software-based, working on ways to help lower the running temperature of the chip during intense work. If that doesn't work, it's going to get a bit more novel.
'Radiating heat pipes' sound awesome, but in truth they just help to get rid of the intense heat that's created when you're pushing your new smartphone in terms of connecting to the internet, playing all the games and watching all the movies while tweeting about your progress.Not all about you, mate
The reason for this effort is two-fold: having a great Qualcomm chipset means it can just plug in a key component into its new Galaxy S7, rather than having to create a custom chip and sell that in millions of phones, as it had to with the Galaxy S6 following reports that the Snapdragon 810 was getting too toasty in phones.
But it's reported that Samsung is partly behind the manufacture of these chips too, with Qualcomm handing the firm a contract to create part of the orders for the smartphone engine.
Qualcomm badly needs the flagship chip to perform well in next year's top-end smartphones to help eradicate the memory of brands going with lower-power variants to keep performance under control.
The upshot is: Samsung helping Qualcomm means better phones for all - especially the Galaxy S7. Good times.

​Users of Nexus 5X complain of yellow hue on screens

​Users of Nexus 5X complain of yellow hue on screens

Tech giant Google has recently launched the LG-made Nexus 5 X in India. But as per recent media reports, many Nexus 5X users have complained that their smartphones are not sporting a correctly saturated display and rather have a yellow tint to the screens.

The problem was raised in a thread on Reddit, wherein a user said, "I just got my 5X yesterday and the screen is very yellow compared to my 5. Is this normal, or are we going to have to go through this again?" But when the user approached Google's customer support division, he wrote, "I just got done with Google's customer support and they are shipping me a new one to see if it's actually an issue. I will update once I receive the new device."

Notably, the Nexus 5X is not the first smartphone that has this defect. Other users on the same Reddit thread revealed that a similar issue was registered on the Nexus 5 as well as many of the early OnePlus One handsets.

However, the root cause of this issue is yet to be discovered. But some of the users believe that it is occurring owing to the adhesive that glues all the display components together.

So if you are witnessing similar issues with your Nexus 5X device, you can also get it replaced for free by approaching Google.

Xolo Black with 5-inch full HD display and 3GB RAM launched at Rs 9,999

Xolo Black with 5-inch full HD display and 3GB RAM launched at Rs 9,999

Xolo has launched the second smartphone- Xolo Black 1X under its premium Black series. The latest smartphone is priced at Rs 9,999 and will go on sale on Snapdeal starting November 6.

Xolo Black 1X is one of the few smartphones with a full HD display in the sub 10k category that will compete against Xiaomi Mi4i, Yu Yureka Plus, Lenovo K3 Note and others. It sports a 5-inch full-HD (1080x1920 pixels) display with Dragontrail Glass protection layer. The smartphone is powered by a 1.3GHz MediaTek MT6753 octa-core SoC with 3GB of RAM. For imaging, the smartphone has a 13MP Auto-focus rear camera and a 5MP front-facing camera.

The dual-SIM capable smartphone is 4G enabled and runs Android 5.1 Lollipop with HIVE Atlas UI. Other connectivity options include 3G, Wi-FI and Bluetooth 4.0.

In terms of storage, the smartphone offers 32GB internal memory that can be expanded using a microSD card. The smartphone weighs 125 grams and have a thickness of 7.6mm. It is backed by a 2,400mAh battery unit.

The company's official website shows that the smartphone has a glass body and minimal bezels around the display. The website also says that Xolo Black 1X has a metal, leather and a glass finish.

The first smartphone in the Black series- Xolo Black was launched in July this year at Rs 12,999.

First impressions: Sony Xperia Z5 Dual and Z5 Premium

First impressions: Sony Xperia Z5 Dual and Z5 Premium

Same old design with a more premium appeal



Sony launched the first Xperia Z back in March 2013; and since then, the company hasn’t changed the basic design of its Xperia range. Once again we have the same rectangular design that we have been accustomed to, but the new flagships look more refined and have a more premium appeal than ever.
In terms of changes, a frosted glass takes the place of the glossy one that we have seen in previous Xperia handsets. The new rear of the Xperia Z5 is not prone to fingerprints and smudges and its matte finish feels much better in hands. However, the Xperia Z5 Premium integrates an extra reflective glass rear, the kind of material that we’ve seen in Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge, which is a fingerprint magnet. The rounded power button has been given a rectangular shape and it also works as a fingerprint scanner to unlock the smartphones. Interestingly, these are the first handsets in the market with a fingerprint sensor placed on edges and not underneath the displays.
Both the smartphones feel light in hands but are quite slippery due to their metal finishing.

The exquisite display

Moving on to the display, 4K might not be the most practical thing on a smartphone but in reality the 5.5-inch 4K display on the Xperia Z5 looks brilliant. With a whopping 801ppi, the icons, texts, images and everything else looks crisper than anything we have seen earlier on a smartphone. The Xperia Z5, on the other hand, packs a 5.2-inch full HD display that also looks vivid and crisp. We still need to evaluate the display performances in outdoor conditions once we will get the review units.

The 23MP Sony’s EXMOR RS sensors

We were quite impressed with the camera performance of the previous Xperia devices. And with whatever time we spent with the new Xperia Z5 and Xperia Z5 Premium, their 23MP sensors looked impressive. We took some shots from these handsets, and they look crisp and very detailed. However, there was a noticeable delay in opening the shots taken from the camera UI. Just to make clear that it’s not related to one particular handset, we tried the same with 3 to 4 devices and found the same issue with all of them. A software update might resolve the glitch.

Processor, RAM & Storage

The new Xperia handsets are powered by with a 64-bit octa-core Snapdragon 810 (MSM8994) and 3GB of RAM. To handle graphics-related tasks, the smartphones have Adreno 430 GPU. In terms of memory, both the smartphones come with 32GB inbuilt memory and can be expanded upto 200GB via microSD card.

Quick charge technology by Sony

Sony has packed the Xperia Z5 with a 2930mAh battery, and a 3430mAh battery unit powers up the Xperia Z5 Premium. The company has claimed that the smartphones can last up to 2 days with a single charge and Sony’s quick charger (2.0) can give a 5.5 hour of back-up with just a 10-min charging time. We are eager to test the claims form the company.
More to know



Unlike the devices from Apple, Samsung and Google, Sony Xperia devices come with IP68 certification for water and dust resistance and also support Dual SIM connectivity. The Xperia Z5 will be available from October 23 while the Xperia Z5 Premium will hit the market by November 7.

Lenovo A1000, A6000 Shot and K3 Note Music launching this Diwali via offline channels

Lenovo A1000, A6000 Shot and K3 Note Music launching this Diwali via offline channels

Lenovo has announced that it will start selling the A1000, A6000 Shot as well as the K3 Note Music this Diwali through offline retail outlets.

Lenovo is primarily known for its online retail presence in India, thanks to its very lucrative partnership with popular e-tailer Flipkart. That being said, there's no denying that the company has to still focus on offline availability through brick-and-mortar outlets as it accounts for a large chunk of the sales.

The company has now announced that it will release three new phones - the Lenovo A1000, the A6000 Shot as well as the K3 Note Music this Diwali through offline retail outlets. These offerings will be targeted towards walk-in customers at major retail locations across India.

Lenovo is focusing on the budget as well as mid-range market segments with the three offerings as they will be sold at varying price points. All three devices support 4G LTE by default, which will be crucial for the company considering the pricing.

The Lenovo A1000 is a budget 4G LTE smartphone and will be sold for Rs 4,999 while the A6000 Shot will be sold for Rs 9,999. And the K3 Note Music has been priced at Rs 12,999.

"Diwali is when we see a substantial jump in sales and this is why we are launching the A1000 priced Rs 4,999, A6000 Shot at Rs 9,999 and K3 Note Music at Rs 12,999 exclusively for our offline channel partners," Sudhin Mathur, director, Smartphones, Lenovo India, said while speaking to a media outlet.

Here we share some specs of these three smartphones. Read on!

Lenovo A1000:

4-inch WVGA (480x800) display 1.3 GHz quad-core Spreadtrum SC7731 processor 5MP rear cameraVGA front camera 1GB RAM 8GB storage (expandable up to 32GB) Android 5.0 Lollipop 2,050 mAh battery 4G LTE with dual SIM support

Lenovo A6000 Shot:

5-inch HD (1280x720) display 1.2 GHz quad-core Snapdragon 410 SoC 13MP rear camera 5MP front camera 2GB RAM 16GB storage (expandable using microSD) Android 5.0 Lollipop 2,300 mAh battery4G LTE with dual SIM

K3 Note Music:

5.5-inch Full HD (1920x1080) display 1.7 GHz octa-core MediaTek MT6752 processor 13MP rear camera 5MP front camera 2GB RAM 16GB storage (expandable using microSD) Android 5.0 Lollipop3,000 mAh battery 4G LTE with dual SIM

HTC One A9 vs HTC One M9

HTC One A9 vs HTC One M9




Earlier this year HTC released the HTC One M9, a gorgeous smartphone with a metal unibody. Now the company is back with a new phone dubbed the HTC One A9 and it's still packing strong design language, and is every bit as metal.
The name is also similar, but there are a lot of differences between these phones, from the processor, to the camera and beyond. Here's what you need to know.

Design

The HTC One A9 has a slim metal shell, with dimensions of 145.75 x 70.8 x 7.26mm. It's not entirely dissimilar to the metal-clad HTC One M9 and both phones have antenna lines running across the back, but the One M9 is a lot thicker at 144.6 x 69.7 x 9.6mm.
That extra thickness allows the back of the older phone to curve though, so it can sit comfortably in your hand.

There's more difference round the front, where the HTC One M9 has dual BoomSound speakers taking up space above and below the screen. The HTC One A9 doesn't have those but it does have a fingerprint scanner under the display, while the front of the M9 is a button free zone.
Both phones look distinctly stylish, but with its rounded shape the M9 is to our eyes a little nicer, though also chunkier.

Display

On paper there's nothing to choose between the screens on these two phones, as both have a 5.0-inch 1080 x 1920 display. They even have similar levels of protection, with Gorilla Glass 4 keeping them safe from scrapes and scratches.

We found the screen on the HTC One M9 to generally be pretty good, but sometimes a little dark, and with the Full HD Super AMOLED screen on offer, the One A9 is a much more impressive display.
Colors look richer, the contrast ratio is much improved and, generally, it's a nicer phone to use when watching Netflix, browsing the web or just looking at pictures you've just taken from the phone.

Power and performance

The HTC One A9 has an octa-core Snapdragon 617 processor with four cores running at 1.5GHz and the other four at 1.2GHz.

The HTC One M9 on the other hand has an octa-core Snapdragon 810 chip, with four cores clocked at 2.0GHz and the remaining four at 1.5GHz. So it should be a little faster than the A9, though both are backed up by 3GB of RAM.
They also both come with a maximum of 32GB of storage and a microSD card slot, but the HTC One A9 has the edge here as it supports cards of up to 2TB, while the HTC One M9 tops out at 128GB.
That being said, HTC is splitting its strategy with the internal capacity of the One A9 - as well as the RAM. Asia will get both 16GB and 32GB variants of the phone, with 2GB and 3GB of RAM respectively, but the UK will only get the former, with the US being 'stuck' with the higher-spec model.

Camera

There's a 13MP snapper on the back of the HTC One A9, complete with optical image stabilisation and support for filming video in 1080p. The HTC One M9 doesn't have optical image stabilisation but it ups the megapixels to 20.7MP and the video resolution to 2160p.

The M9's camera is highly competent, but not quite a rival for the best out there. As the HTC One A9 isn't quite a flagship we wouldn't expect its camera to be among the best either, but it does offer a decent performance in our early testing - bringing it alongside the impressive latest slew of Motorola phones, for instance.
Round the front both phones have UltraPixel snappers adept at capturing lots of light, so you should be able to take decent shots even in dim environments.

Operating system

Both the HTC One M9 and the HTC One A9 run Android overlaid with HTC Sense, but the A9 ships with Android Marshmallow, while the M9 currently runs Android Lollipop, which is the previous version of the OS.

An update to Marshmallow is expected for the M9, but until that arrives the HTC One A9 has the edge, with full permission control for apps, improvements to Google Now and more besides.
The HTC One A9 has a more simplified UI as well, taking a lot more cues from Android's stock interface and shedding a lot of the HTC-created apps in favor of the stock Google options to keep the internal storage more agile and sleeker.

Features

The big feature the HTC One A9 has which the HTC One M9 doesn't is a fingerprint scanner, giving you one more option for securing your phone and, perhaps more importantly, making the A9 fully equipped to use Android Pay.

It doesn't have the HTC One M9's dual front-facing speakers though, so don't expect audio quality from the phone to be as good from the mono speaker at the bottom.
The A9 is also offering hi-res audio at 24-bit sampling, so the output of even the tinniest tunes is enhanced. That said, it's not a new trick for today's smartphones, but it's a big step forward for HTC, a brand that prides itself on its audio performance.

Battery

The HTC One A9 has a 2150 mAh battery quoted for up to 16 hours of talk time, while the HTC One M9 has a larger 2840 mAh battery which can supposedly last for up to 21.7 hours of talk time.

That doesn't sound too promising for the HTC One A9, especially as in practice the M9 was often running on empty long before bed. At least both phones support Quick Charge 2.0, so you can get them back up and running fast.
The One A9 does have a couple of tricks up its sleeve, mostly coming from the improved efficiency of Doze mode from Android Marshmallow and the lower-power (and newer) Qualcomm Snapdragon 617 chipset, so there's a good chance it could outlast the older model despite having nearly 25% less battery capacity.
Price and availability

The HTC One M9 has been out a while and can now be found from roughly £375 if you shop around. The HTC One A9 on the other hand is launching for £429.99, which puts it in the curious position of being more expensive, despite arguably being lower end.
In the US, the One A9 will confusingly be available for the $399.99, which means you'll be paying less for a phone that has better specs than that available in the UK.
No, we've no idea how HTC thought that was a good plan, either.

Verdict

The HTC One M9 might be older than the HTC One A9 but it's also higher spec, with a faster processor, a bigger battery and more megapixels.
Then again the HTC One A9 benefits from a fingerprint scanner and comes with Android Marshmallow from day one, so it's a strong alternative, especially if biometric security is important to you.
The M9 is still HTC's flagship, but the sleeker design, improved camera and all-round upgrades of the One A9 could sway a lot of people - although not in the UK, where the price is inexplicably high for a lower-spec model.

HTC One A9 vs iPhone 6S

HTC One A9 vs iPhone 6S

HTC is arguably the only company which can match Apple for smartphone design and with the HTC One A9 it's clearly been heavily inspired by its rival too.

But while the look might be familiar there are quite a few differences between the HTC One A9 and the iPhone 6S, not least the fact that while Apple's phone is a flagship, HTC's isn't quite, no matter how much it might look like one. But that's not the only difference, there's much, much more.

Design

If it weren't for the logos the HTC One A9 and iPhone 6S could almost be hard to tell apart at first glance. Both have fairly plain metal shells with antenna lines running along near the top and bottom, both have slightly rounded corners and both have fingerprint scanners below the screen.

They're even almost identically thin, with the iPhone 6S coming in at 7.1mm thick while the HTC One A9 is a marginally chunkier 7.26mm. Both also weigh exactly the same at 143g.

Look closer though and there are some differences. Those fingerprint scanners are different shapes for one thing. The Touch ID scanner on the iPhone 6S is circular, while the HTC One A9's scanner is more of an oblong shape.

Their cameras are positioned differently too, with the HTC One A9's rear snapper sitting centrally, while the iPhone 6S has a camera off to the side. Thickness aside they have different dimensions too, with the iPhone 6S being 138.3 x 76.1mm, while the HTC One A9 is 145.75 x 70.8mm.

So the A9 isn't quite similar enough to be considered a copy, but it's definitely reminiscent of Apple's phone. As such it also looks similarly good, but less original.

Display

With its 5-inch display the HTC One A9 isn't a massive smartphone, but it's still bigger than the 4.7-inch iPhone 6S. It's higher resolution too, at 1080 x 1920, compared to the 750 x 1334 iPhone 6S screen.

Neither phone can challenge the likes of the QHD Samsung Galaxy S6 for resolution, but they're both fairly sharp. The iPhone 6S also has an impressively colourful display, though the contrast ratio isn't the best. It remains to be seen how good the A9's is in practice, but hopefully it's brighter than the HTC One M9's screen.

One big trick Apple's phone does have, which the HTC One A9 can't match, is 3D Touch. This allows the display to respond differently to different levels of pressure and it has the potential to completely change the way we use our phones, but only once it's embraced in clever ways by a large number of apps and games.

Power and performance

The HTC One A9 has an octa-core Snapdragon 617 chip with four cores clocked at 1.5GHz and four running at 1.2GHz. That's a new 64-bit chip, but it's a more mid-range one than the Snapdragon 810 found in flagships like the HTC One M9.

As such we don't expect performance to be at quite a top tier level, though it is helped out by a generous 3GB of RAM.

The iPhone 6S sounds even less impressive with its 1.84GHz dual-core Apple A9 processor and 2GB of RAM, but it's more than capable of smoothly speeding through apps and games and can hold its own against the latest Android flagships.

You'll also get more built in storage from the iPhone 6S, as it's available with 16, 64 or 128GB, but there's no microSD card slot. The HTC One A9 on the other hand tops out at 32GB (the UK is only getting the 16GB model), but add a microSD card into the mix and you can get up to 2TB more.

Camera

The HTC One A9 sports a 13MP rear camera with optical image stabilisation and support for 1080p video. The megapixel count is similar to the iPhone 6S, which has a 12MP snapper, but it doesn't offer optical image stabilisation. Then again the 6S can shoot videos in up to 2160p, so it wins on that front.

It's too early to fully judge the actual performance of the A9's camera, but it's going to have a tough fight against the iPhone 6S, which can take really great photos.

Round the front the HTC One A9 has an UltraPixel camera, with big pixels to let more light in, so selfies should be more flattering. The iPhone 6S has a more conventional but fairly competent 5MP front-facing snapper.

Operating system

The operating system is perhaps the biggest difference between these phones, as while one runs Android the other runs iOS.

More specifically the HTC One A9 runs Android 6.0 Marshmallow overlaid with HTC Sense, while the iPhone 6S runs iOS 9.

Both of these are brand new versions of their respective operating systems, in fact Android Marshmallow is so new that hardly any other phones have it yet.

They're also both polished, impressive operating systems with apps galore. The choice really comes down to whether you're more invested in Google or Apple's ecosystem.

Features

The main feature of the HTC One A9 is its fingerprint scanner, but the iPhone 6S can match it there with a Touch ID sensor of its own.

The iPhone 6S also has a pressure-sensitive 3D Touch screen, which we've covered in the display section of this comparison. Music fans may want to take a closer look at the HTC One A9 though, as that supports high-resolution audio, so you can get the most out of your tracks.

Battery

The HTC One A9 has a 2150 mAh battery which can supposedly last for up to 16 hours of talk time, 12 hours of HD video playback, or 60 hours of audio playback. That's slightly better than the iPhone 6S, which has stats of 14 hours talk time, 11 hours of HD video, or 50 hours of audio.

In practice the iPhone 6S could struggle to last a day, so hopefully the HTC One A9 will have it beat there, but we'll reserve judgement for our full review.

The HTC One A9 does support Quick Charge 2.0 though, so you can juice it up quickly when it runs dry.

Price and availability

The HTC One A9 costs £429.99 (or US$399 with 32GB and 3GB of RAM if you're in the States) meaning it undercuts the iPhone 6S, which starts at £539/$649/$AU1,079 SIM-free. Then again you don't have to wait to buy the iPhone 6S, as it's already out.

Verdict

While not quite a flagship phone the HTC One A9 looks set to be one of the best Android alternatives to the iPhone 6S. The design is surprisingly similar and the two phones have fingerprint scanners and similar spec cameras.

The HTC One A9 even comes out on top in some ways, with a larger, sharper screen and potentially longer battery life.

But with its speedy processor and innovative 3D Touch tech the iPhone 6S is still likely to come out stronger in a lot of areas.

The HTC One A9 is unlikely to sway many would-be-iPhone-buyers to Android, but for any Android fans who long for a phone a bit more like Apple's offerings this could be just the ticket.