HTC makes the One A9s official - 5" metal midranger with cheaper pricing than the A9

posted by Daniel P.

Sep 01, 2016, 4:46 AM

Last year, HTC released a mucho simpático One A9 - a fine looking, compact midranger that was crafted out of metal before it was cool for the category. Many saw it as an iPhone wannabe, but we beg to differ, it was pretty much a chicken and egg question at the time. Now, at IFA 2016, HTC unveiled the A9's successor, or, rather, regressor, called.. you'd never guess it.. One A9s. Tick-tock cycles for the win.

The HTC One A9s doesn't look that much different from the metal A9, but the "s" definitely doesn't stand for "speed," or any upgrades, for that matter. It is rather the more affordable sibling of the A9, with a 5" HD LCD display, a MediaTek Helio P10 processor, 2/3 GB of RAM, depending on the configuration, and a 2300mAh battery. The 5 MP selfie camera now sits on the left, just like the 13 MP rear camera, while on the One A9 the rear shooter had a central position.

The inclusion of MediaTek chipset should give you a hint that the A9s is a phone that is destined for the midrange glory, as so many of HTC's handsets are lately, and the company says it will be more affordable than the A9, which shipped for $499, but now hovers around the $350 mark. The A9s does look like a compact and premium midrange handset, though, so hopefully HTC will decide to bring it sooner to market as well.

HTC One A9s

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source: HTC

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8 Comments

1. sarcastic_nerd unregistered

Can't they just make the home button symmetrical ! HTC used to be known for build quality and design perfection. Yet they can't to get even small things right now.

posted on Sep 01, 2016, 4:48 AM 7

7. Dr.Phil

Posts: 2525; Member since: Feb 14, 2011

Actually I really don't think they can. The reason is because Samsung has patents for their designs which are similar to what HTC is trying to do here. Even Samsung couldn't make a symmetrical phone (between the top and bottom bezels) due to Apple and the iPhone. Patents...companies love it when they have them and hate it when they don't.