HTC One M9 Rumors Continue to Surface

Recently the new HTC One M9 rumors have started to emerge at a growing rate, especially now that the company themselves have confirmed a March 1st unveiling of the new flagship smartphone. Earlier today the first set of photos leaked, and now new details are shedding light on what buyers can expect.

The first HTC One M9 rumors started to emerge back in September with some initial concept renders, but over the past few months more and more details have surfaced giving us a good idea of what is coming. HTC’s One M8 was heavily rumored in early 2014 before being announced and released at the end of March, and the same is unfolding this year.

Read: HTC One M9 Rumors: 5 Things You Need to Know

In 2014, the HTC One M8 was rumored for months and leaked countless times in the flesh before being revealed, so there was no surprises when it was released at the end of March. We heard HTC had plans to keep the new HTC One M9 (codenamed Hima) under wraps, but that isn’t working out so well. Here’s the latest news.

Earlier today the first set of images were revealed after last week Bloomberg shared tons of key details about the design, but things are still somewhat unclear. The new leaks today show the upcoming HTC One M9 will look nearly the same as the HTC One M8 last year, at least on the front, with all the big changes coming around back, and under the hoods with specs and software.

According to HTCSource, the HTC One M9 details are finally starting to come into focus, and we should know nearly everything well ahead of the March 1st announcement in Spain for Mobile World Congress.

Their sources shared similar comments to what we’ve been hearing. Those being the same Gold, Silver, and Dark Grey color options, a very similar design with the all aluminum frame and front facing speakers, but had a few new details we’ve yet to hear. First, here’s the rumored specs, then below we’ll share the newest info.

HTC One M9 Specs (Rumored)

• 5.5-inch 2560 x 1440 Quad-HD screen
• 2.3 GHz 8-core Snapdragon 810 processor
• 3GB of RAM
• 32GB of internal storage and a micro-SD slot for expansion
• 20 MP rear facing camera and 4 Ultrapixel front shooter
• Android 5.0.1 Lollipop and HTC Sense UI 7.0
• Dual HTC Boomsound Speakers with Dolby 5.1 Audio Technology
• 2,880 or 3,000 mAh battery
• more

The rumors and reports from HTCSource suggest that this year the HTC One M9 will be slightly thicker than last year. Likely for the improved Dolby 5.1 audio technology in the speakers, the larger 2,880 or 3,000 mAh battery, and a few other things like the Quad-HD display. A bigger battery is always better, so that shouldn’t be a concern for most.

As for other changes, they suggest the power button will be removed from the top which is hard to reach on a 5.5-inch smartphone, and instead be on the left side under the volume up and down keys. Similar to the Nexus 6, but under the volume rocker. They’re also dedicated keys, not a volume rocker like previous releases. This is to differentiate them from the power button, and make use better for owners.

The images provided this morning along with these new details mention the improved squared 20 megapixel camera on the back. And while the images don’t show high enough to see if a second Duo Camera will be included like the previous release, this rumor suggests it has been removed completely. Meaning a single 20 megapixel rear camera will be included, as well as the 4 UltraPixel front lens.

The HTC One M8 Duo Camera was a nice touch, but many other manufacturers in 2014 delivered similar results with software tweaks, vs the dedicated second rear camera, which could explain the reason for dropping an extra camera.

Again, the HTC One M9 (Hima) is set to be fully revealed on March 1st in Barcelona, Spain during the annual Mobile World Congress tradeshow. We’ll be on the lookout for more details as they become available, including a US release date.