HTC One M9 release date, news and spec features

The HTC One (M8) was one of the best Android smartphones ever made. What can we expect from its 2015 successor, the HTC One (M9)? It may be months away but rumours are already beginning to swirl. Here's everything we know about the HTC One (M9). We'll update this article as more details come to light. Update: The latest from the rumor mill has a possible release date for the HTC One (M9) and a some more concrete specs. See below for details.

Could the HTC One M9 look like this? We hope so. / © Fabrizio D'Onofrio

The HTC One (M8) topped many tech sites’ best-smartphones polls, but it’s been out for several months now - and as we all know, smartphone years are like dog years, so a months-old smartphone might as well be made of wood and powered by steam. You can be sure that HTC is working on the successor, which we’d expect to be called the HTC One (M9). So what will it be like, and when can you get your hands on it?

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HTC One (M9): release date

Update: There's some new rumors that the HTC One (M9) release date will be during Mobile World Congress in 2015. However, HTC has tradtionally announced the One flagships at independent events: the HTC One (M7) was announced on February 19th, 2013 and the HTC One (M8) on March 25th, 2014. So we're expecting much the same this year: a March announcement with market availability at the same time.

HTC One (M9): price

That won’t be confirmed for some time, but we don’t imagine the HTC One (M9) will be much more expensive than the M8. That was £529 SIM free or 650 USD with the usual array of special offers on two-year contracts. We're expecting the HTC One (M9) price to be between 600 - 700 USD.

This one's just a concept, but it's awfully pretty. / © empro Gadgets

HTC One (M9): specifications

Does the HTC One (M8) Prime give us any clues? In a series of leaks that device was revealed to have a waterproof case, a quad-core, 2.5 GHz Snapdragon 810 processor, a 5.5-inch WQHD display, 3 GB of RAM and a Cat. 6 LTE radio. It also has an unusual casing made from a composite of aluminum and silicone.
Update: The latest on the HTC One (M9) specs are a 5.2-inch QHD display with a quad-core Snapdragon 805 backed up by 3 GB of RAM. If the M9 is running an 805 then Adreno 420 graphics seem a certainty. The One (M9) will reportedly come in a 64 GB and 128 GB version running Android 5.0 Lollipop right out of the box. The rumored specs sheet is rounded out by a ''larger'' battery, ''higher MP'' camera and ''higher'' IP rating.

HTC One (M9) versus HTC One (M8) Prime

You’re probably wondering, what happened to the HTC One (M8) Prime anyway? After a flurry of activity earlier this year, it’s all gone rather quiet. We think that’s because the HTC One (M9) is the smartphone formerly known as the HTC One (M8) Prime: rather than bring out a point update, HTC wants to go the whole hog and introduce a whole new generation of the HTC One. It’ll be interesting to see whether the specifications get tweaked as a result of the longer lead time, which gives HTC time to use newer technologies, better batteries and perhaps improved camera sensors too.
What do you think? What would you like to see in the HTC One (M9)?