HTC One X9 Review

2016_htconex9
Welcome to the HTC One X9 review. It has been awhile since we've looked at any phone made by HTC and that's largely due to the fatally flawed HTC One series and besides none of the lower end smartphones which we like were not up to the same level as the competition. With the release of the HTC One X9 retail pricing is around $700 AUD - which is quite expensive for what is essentially a mid range phone in 2016 we know the price will drop. In terms of construction and design the HTC X9 is very good. The metal feels cool and solid to touch and all the send fit perfectly and edges rounded. The cheapest looking part is the camera surround. In terms of design the most obvious thing is that it looks like an iPhone 6 - why HTC? The iPhone is not a pretty phone to look at. Overall it looks and feels good but is it worth the money - for us no? In terms of hardware the HTC One X9 has a number of features worth pointing out, the first is that it has stereo speakers with Dolby enhancements. It sounds good. It also includes NFC for contactless payments and third the first phone which claims 3Terabyte storage management! Apart from that the One X9 screen and image quality is good equal to the iPhone but no where near Galaxy S5 or S6 good. The specs say 2.2 Ghz processor but it's the value for money version which is perfectly Ok. The HTC One X9 should be cheaper purely because of the CPU. The camera is claimed to be better than prior HTC One models which is not difficult but stored images from other testers show that it's not good indoors with standard lighting or focusing for that matter. One X9 is equipped with a standard LCD display which at this price range is a but low grade. In terms of use the the HTC One X9 claws back some points. The interface is smooth and slick even with some live widgets on the screen. There are some HTC specific enhancements but the only one worth mentioning is the automatic customisations dependent on location - which theoretically useful if you only had one phone for both home and work apart from that nothing worth motioning. Overall the Pne X9 feels as good as any other 2.2 Ghz equipped CPU running Android. The conclusion is once again simple as with any comparison with new smartphone running Android. The HTC One X9 is a good phone but overpriced. There are other cheaper phones and those with less CPU power that work just as well as this one. Specifications
  • HTC One X9
  • Network Quad-band GSM Tri-band 3G Tri-band 4G
  • Design Touch screen
  • L154 x W76 x D8 mm Weight 170 grams
  • Display 5.5 inch 1080 x 1920 QHD LCD
  • Camera 13 MP auto-focus LED Flash 2nd forward facing video call camera 5MP
  • Video Camera 1080p 30FPS main video camera
  • Connectivity Wi-Fi Bluetooth V4 USB
  • CPU Octa Core 2.2 Ghz (Mediatek MT6795 Helio X10) Separate PowerVR G6200 Graphics CPU
  • Memory 3 Gig RAM Up to Approx 32 Gig for user MicroSD expansion
  • Features A-GPS, GLONASS BEIDO, Compass, Accelerometer, Gyroscope, Ambient Light, Proximity Up to 370 hours Standby Up to 17 hours Talk Time
  • Power 3000 Li-Po mAh battery Up to 31 Days Standby Up to 15 hours Talk Time
  • Price history Approx $700 AUD September 2016 (Outright)