HTC One A9s is a disappointing successor

By Mohit Kuldeep on Sep 02, 2016 06:45 PM

HTC unveiled the One A9s at IFA 2016, its successor to the surprise launch of 2015, One A9. HTC was called out for its blatant copy of the iPhone 6s and now, the One A9s looks more like an iPhone than ever before.

The center positioned camera has now been moved to the left, similar to Apple's offering. Apart from the uninspiring design, the specs are nothing to write home about. You get a 5-inch 720p HD IPS display and it runs on the MediaTek Helio P10 octa-core SoC. There is a 2GB RAM variant with 16GB storage and 3GB RAM with 32GB onboard storage. On you will be able to store more junk with a microSD card.

Key Specifications

5.0 inches Full HD Display (1080 x 1920 pixels, 441 ppi)
Octa-core (4x2.0 GHz Cortex-A53 & 4x1.0 GHz Cortex-A53), Mediatek MT6755 Helio P10 Processor
Android OS, v6.0 (Marshmallow), planned upgrade to v7.0 (Nougat)
Internal storage 16/32 GB, 2/3 GB RAM
Expandable storage with microSD card up to 2 TB
13 MP primary camera with Dual-LED (dual Tone)
5 MP front facing camera
Fingerprint Sensor
4G LTE, GPS, Wi-Fi, FM Radio
2300 mAh Non-removable Li-Ion battery

Thankfully, the HTC One A9s will ship with Android Marshmallow but there is no word on when it would get Nougat update. Cameras seem be to pretty run of the mill including a standard 13MP rear unit with f/2.2 aperture, BSI sensor capable of recording 1080p videos along with a 5MP front-facing camera with larger 1.12 micron pixel size. There just nothing to get excited about the One A9s.

Check Out: HTC One A9s vs One A9: Specs, Features Comparison

You do have BoomSound speakers here though in their new avatar, and dual-mic noise cancellation for better voice clarity. Connectivity options are also pretty standard with 4G LTE, dual band WiFi, Bluetooth 4.2, GPS and NFC for payments using the front fingerprint sensor.

All this is powered by a measly 2300 mAh battery, something HTC didn't learn from last time around when the original One A9 was also panned for sub-par battery life. If you want to pick one for yourself though, you would have to wait as there is no word on pricing or availability, but this should come in cheaper than the One A9.