HTC One E9+ Hands-on Overview and First Impressions

By Abhinav Pathak on Apr 14, 2015 06:00 PM

HTC One E9+ was launched today in an event in New Delhi, India alongwith the One M9+. The One E9+ is the less costlier version of the HTC One M9+ bearing almost similar specifications but in a plastic shell instead of metal unibody construction. But that's not to say that the build of the One E9 Plus is not good enough, far from it actually. Its probably one of the lightest smartphones with a 5.5-inch displays around with spectacular specs to boot. But enough talk, here's the hands-on video alongwith my first impressions on the new HTC One E9+.

Hands-on Video

Key Specifications

HTC has packed the One E9+ with excellent specs, including a quad-HD display, octa-core processor and 3 gigs of RAM. Here's a rundown of its specs:

5.5-inch Quad-HD (2560x1440 Pixels, 534 PPI) Super LCD3 Display
2.0 GHz Octa-core 64-bit MediaTek Helio X10 Processor
3 GB RAM, 16 GB storage expandable up to 2 TB
20 MP Rear Camera, BSI Sensor, LED Flash, 4K Recording
4 MP UltraPixel Front Camera
4G LTE Dual-SIM, WiFi, Bluetooth 4.1, GPS
2800 mAh Battery

Build

Now, first of all this phone is not made of metal. It is almost entirely made out of plastic with a glass front. But that actually helps, even with a 5.5-inch display, 2800 mAh battery the One E9+ just weighs in at 149 grams and is 7.9mm thick. That's a feat of engineering and material choices. Yes, there a few drawbacks to that here and there, but most can be overlooked.

In the front you have the classic BoomSound speakers which now have Dolby Surround technology built in for better sound fidelity. A notification LED, 4 MP UltraPixel camera for better selfies even in low-light and the usual set of Proximity and Light sensors. Just below all of this is the utterly gorgeous 5.5-inch quad-HD display with a pixel density of 534 PPI, I will just let that sink in.

The display has excellent color levels, great viewing angles and is impossibly sharp. Other than looking at it under a microscope you won't be able to see one pixel from another. Colors look vivid and it goes quite bright. Just below it you have the HTC logo, there are on-screen buttons over here (thankfully!) and then the other BoomSound speaker.

At the top you have the 3.5-mm audio jack, while both the nano-SIM card slots and the microSD card slot lay on the left, tucked away under a flap which is very hard to open and close. But I managed to open it with my rather large nails, which now that I remember was supposed to cut before I went to the event.

Anyhow, coming back to the One E9+ and its back, I saw two variants there. One was the Rose Gold variant while the other was Meteor Grey. You can see both of them below.

The back on the Rose Gold variant is glossy white which attracts fingerprints very easily while the Meteor Grey has a matte finish and feels quite like the OnePlus One in finish. At the top you have the unmistakable 20 MP camera with protrudes quite a lot, alongwith the LED flash and a noise-cancellation microphone. The monotonous backcover has just the HTC logo in the middle and is non-removable.

The micro-USB data-syncing/charging port is at the bottom while you can find the power/sleep key on the right alongwith the volume rocker, both made of metal and the power button is textured for easy recognition. The HTC One E9+ looks like previous HTC Desire 8 series smartphones and is built as solidly. Although it doesn't boast of luxurious metals or finishes, but looks elegant and demure as in the case of the Meteor Black color option. The construction is great, there is no bend or flex, no light bleed, the buttons have excellent fit and finish alongwith good travel.

Software

Just like the HTC One M9+, the One E9+ too runs on Sense 7 based on Android 5.0 Lollipop which comes with lockscreen notifications, material design, new notification drawer, configurable quick toggles and navigation bar alongwith a new adaptable theme engine.

The new Sense Themes available with Lollipop are able to select a color palette based on the wallpaper you choose, then adjust system colors as well as icons to highlight those colors.

First Impressions

The One E9+ is deserves more than a cursory glance in the same space as the One M9+. HTC has packed the One E9+ upto the hilt with excellent specs. You want the latest display tech, how about a quad-HD display. You want good cameras, how about a 20 MP rear and 4 MP UltraPixel front camera, great battery life, 2800 mAh battery here and so on.

The One E9+ feels great to hold, and never feels bulky. Even with that large display you won't feel tired using the device, which is a great thing especially if you like to read books or watch movies on your phone. The display is a pleasure to look at, videos look crisp and text even crisper. The rear camera did produce a bit grainy images but the lighting here was really poor, so I will reserve judgement here. The front camera however, fared much better than my expectation.

The one thing HTC didn't mention was the price, although the company did tell us a vague May-end release date. The price will be the deciding factor of whether the One E9+ is a success or a failure. Priced around Rs. 30,000 and it is going to be an instant hit. But even if HTC goes goes into the Moto Turbo territory, the One E9+ is worth a second look.