Even though the software of HTC’s new flagship, the HTC One M9, is based on Android 5.0 Lollipop, the Sense user interface is based on different versions of the Android OS for different HTC flagship models, like the HTC One M8 and its accompanying Sense 6 UI, for example. The good news for those who may have been wondering if the HTC One M8 would be updated to Sense 7 when the Lollipop software comes through, is that HTC is indeed working on bringing some of the new features to the older model in the near future, according to Product Manager of HTC, Mo Versi which he stated on his Twitter account. After communicating that AT&T has approved the Lollipop update for that device, a user asked if that update had Sense 7 and he replied that the new version of Sense will be available in their next update.
Not much has changed between the two versions of Sense, the newer version has a little more influence from the design language introduced with the stock version of Android Lollipop. Perhaps personalization is the biggest difference between the two, for instance, now you can customize the navigation buttons allowing you to have up to four controls. The look of the handset can also now be defined through themes which you can edit along with the accent colors of the keyboard, dialer or even fonts. There’s also an automatic theme creator that adjusts all these settings from the colors of the wallpaper you choose.
On the homescreen there’s a new widget called Sense Home, it shows the apps that you would most likely use based on your location, for example, at home you might want to use the remote control for the TV and other devices, so you’ll see that icon in the widget. When you go out, you might want to check an address so you’ll see a shortcut for Maps. Other changes include a new UI for the camera and some fun effects for the pictures. Some of the applications that HTC includes in Sense are already in the Google Play Store, so updates for these apps take place at the same time disregarding the version of Sense that the phone is running. If the update comes soon, customers may not choose to upgrade to the new flagship since the hardware is very similar and now it will have most of its features.