Over the years some manufacturers have developed a reputation for updating their Android-powered phones on time, while others have left customers in the dust for newer and better models. Many things have changed over the years in regards to how Google updates Android and provides that updated code to OEMs, but the quest to always have the latest version of Android on your seemingly brand new phone is still an ongoing battle. HTC, like Motorola and some other manufacturers, offers what it calls a Developer Edition of its latest flagship the HTC One M9. This developer edition exists for a number of reasons, one of which is to receive the latest updates from HTC before other versions so that developers can test their software on it.
We saw the news of the HTC One M9 Developer Edition getting the Android 5.1 Lollipop update just three days ago and now we’ve got confirmation that HTC has officially rolled out the update to all Developer Edition phones. Among the improvements that Google made to Android with the 5.1 update are of course device specific changes and updates for the HTC One M9. In this list are improvements to cell signal reception, data performance, battery life and the changes to the camera that are reported to improve picture quality. Most importantly, however, might be the big changes HTC is making to keep the One M9 a little bit cooler in your palm during heavy usage. Thanks to the Snapdragon 810’s overall unsatisfactory thermal output during times of stress the all-metal HTC One M9 can reach 130 degrees Fahrenheit, a number sure to singe your palms if you’re unlucky enough to be holding it during this period of time.
It’s this last one that’s likely the biggest reason to get updated as soon as possible, and those with the regular HTC One M9 on Sprint should have already received it. Either way with the Sprint or the Developer Edition of the phone we’re looking at an 800mb update for the whole thing, guaranteeing that you’ll want to be using a WiFi connection to download this bad boy if you want to keep from possibly going over any data caps your carrier might enforce. Remember too that even though the Developer Edition comes unlocked from the get-go, any modifications to the system partition will result in a failed automatic update, so if you’ve already done this it might be time to hit the forums for a quick solution.