The humble HTC One A9, a mid-ranger with decidedly fruit-flavored looks, made its way through the FCC recently, keeping its rumored name as the final marketing moniker. The certification shows an xxx in the ID, meaning there will likely be regional variants. Tests have confirmed multiple LTE bands including those used on most U.S. carriers, but HTC has so far kept their lips sealed about availability and pricing details. Since a name has been finalized, many LTE bands were tested and there is evidence of variants, it can only be assumed that this device will hit the big four in the U.S. and receive an international launch. Although no dates or prices have been announced, the device must be near a final state, meaning the launch should be fairly soon, most likely being the October 20 phone that HTC teased. Additionally, the specs indicate a high to mid-range price, most likely in line with 2013 and 2014 flagships’ current prices.
The HTC One A9, touted as a revival of the Hero line, is shaping up to be a decent option for Android users who love the design of the iPhone but hate iOS’ limits or have invested themselves in Google’s ecosystem. The rather blatant design is rumored to be the result of a licensing deal between Apple and HTC. Despite being somewhat unoriginal, the device is still quite striking, sporting glass and metal construction framing a 5-inch 1080p screen. 3GB of RAM and a deca-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 620 processor run the show, backed by a 2,150 mAh battery. The device will reportedly have Android 6.0 Marshmallow out of the box if the leaked AnTuTu benchmark is to be believed. This should also mean a brand-new iteration of Sense, HTC’s brilliant, convoluted and controversial Android skin. A 13MP camera, 5MP selfie snapper and 32GB of internal storage round out the package, along with a good old fashioned MicroSD slot for those who have slightly more demanding storage needs.
The HTC One A9, launching amid criticism, has a lot to prove and big shoes to fill. It likely won’t be enough to pull HTC out of the slump that the HTC One M9‘s poor sales put it into, but fans can hope this will be a step in the right direction.