LONDON: HTC unveiled the HTC One A9, the latest addition to the company’s family of One smartphone that looks similar to Apple’s iPhone. The HTC One A9 will go on sale starting November and has been priced at $399.99 (approximately Rs. 26,000) for the unlocked version. There’s no word yet on India price and availability. US pre-orders for the HTC One A9 kicked off Tuesday via the company’s online store.
The Taiwanese manufacturer is bundling some offers such as the ‘Uh-Oh’ protection plan that will offer a free phone replacement in the case of a cracked screen, water damage, or a carrier switch within the first twelve months from the date of purchase. The company is also giving away 6 months of Google Play Music subscription. The smartphone will be available in Carbon Grey, Opal Silver, Topaz Gold, and Deep Garnet colour variants. As had been tipped in several leaks, the HTC One A9 comes with a physical button that sits below the screen, and a design that is highly reminiscent of the iPhone 6. The smartphone sports an all-metal body.
Ahead of the One A9 launch, Cher Wang, Chairwoman and CEO HTC, had even claimed that the new One smartphone could be a good “alternative to the iPhone.”
One of the most notable features of HTC’s new One A9 smartphone is the guarantee for Android updates. At the launch, HTC America President, Jason Mackenzie, promised that the unlocked HTC One A9 will receive every Android OS update within 15 days of the Nexus range. In a tweet, the company said, “The unlocked A9 will receive every Google SW update within 15 days of Nexus devices!” HTC is definitely pushing its One A9 as an Android device that will receive updates as soon as Nexus devices, something the dated Google Play Edition devices promised. However, we will have to wait to see whether the company is able to meet its promise as the company has previously missed its OS update deadlines.
