There have been some reports that the main camera could be pretty large, with a 27 megapixel sensor. That could indeed result in some impressive pictures, but of course sensor size isn’t everything, and going above a certain threshold could actually be counterproductive for the quality of the shooting experience.
Because as the sensor size grows, so does the size of the captured pictures, and the phone then needs more time to process each shot, leading to long picture-to-picture delays and an unpleasant experience for the user.
But of course, if the phone’s processor can handle this sort of image size, then HTC should definitely look into experimenting with a larger sensor for a more advanced photography experience. This could even become the next big camera phone if they play their cards right and advertise it properly.
In any case though, it’s not a large camera that most fans are interested in, it’s a more stable experience with a longer battery life. So if HTC pay more attention to those particular features of the phone, they could make a very successful release with it and end up regaining their market positions very fast. If not, this could be their last chance at success so we might not hear much from them in the future if this release flops too badly.
Just a couple of clarifications from an engineer: The primary issue with the M9 was the camera image quality and lack of optical image stabilization. Secondary issue was HTC using the same screen tech, but not keeping it quite as good as the M8. The screen is very good, but not as good as the superb screen on the Samsung Galaxy S6. Battery life was never an issue on the M8, which is nearly impossible to drain in one day and can go two days on a somewhat regular basis, and about a week if you are careful. The M9, having a more powerful processor, cannot match the M8, but it is absolutely better than the Galaxy S6 or the iPhone 6. The overheating issue so famously reported (oddly all originating from a competitor’s homeland), was on a pre-production chip which was not optimized. The M9 uses a different version, and does not have overheating issues like the Sony Experia Z3+ or the Galaxy Mega. I absolutely agree that the M9 was not what we hoped… it is a decent phone and more powerful than any iPhone ever made, but it was not the grand-slam that many were looking for. Hopefully, the M10 will be the One that we are looking for.
HTC try and get a Windows Cdma version of M10
It would be very useful in India.
Well, I look forward to see what HTC comes up with.
But as clarification mainly aimed at Paul Cambell, the Exynos used in the S6 performs on par with Qualcomm’s 810 tested with benchmarks and outperforms it by far in real life tests. In fact, their own 808 even manages to beat their own 810 in those real life tests.
And the reason why the new batch of 810 chips overheat less, yes, because there still remain issues with the 810, is because of them being throttled back more aggressively. Both LG’s Flex and HTC’s M8 show these results and are the reason of why the 810 comes up behind the Exynos in real life use. Look it up yourself. So last year Samsung had the benchmark advantage over the M8 with theur S5, but were significantly slower in real life tests. This year this is the other way around where the Qualcomm 810 is on par with the Exynos in the S6, even excels it in 3D performance but can’t show this in real life tests due to the phones having it equipped, have their software throttle it back!
Paul is correct, only I think the ONLY downfall of the M9 is the lack of image stabilization on the camera. I can get upwards of 24hrs use without needing a charge on normal use. I absolutely despise AMOLED screens simply for the fact that color reproduction is horrible–so over saturated my eyes can’t take it. (They only advantages may be the brightness in direct sunlight and some battery life savings.)
Overheating is never an issue unless charging while using CPU intensive apps. Boomsound and Sense UI (even stock) blow away all other phones’ equivalent.
I don’t really care about benchmarks, the M9’s processor and RAM handles everything I throw at it.
I agree, you should use your phone to your own needs and demands. But what Paul writes, that the M9’s processor is much more powerful than the S6 or iPhone 6 is incorrect. Synthetic results of benchmarks actually show both processors run on par with each other. The 810 slightly more powerful in 3D calculations. But the issue is that this power isn’t being released. Many real life comparisons in several different tests show that phones using the 810 fall behind the S6 and even more astonishing, the 808 processor actually holds it ground against it and even manages to do better in some applications.
So yes, benchmarks aren’t always important or even telling the whole story but real life tests are and they clearly show how painful it is to see all that power caged up simply because the 810 does get hot if tapped into all that power it has.
Last year the S5 delivered fast benchmarks but the M8 blew it away in real life comparisons which was a decisive factor in many discussions about M8 vs S5.
This year, however, this is different and the S6 outshines the M8 in real life use.
What I also wish to address is the screen of the M9. I don’t really care for the technique being used. The issue of that screen is its comparison to its predecessor as the screen is exactly the same one being used in the M8 but somehow manages to be not as good as the M8 which is strange to say the least.
The last thing I wish to address are the boomsound speakers. I do not see their use. Don’t get me wrong, I want a phone with good sound reproduction but I don’t see the need to have it on the exterior of the phone as I am sure most people listen to music, watch video with either ear buds or headphones. In fact, for me those famous boomsound speakers are the main reason what kills the view of the front of the M series because of that black bar. I can’t get passed it, no matter how much I try, it really annoys me to see such a beautiful build phone being killed by that black bar and the only need to have it is to have room for the Boomsound’s internals which clearly renders them even more useless to me. The M8 has superb audio reproduction and in fact was of smartphones THE choice to go with if audio on headphones is an issue. They should drop the Boomsounds which may be handy but far overrated as their use is limited to environments where you can’t bother others with it and as good as they are for external sprayers on smartphones, they are crap compared to ear buds and headphones
My main issue with the M9 is the same issue I had with S5…it all looks and feels like a rushed job. As much as the CEO tried to convince us on the release event of the device that it in fact is a whole different phone, it never gives me that feeling. They just tried to lean on the success of the M8 too much and now see where that has put them as the M9 is a disaster in sales where the M8 actually did wonderful. I hope HTC come up with something breathtaking and themselves back in the game