HTC A9 Grey UK Sim-Free Smartphone

I've had this phone for a few months now and it's a great mid-range smartphone.Pros:- Premium feel with a high-end metal finish- Android Marshmallow runs very smoothly and you can quickly switch between apps without any noticeable delay- The fingerprint sensor is a useful addition (it sometimes struggles to identify my print but I've found that registering the finger I use to unlock the phone twice, as though it's two different fingers, has greatly improved it's accuracy)- The Full HD Gorilla Glass screen is crystal clear, durable and easy to read in sunlight- Quick Charge 3.0 compatible - if you get a Quick Charge 3.0 charger (you only get a standard phone charger in the box) you can enjoy 40% faster charging- Vast array of apps available in the Google Play Store- Good battery life - I can get a day's use out of it with my Bluetooth, mobile data and WiFi on all the timeCons- Camera focus slow - the camera takes a fairly good picture and copes well in low light thanks to the 2-LED flash but it can take a while to focus, especially when photographing close up- Speaker is acceptable but not as good quality audio as the larger speakers HTC phones used to boastAll in all a decent phone at a reasonable price!

Brilliant phone, was sceptical as it only uses the 617 SoC paired with 2GB RAM but turned out to run smoother than the Note 4 it replaced. This is mostly due to the fact that used to get hot and thermal throttle which the HTC doesn't! The camera takes sharp photos and seems to fair well in low light. The screen is AMOLED which is mandatory for me now after having one for so long, The screen is also bright and vibrant; not as much so as the Samsung displays but I actually prefer the colours on the HTC. Sense is hands down the best android experience apart from stock and the HTC emojis are the closest you'll get to iOS which is a huge plus. Build quality is brilliant and as stated a lot it does look and feel like an android iPhone.Battery life and speakers are....OK, you will have to charge twice a day if you're a heavy user but this isn't a deal breaker as the phone comes with QuickCharge 3.0 meaning it can go from flat to 80% in 40 mins or so (the charger supplied doesn't support this though which is a shame) but they are available on amazon from Anker for around £15.Android 6 also lets you format SD cards as internal storage so the low 16GB this comes with isn't too much of an issue, I installed a 64GB and now have a total of 78GB usable on the device.Overall this isn't a flagship but at half the cost of an iPhone or S7 it's definitely a nicer option for those who want a premium phone for a mid ranged price. Specs aren't everything and the well optimised Sense software and power efficient CPU makes this phone perform very much up there with top end phones.

This phone is sooo fast. The Android nougat is coming and the phone will be even better. The battery is decent, not perfect and the signal is not lost in buildings or home. The camera is excellent and the games that I play are running smoothly. Great phone. I can't wait for the nougat update.

Nice looking phone but when a problem occurred after only 6 months, customer service was next to useless. Won't touch another one.

********************Update February 2017The phone is continuing to work well, and I'm enjoying using it. The screen remains impressive, and makes reading e-books and web browsing a pleasure.The quality of the photos and movies is very good. However occasionally the camera produced reds that are slightly over saturated, although this doesn't happen all the time.**************************Original review...This is a very nice phone – performs well, has good build quality, and it looks gorgeous. The spec is generally very good, as you’d expect at this price.Looks and Build QualityEven my wife, who is an iPhone fanatic, was envious when she saw this phone – that’s how stunning it looks. The silver metal casing looks and feels terrific, and so far seems immune from fingerprints. All the edges are smoothly rounded, and the phone is a pleasure to hold. It feels solid and well made. It’s slim, is reasonably light, and the buttons are nicely positioned. That said, the metal case does make the phone a little slippery in the hand, and makes it easy to slip between the cushions in the sofa!In UseI’ve found the phone to be very easy to operate. For example, the incoming and outgoing call screens, are clear and intuitive. Phone-call sound quality is very good.Setting up the phone was very easy. There is no manual supplied in the box, but when first switched on the phone guided me easily through the set up process.There is helpful support accessible through a preloaded HTC Help app. I’ve had a look through this; and it is clear, informative and easy to follow.The phone is supplied with Marshmallow installed, which is the most recent version of Android. HTC have added a couple of their own apps and a Sense Home widget that can change the home screen’s app listing and information depending on your location. You can, for example, have a different home screen listing for home, work or out and about. It’s worth looking at the Sense Home video on the HTC website to see how this works.One thing I did straight away is turn off the Suggestions icon, which suggests app you might be interested in, but takes up space on the home screen. To do this, tap the word Home on the Sense Home widget, then tap the 3 dot icon, then tap Show/Hide Smart Folders, and untick Show Suggestions folder.I like the key press vibration on this phone. I normally turn the keyboard feedback-vibration off – finding it irritating and too loud. But on this phone it feels just right.I also like many of the provided ring tones and notification sounds – they penetrate above the background noise without being startling or irritating. Well done HTC!Functions and PerformanceThe functions and performance of the phone are as I’d expect at this price. The screen, camera, performance and connectivity of the phone are all very good. Web browsing and scrolling is super smooth. Battery life is giving me a full day with heavy usage. Connecting the phone to my computer using an OTG cable works without hitch.The phone has 2GB RAM and 16GB storage, which HTC claim can be extended to 2TB using a microSD card. I’ve installed a Samsung 64GB Evo+ SD card without any problem. One big advantage of Marshmallow is that the SD card can be formatted and encrypted as an extension of the phone’s internal storage, making more apps suitable for storage on the SD card compared to previous Android versions.The finger print reader is good. In fact it’s much more useful than I expected. It works really well and allows five fingers to be registered. The reader button has a slightly raised rim, which makes it very easy to position your finger without looking at the phone. Recognition is very quick, and because the phone takes many readings when registering a finger, it will still work if your finger is at an angle to the button. This makes it much easier to unlock the phone using just one hand, although you might find the position of the button thwarts this if you have small hands.Single SIMThe phone has a single SIM slot, which takes a nano SIM, so if you don’t already have a nano SIM you will need to request one from your mobile provider. My older phone was dual SIM, which I found really useful and would have also preferred in the HTC One A9, although it seems a rarer option across UK phones.Single SpeakerThe A9 One has only one speaker, positioned on the bottom edge of the phone. The sound from it is crystal clear, but it’s a little lacking in bass and lower tones. It also feels a bit odd to watch movies with the sound coming from just one side.Fortunately, the sound quality when broadcasting through external devices is excellent, and the phone can adapt the sound for different types of ear phones.No IRThere is no infrared blaster, which would have been nice, especially at this price.Also In The BoxThe phone is supplied in an attractive box with a nice looking charger, in-ear phones with microphone (they’re okay, but not the best for music lovers), and the wire key for opening the SIM and SD compartments.ConclusionIt would be nice if it was dual SIM and had twin speakers, especially at this price. Even so I’m very happy with this phone. It looks good, feels great, and is a joy to use.

Very good design even though a bit expensive. Fingerprint sensor is really fast and battery life better than what I expected. Verry happy with this so far.

The battery discharges if left unused for a week

Such a great phone my wife have had hers for about 2 years and it never let her down