The impressive new HTC One M9’s release date is officially set for April 10, and after months of waiting, the smartphone will finally be ready for prospective buyers. Reviews so far have been generally mixed, and today HTC announced the release of a release-day bug fix update aimed at mitigating several major issues with the new smartphone.
On March 1, the HTC One M9 smartphone was finally announced, and it has emerged after months of leaks, rumors and speculation. Besides the stylish new two-tone color design and the latest version of Android, the biggest and most exciting addition was the new 20.7 megapixel rear camera.
Tomorrow the HTC One M9 will be available from AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile and Sprint, and today we learn that an update will be available and waiting for almost all buyers. Verizon HTC One M9 already has the latest software, Sprint will get an OTA update tomorrow and T-Mobile and AT&T owners can expect it to arrive next week. So what is this update about? Read on for more details.
HTC’s new smartphone is an excellent device. It features a beautiful two-tone all-aluminum design, the latest version of Android, dual front-facing speakers, a powerful new theme engine to change the look, and more. But the biggest change has been the new 20.7-megapixel camera. Replacing the Duo cameras on the One M8 last year.
Many reviews on the web, including our links above, state that although the phone is excellent overall, the camera is still lacking. Besides the almost identical design as last year’s One M8, we concluded that the camera is one of the biggest and only flaws of the new HTC One M9. The weakest link, so to speak. It’s an issue HTC had with the One M8 in 2014.
Today, the company announced that a major bug fix update has been released to fix exactly that. After some internal testing, further improvement, and feedback from the media, they have made some major changes to the software and are introducing a release date update aimed at improving the owners experience.
Our own HTC One M9 looks pretty great in photos, but it often didn’t have the best lighting, was slow to focus, and even had a hard time figuring out what to actually focus on in the photo. Items farther away seemed to confuse focus, which often resulted in poor photos. The 20.7-megapixel camera was a welcomed release and something many were excited about, but the sub-par performance was somewhat disappointing. We mentioned that we hope it can be improved over time with a capable camera and even software updates.
Those who own the Verizon HTC One M9 should have HTC software ending in .33 and Android 5.0.2 Lollipop, the latest version with camera improvements. However, not all other units purchased from other carriers will have this feature. Owners are advised to go to settings > about phone > and check for updates to ensure they are on the latest .33 software version.
This includes “improvements to the overall camera experience” and some additional undisclosed bug fixes. HTC promises that this will significantly improve the camera sensor, which should be quite capable, so if it addresses some of these concerns, this is a great phone worth buying. We got the update today on our own T-Mobile HTC One M9 and we will definitely try it to see if everything works out. All done, enjoy your new HTC One M9 and be on the lookout for an update that will make this excellent Android smartphone even better.
