The HTC One A9 bids farewell to the comfortable curved back that once defined many HTC smartphones and, instead, dons a rather flat skin that more closely mimics an iPhone 6S. Still, this sleek, relatively thin smartphone has an excellent-quality 5-inch, high-definition (1080p) display that's easy to see in bright light. The One A9 also has a glove mode to get better screen responses-a handy option when cold weather or work has you wearing gloves. Another handy feature: You can wake up or turn off the screen with a double-tap. The main, rear-facing 13.1-megapixel camera takes very-good stills, including in low-light conditions, while the relatively high-resolution, 4.1-megapixel front-facing camera should handle your selfie indulgences.This is one of the first non-Google, Nexus models we've tested with Androids Marshmallow OS, which gives users more precise control over what personal information individual apps can access. Now, on an app-by-app basis, you grant or deny permission for an app to access such personal data as as your location, your contacts, and other potentially sensitive information. Another notable Marshmallow feature is Google Now on Tap, which improves the relevance of Web or in-app searches by producing results based on the context of what you're doing. For instance, if a friend sends you a text message from the Mets game, Google on Tap can fetch you the current score, the team's league standing, or information about their next venue-all from within the message. To launch Google on Tap, you just long-press the home key. Google also helps you dive more directly into specific app content with fewer steps. For instance, if you launch the National Public Radio app, the app will ask you which programs you'd like to listen to. Other Marshmallow also adds controls in settings. For instance, Storage adds explore capability, Battery adds optimization controls, Location adds WiFi and Bluetooth scanning options, and Backup & reset adds a network settings reset. Thanks in part to Androids Marshmallow OS, a fingerprint scanner on the bottom front of this One lets you unlock the phone or authorizing purchases with a touch. This button can also be used as an alternative way to go to the Home screen with a tap, instead of using the on-screen Home key. The One A9 has an HTC Sense Home widget that gives you access to apps, shortcuts, and folders you use more frequently based on where you are. For example, it adapts to how you use it, so apps you use frequently for work, will show up when you're at the office. If you're at home, you might see different apps. The One A9 has "Smart Folders," which dynamically change contents and comes with a "Suggestions" folder which fills with suggested apps. It can be handy, but if you don't find it useful, you can turn it off. One of the phone's home pages is a photo-rich interface called BlinkFeed, which pours calendar notifications, news, and social-network feeds into a cascading blend of captioned photos and text boxes. These elements double as links to their respective content. Social feeds include Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn, to which you can also post. Other BlinkFeed sources range from news providers like AP and Reuters, to entertainment, sports, and technology; and an even wider range of feeds organized under such themes as Business, Gaming, and Lifestyle. When fully fed, BlinkFeed may appear a bit chaotic, more like an endless, disorganized buffet of your personal news world. But you can easily select and deselect the content you send to it in the app's setting menu, as well as focus its presentation to one particular source, such as Facebook or categories like Music or Technology and Science. Or you can simply remove the Blinkfeed homepage. Also intriguing is the Zoe app which, for instance, allows you to make amusing hybrid photo/video elements from a string of images, with sound added. You can keep a Zoe as a short multimedia clip, or capture and store individual still images. Although thinner & more lightweight than the One M9, the One A9 can't record in Ultra HD, it doesn't have an IR blaster or dual-speakers, or support for MHL, like the One M9.
The One does provide easy access to all its main functions via a highly responsive touch screen, programmable shortcuts, as well as back, home, and recent apps keys. The recent apps key lets you see a stack of screen shots of your most recently used apps. Tap any one of them, and you can jump to that app. Pressing and holding the home key directly launches the search function. You can launch a favorite app such as a camera, phone, or Web browser directly from a locked screen without the need to first unlock the screen. You do this by swiping up on any one of four always-visible app icons on the locked screen. The HTC Sense interface supports up to five home screens of apps plus the Blinkfeed screen. Pressing and holding the screen launches an easy way to organize the home screens with widgets, apps, and shortcuts, as well as manage home screens. It also has a handy on-screen drop-down status bar that alerts you and takes you to new messages, upcoming appointments, and other items that need your attention, even when your screen is locked. Its Android OS offers better text editing tools and controls for managing data usage, and enhanced voice-activated navigation and dictation. The One lets you perform Google searches by voice command, and lets you download applications, services, games, and more from the Google Play Store and other sources. Its multi-touch screen lets you zoom in and out of photos or Web pages using two fingers (for instance, your thumb and index finger).
The One supports a "4G" LTE network (some models HSPA+ too), allowing fast streaming, downloading, and uploading of high-definition videos and other large files. The fast network also facilitates better Web browsing experiences. The WiFi connection provides another way to access the Web, e-mail, and other Internet-based content, without using your data plan allowance. The phone supports Near Field Communication (NFC), a short-range wireless communication technology that allows the phone to read "smart" tags or other items that have NFC capability in them (though the technology is not yet widely deployed for mobile phone users).
MESSAGING: The virtual keyboard was very easy to use. It supports Trace, a method that allows users to type words without lifting a finger-literally. You enter a word by dragging your finger across the screen from letter to letter. Though it's initially awkward to use, we eventually had a lot of success "typing" quickly and accurately. Its advanced voice command feature supports text fields, allowing you to dictate e-mails, text messages, Tweets, and other normally typed forms of communication. This phone comes with common preset text messages and allows you to create your own custom preset messages for your individual special situations or frequent use. Excellent e-mail readability and attachment capabilities. This phone allows you to edit Word documents and Excel spreadsheets out of the box, which can come in handy when working on the go. The One also supports Microsoft Exchange and Outlook for work e-mail. When connected to Windows or Macintosh computers, this phone can appear on the computer as another drive. You can then transfer data to and from your phone as you could on a regular drive.
PHONE: We tested this phone under a variety of conditions to simulate environments ranging from the quiet indoors to noisy roadsides. We found voice quality was good when talking, though only fair when listening. Talk time was an adequate 12.5 hours. There's also an extreme power saving mode, which will turn down or off some functions to conserve battery life-handy if you're not close to a charger. This phone has a very good mixture of controls and features for making and taking calls. Very good keypad readability under most lighting conditions. Its voice command allows you to conveniently dial numbers from your phone book by speaking the name, without the usual training. You can also dial numbers by pronouncing the digits. It has Bluetooth for wireless hands-free voice communication. Some models can simultaneously be on a phone call and an Internet-based connection over the cellular network. Can be used internationally. But the ringer is not easy to mute. Auto answer doesn't work with headset.
MULTIMEDIA: The 13.1-megapixel camera has a very short shutter lag, and produced very good-quality pictures at ISO settings up to 800. The camera also performed very well under low-light conditions. The camera's optical image stabilizer improves your chances of taking better handheld photos and videos under low-light conditions. Camera has a flash, autofocus, manual ISO settings, face and smile detection, and can record HD video. Its touch focus feature lets you override the autofocus by tapping on any subject on the screen. The camera's built-in flash and ISO-setting controls help improve your chances of taking better pictures under low-light conditions. Its face and smile detection comes in handy when you're snapping pics of babies, toddlers, or other fussy subjects. The camera took decent 1080p video, probably adequate for casual use such as uploading to the Web. You can also record in slow motion. You can capture pictures at the same time you're shooting a video by simply tapping the camera icon. The front-facing 4.1-megapixel camera allows easy self-portraits and can support video chats. It can also record at 1080p.
The music player has the capabilities and controls of a typical stand-alone MP3 player, including music shuffle and repeat controls, and options for sorting music by album, artist, etc. The phone also has dual frontal speakers for stereo sound without headphones. This model also supports Bluetooth stereo headsets, can download music over the phone network, and has an FM radio. Its Bluetooth data support enables the phone to wirelessly share pictures, contacts, and other files with compatible printers, computers, and mobile devices.
GPS navigation capability provides spoken turn-by-turn directions and automatic re-routing. The One also supports the Digital Living Network Alliance (DLNA) standard and Miracast protocol. This lets the phone connect via WiFi to share content with other compatible certified devices such as a TV, printer, and computer. The One can act as a mobile hotspot for up to eight WiFi-enabled devices. It also supports WiFi calling. It has 32GB of built-in memory and can support memory cards of more than 128GB. Its memory capacity is beneficial for storing music, videos, pictures, and other types of files. But the memory card is hard to access. And the One battery is non-removable.
