HTC One A9s First Impressions

The HTC One A9s was first announced in September 2016 which is an upgrade to last year’s One A9. It features a 5-inch HD display, MediaTek Helio P10 processor, 3GB RAM, and Android Marshmallow. It’s a fairly old device if you’re looking at it now but will still be available soon in the Philippines, perhaps as its most affordable offering. Check out our initial thoughts about the device below.

The HTC One A9s is not exactly on par with the U-series smartphones that will also arrive in the country. Its design is more generic but not ugly either. It’s small which can be attributed to the 5-inch Super LCD HD display bordered by relatively thick bezels. Found above it are the earpiece and the 5MP front camera. Mounted above it is an unspecified Corning Gorilla Glass.

Down below are the fixed Home/fingerprint scanner, and two lit capacitive keys for Back and Recent Apps.

Found on the right are the volume and power/lock keys, while on the left is the flap that covers the nano SIM tray and microSD card slot. Sadly, it’s not dual-SIM.

This design is pretty outdated though as device makers have already opted to use a hybrid SIM tray with a pin ejector mechanism. Not to mention that the tray and flap are cumbersome to pull out unless you have long nails.

Found at the bottom are the loudspeaker, microUSB port, main microphone, and the headset jack.

Flip it on its back and you will see the 13MP main shooter, LED flash, secondary microphone, and a pair of antenna bands. From this angle, the One A9s reminds us of the iPhone 6s.

On the hands, the One A9s is easy to hold due to its small size. The sides and corners are curved for that ergonomic feel. The frame, though, is made of plastic but sports a metal back for a premium feel.

HTC One A9s specs:
5-inch Super LCD HD display
Corning Gorilla Glass
MediaTek Helio P10 octa-core CPU
3GB RAM
32GB storage
microSD up to 2TB
13MP rear camera, f/2.2 aperture, LED flash
5MP front camera, f/2.8 aperture
4G LTE
WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n
Bluetooth 4.2
NFC
Miracast
GPS, A-GPS, GLONASS
Fingerprint scanner
Android 6.0 Marshmallow w/ HTC Sense
2,300mAh battery
146.49 x 71.5. x 7.99 mm
149.8 g

The HTC One A9s will arrive in the country along with the U11, U Ultra, and U Play this July.