HTC One X9 Review

HTC might not be manufacturing best-selling smartphones at this point but that hasn’t stopped the Taiwanese company from launching six smartphones in one go. Out of the lot the HTC One X9 is company’s most affordable phone with a metal body. We have been using the device for quite sometime and here is our full review.

Design

HTC One X9 from the front looks quite different to previous HTC phones thanks to capacitive buttons and angular lines for the front facing speakers. The One X9 bears a smoothly polished metal rear, with a slim glass panel housing the camera module similar to Nexus 6P. Despite the all-metal exterior, the phone weighs a manageable 175g. One of the key highlights of the phone’s design is its front-facing speakers, powered by HTC Boomsound technology. We loved the mid-position of the volume keys as they are easily reachable. With a 5.5in screen it’s bigger than the One M9 and One M8. But the screen-to-body ratio of 71 percent is decent and the handset is comfortable to handle.

Hardware Specifications

Instead of a Qualcomm processor, the One X9 is powered by a MediaTek Helio X10 octa-core chip and 3GB of RAM. There’s 32GB of internal storage and a Micro-SD card slot for adding up to 200GB more. The device comes with a 13MP rear camera and 5MP front camera. For more detailed specification list click here.

Performance

Powered by a MediaTek Helio X10 octa-core processor, which drives several budget smartphones. And paired with a 3GB RAM, the processor doesn’t seem out-of-place even in the more expensive price segment. Switching between apps was smooth and multitasking was spot on. We tried playing out some graphic intensive games such as Asphalt 8 and FIFA 16. And it handled them without any hassle. We did notice the phone heats up a bit while playing games, but there was nothing alarming.

What’s GOOD?

• The One X9 is HTC’s second most beautiful smartphone after One A9 and having its design very similar to Nexus 6P makes this device more likeable.
• HTC has added BoomSound support with Dolby Audio, and offers one of the best audio output from smartphones at this price range.
• Smooth multitasking experience.

Camera

HTC One X9 packs the same 13MP camera module that was packed inside the One A9, which was highly impressive – probably the best HTC has pumped out. All the shots taken from the One X9 retains good colour accuracy, and does not overstate the photographs. Subjects in photographs appear sharp, and the camera adjusts white balance very well in most conditions. During daytime, in all the shots we took the colours look rich and the detailing is impressive. Under low light situations, the One X9 continues to impress, keeping noise levels in check.

What’s BAD?

• No Fingerprint Sensor- this is now commonly available on a number of phones that costs way less than this.
• Below Average front Camera.
• Flaps over sim tray and SD card slot is too delicate.
• Speakers aren’t very loud even at full volume. The sound quality is very good but volume remains on the lower side.
• Mediatek’s “quick charge” is not very effective.
• Both SIM slots support 4G but only one can be active on that band.

Benchmarks

• Antutu (64 bit) – 59550
• Geekbench 3 – 915 (Single-Core) | 4808 (Multi-core)
• NenaMark 2 – 59.9 fps
• Quadrant Standard – 24273

So should you buy HTC One X9? Here’s our Verdict

The One X9 looks more premium than its predecessors in the Desire series due to the metal exterior. It’s a sort of mash-up of a few different previous phone from the company. Despite all of that, though at INR 25,990 there is little that really differentiates it over better-performing overall packages like the Xiaomi Mi 5 and OnePlus 2. At a slightly higher price, you have the OnePlus 3, which happens to be one of the best smartphones around.