HTC One M9+ Review with video: Great design, smooth performance

I guess some people might buy the HTC One M9+ only for its looks. It is that kind of phone, with a full-metal chassis and smooth gold frame that offsets the matte finish on the rest of the body. It also brings the dual camera back, something HTC decided to forgo off in the M9. However, they later seem to have decided that this might be a good feature to have in the emerging markets.

Specs: 5.2 inch Super LCD3 capacitive touchscreen (1440x2560p, ~534 ppi) | Octa-core 2.2 GHz Mediatek MT6795T with 3GB RAM | 32GB storage, expandable up to 128GB | 20MP + 2.1MP dual rear camera, 4 MP front camera | Android Lollipop with HTC Sense UI 7 | 2840 mAh battery
Price: Rs 48,362

What is good?

Of course, the design has to be the best thing about the HTC One M9+. The full-metal body is still the best chassis on any Android phone and leaves me wondering why metal does not become a standard in phones of all brands.
The HTC Sense 7.0 UI has enough new features to make it one of the best covers on Android phones. I like the fact that all your new download come into a folder on the homescreen itself and you don’t need to search for the same inside the phone.

The HTC BlinkFeed. (Source: Nandagopal Rajan)

There is also a suggestions folder where the UI suggests apps based on your user behaviour. And this keeps chaning, indicating that the phone is learning as it goes. But the best new feature for me is the Themes option that lets you create a theme based on a photograph of you have clicked. And it is not just a homescreen, as based on the colours in the photos it will change the colour scheme inside the phone too.

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The camera is one of the best in Android phones and it is really fast like with the HTC One M8. However, it is not a big improvement on the M8 and that is a disappointment. It is a good thing that in the past year other Android phones have not been able to catch up to HTC on the dual camera technology. But let us also resign to the fact that there is not much you can do with the dual camera after a point.

Battery on the HTC One M9+ will easily last a day. (Source: Nandagopal Rajan)

The phone is quite smooth and does not lag at all. In fact, the biggest difference between the HTC One M9 and M9+ is the processor. HTC has dropped Qualcomm and moved to MediaTek for this version of its flagship. But it is hard to miss the fact the phone is a bit warm most of the times, though it does not really over heat.

The battery life is decent and will last a day with regular use. This is good as most flagships are struggling to push it beyond 12 hours.

An image taken from the HTC One M9+.

What is not that good?

Overall, the phone is not a really big jump on last year’s HTC One M8. It is more of a natural progression. I believe people expect to see something, at least one thing, that is really new in every flagship. I do. That ways this phone is a bit of a disappointment.

At this rate, the camera is also a bit of a disappointment. Only because it could have been much better. It was this good last year too. As I said before, this phone is warm whenever you are using it. More of a problem for a phone that is all-metal.

Should you buy it?

Yes, if you are looking for a top-end phone that is stylish and has a great camera. Despite the lack of new features or improved optics, this is still one of the better cameras in the business.

If you are one of those people who want to show the world that you have a top-end phone that looks like one, the HTC One M9+ is one of your best bets. It is an investment, especially with all the metal in the phone. Also, with HTC itself bringing in some good affordable phones, you need to take a call on whether there is a need for a phone that costs close to Rs 50,000.

Read more: HTC One M9+ 2-day review: Great design, good camera, no major issues