HTC's next flagship smartphone is coming March 1 in Barcelona

By Alex Dobie
last updated

HTC has sent out invites for a major launch on March 1 in Barcelona, just as Mobile World Congress gets underway. Naturally, this is where we're expecting to see the company's next big Android smartphone — the phone that may go by the name HTC One M9.

After a tempestuous 2014, HTC will be looking to kick off its 2015 product cycle with the successor to one of our favorite devices of the past year, the HTC One M8. Rumors suggest it'll run Qualcomm's latest Snapdragon 810 chip, rock a 5-inch 1080p display, and perhaps ditch the "Ultrapixel" camera of old in favor of a traditional high-megapixel sensor.

The invite's tag line, "utopia in progress," doesn't give much away, but you can bet we'll be live from Barcelona in six weeks to bring you full coverage of one of the most important Android launches of the year.

Alex Dobie
Alex Dobie
Executive Editor

Alex was with Android Central for over a decade, producing written and video content for the site, and served as global Executive Editor from 2016 to 2022.

126 Comments
  • Pretty excited to see what they have in the works. Posted via the Android Central App
  • Just cannot wait.... Love my htc Flagships.
  • Expect nothing less than dual ultra super duper pixel cameras at 2 MP, and four front speakers to give you a little more of that bezel we all love. :)
  • I love HTC but this made me laugh cause its so true Posted via Android Central App
  • Four speakers would be awesome!! lol Posted via the Android Central App
  • LOL Posted via the Android Central App
  • That would be awesome. I love my M7, but there just isn't enough bezel sometimes. Posted via Android Central App
  • Oooooo *2 ULTRAPIXEL cameras! Thought it was bold for them to come out with such anemic cameras on the M8 after every pointed out the obvious that it was just a marketing gimmick. Posted via the Android Central App
  • UltraPixel 3-D! And 5.1 sound with a built-in subwoofer!
  • Lolololol! Posted via the Android Central App
  • If they were smart, they'd keep their dual camera and ultrapixel thing by making one camera the UP and the other a high mp shooter... best of both worlds!! Posted via the Android Central App
  • ultrapixel front facing with a regular better quality higher mp on the rear feels completely practical and win win to me Posted via the Android Central App
  • Definitely looking forward to see what they release. My HTC One M7 is still going strong, but I plan on upgrading this year. If they keep a similar form factor and ditch the Ultrapixels for a high MP with OIS, it will be my next upgrade as I have always been a fan of HTC with my One and Incredible 2. If not, I will probably go over to Samsung for the new Galaxy S6 or pick up a Note 4.
  • Same here with the M7, just waiting to be announced so I can upgrade. Hopefully HTC won't let us down this year. Posted via Android Central App of an HTC One M7
  • Same here. Love my GPe M7 and looking to upgrade to the M9 if specs hold up. Posted via Android Central App
  • Me too, or is that three or four? lol! I love my M7 but if the specs on the M9 are what the rumors say they are, it's going to be tough to resist after 2 years.
  • Me too! I'll get the new flagship if and only if the rear camera(s) shoot more than 7 megapixel shots. Posted via Android Central App
  • Me 6!! Not... HTC don't go in my pockets. I've had a couple there before. That's a nasty piece of lint... Posted via the Android Central App
  • It'll be a major difference with all the bloatware and skin crap compared to your Google Play Edition. I bet your m7 runs better than the m9 no matter what the specs. Posted via the Android Central App
  • I bet you have no clue. Sense is an awesome, lightweight skin Posted by my soon to be retired Note 3
  • Sense is garbage. GPE is all that is acceptable. Posted via the Android Central App
  • Yeah if you want a crappy phone. Vanilla sucks, even Google knows it Posted by my soon to be retired Note 3
  • GPE also doesn't exist anymore, so.
  • I actually like Vanilla Android, but you're right Sense is an awesome light weight skin. I've always liked Sense and it has only gotten better over the years. Plus I'm constantly reading in the forums how fast the M8 is and that it's possibly the fastest Android phone out there. Wow I love the diversity Android offers lol
  • I still have my M7 as backup so it's not going away anytime soon. There's only 2 things I don't like about that phone. Battery life, and that purple tint with the camera. Posted via OnePlus One
  • I've owned 2 different Samsung phones (the Galaxy S3 and S4). After dealing with years of janky software, annoying features that I don't want, and updates that usually need another update to fix, I am done with Samsung. Those phones also really stated falling apart after about 8 months. The finish on the back cover of the S3 stated coming off after only a couple weeks. Samsung's build quality and especially their software are born garbage. I'd highly recommend looking at something else. I will give it to them credit where credit is due, though. They do make really nice camera software. However, so does LG, and I've been much much happier with my G3
  • What about the overheating issues of the snapdraon 810?
  • I'm wondering this to, that doesn't give me a lot of confidence that we'll see these 810 powered phones any time soon. Posted via the Android Central App
  • There talking about a 3-4 month delay on the 810 from what I've read. my only guess is some phones that were supposed to get the 810 will fall back to the 805. Then again, I'll bet qualcomm resolves the issues sooner than expected Posted via the Unrivaled Note 4
  • You guys seriously believe this overheating nonsense? Think about it, these allegations first surfaced back in the beginning of December. Now a month and a half later, HTC is mailing out invitations for their flagship phone unveiling. If the chip were having issues, do you think they would push on and still have the event the same date? No, they would have pushed the date of the announce back.
  • I have become accustomed to having the buttons on the back ala LG G2. I really feel that HTC seems to have better sound through headphones. I am conflicted.
  • better sound through headphones > having the buttons on the back
  • I returned my Droid Turbo because of this. Compared to the M7, the Turbo has dismal sound quality, speaker and headphone output both suck. It is not just the poor quality of the speaker, the quality of the sound is horrible. Posted via Android Central App- Via HTC One
  • Wow, that's good to know. Thanks, Abionic!
  • Not sure if sarcasm or not... (-_-) Posted via Android Central App- Via HTC One
  • Definitely not sarcasm, brother. I'm pretty good about using the /s lol.
  • Same. Exact. Experience. Sold my Turbo and went back to my M8 cause the sound was poor.
  • I thought Motorola makes good speakers? Posted via the Android Central App
  • The speaker on the Turbo is is loud, in fact it may be as loud as the One. But the sound quality is horrible. Dynamic range is very narrow, squeezed towards the middle, everything sounds like it is coming through a horn. Okay I may be exaggerating a bit, but not by much! The problem is, and this is the primary reason I took the Turbo back, is the sound that is coming out of the headphone jack is just as bad as the speaker. Using the same headphones and the same equalizer settings on both phones ( flat as possible, no beats) the One sounded way better than the Turbo. Posted via Android Central App- Via HTC One
  • It is awesome that all the phones have become so good that he dynamic range of the speaker is the deciding factor! If i recall correctly the M8 has a really good DAC. Didn't Nokia try to sue them for using the same DAC as them?
  • It has a pretty decent DAC. It's no audiophile DAC. But it's better than most phones Posted via the Android Central App
  • I loved the rat buttons in my G3 but didn't have an issue moving back to side buttons on my New Z3 when I upgraded. Especially with the factor HTC already features knock on, so does the Z3. Posted via the Android Central App
  • Rat buttons?
  • Maybe he's trying to be cool and use random words to start a new trend.
  • Upgrade? Hmmm.
  • Probably be $650+. My oneplus one is much better than htc one m8 (had one for a month), I do miss the speakers, ir blaster, and smaller size Posted via Android Central App on 1+1
  • So...the Oneplus One is much better, yet you miss a bunch of features the M8 has...
  • My Oneplus is better to look at because of its 5.5 display, and my Oneplus is ridiculously better re. battery life than my M8. Nevertheless, my M8 is undeniably better at being a phone than my Oneplus. In fact, I'll gladly fling my Oneplus against a wall if the rumored HTC Hima Ace ever becomes an obtainable reality. Still, I'm eager to see what this M9 (or whatever) looks like.
  • Better display? What you like the yellow tint? Posted by my soon to be retired Note 3
  • I think the yellow tint issue was fixed after the first production batch or two. None of the OPO units I've used have had any issue with that. The screen is just average in general, though. It's not bad, certainly, but definitely nowhere near as crisp as the M8's.
  • Hmm... I have looked at a bunch of m8s and I definitely think my OnePlus has a much better screen Posted via Android Central App
  • So you're saying you'd smash your OnePlus for a chance at getting another phone? I appreciate the irony.
  • Are you going to do this on EVERY SINGLE ARTICLE about a new device? You can say these things in your head without putting them to a keyboard all the time: no one here would blame you.
  • Right. It will be appropriately priced. Posted via the Android Central App
  • So it will be the HTC One M9 - front firing speakers, bigger screen. A leeeeeeeetle more plastic than the M8 with just enough battery to make it to bedtime. Utopia! My utopia - decent speakerphone. Forget front firing speakers - they don't sound any better than my 1970s transistor radio and make the phone stupidly long. Screen somewhat smaller than 5" and LCD. Lots of storage. Efficient use of a largish (3500mAhr or so) battery. Small enough to use one handed and not feel like a brick in my pocket. Plastic - like a Lumia, not a Samsung. Excellent radios and sound from earpiece. Done. Come on, HTC. You can do this.
  • Utopia sounds like my Z3 Compact. All the power of a flagship, just smaller. Posted via the Android Central App on my Xperia Z3 Compact
  • You must have really small hands and a poor perception of quality. As far as the battery, my m8 comes off the charger around 6am everyday and with moderate use throughout, I'm still at ~35-40% by 9pm. I have absolutely no complaints about this phone and it's the first one in quite a long time I'm not interested in getting rid of any time soon. Posted via the Android Central App
  • @static (apt name there!!) Ah, thanks for pointing out that my dissatisfaction with the M8 are my fault. I would never have realized that without your rather boorish criticism! Of course your results are the only valid ones, you being the purveyor of the one truth and all. The fact that my experience is different I guess makes it wrong. @douglas - yeah I was kind of wanting that Z3 Compact. Unfortunately. Verizon (more or less the only reliable carrier by me) doesn't carry it. Although I am considering the Z3v - seems like a nice phone. Right now I'm liking the Moto X, but for the battery life.
  • I hope they keep the Duo camera setup. Quite honestly, I hope they keep the ultrapixel is well. I just really need them to refine that so that when I'm taking pictures outside or in HDR mode it doesn't blow them out. The pictures I get at night and indoors in low light are better than anything else out there. Plus the functionality of all the individual camera settings and the ability to save your own setup is huge. Posted via the Android Central App
  • Yeah, the ultrapixels are killer in a lot of settings. If they could keep them, but bump up from 4MP to 8MP then I'd be a happy guy.
  • Or you know what they could do? Put a real camera in for actual good photos Posted by my soon to be retired Note 3
  • Ommmg ur so idiot with thats comments :) HTC Desire S»HTC Desire HD»HTC One S»HTC M8 (Naked)
  • Was that English? Posted by my soon to be retired Note 3
  • Exactly what I was thinking! Posted via the Android Central App
  • Agree. Like the Nexus 6^^^^^ Posted via the Android Central App
  • Who is talking about that? I haven't got mine yet so I cannot judge. The m7-8 camera sucked Posted by my soon to be retired Note 3
  • I know that you don't like the m8 camera but it really isn't all that bad, I have a note 4 now and my wife moved from the m8 to a note 4 as well and the first thing she said to me after using the camera on the note 4 was " the pictures indoor are not as good as my other phone" lol I guess it's about perception she loved the camera on the m8 but loves the big display of the note 4. I personally think the note 4's camera outdoors or in brightly lit rooms is the best on the market. I think HTC has the right idea about using the 4mp/up on the front and using a larger traditional camera on the back most people would appreciate having more light let in on their selfie pictures. Posted via the Android Central App
  • If you can't get decent pictures with the M8 then you're doing it wrong. Posted via the Android Central App
  • Almost any phone made in the last three years could take decent pictures. Especially the flagships!
  • I just hope that this 'next big Android smartphone' will be a bit smaller in size. Yeah I'm sorry, but I still don't like those hughe phones.
  • Maybe they can fix the Nexus 9 build quality in the meantime
  • I never bought the M8, because I knew it was not a perfect phone although it looked amazing in gunmetal grey, I wished it had a bit more stigma, as I loved my M7 it looked and felt like a solid phone. But now I know htc are going to bring out the best phone ever made to date the all new htc one m9 Ulimate Note 3
  • I cannot wait for this. Posted via Android Central App
  • Definitely excited to see what HTC comes out with! Over the years I've had both Samsung and HTC phones, and IMO, HTC is a far better phone. Granted, I was disappointed with the the ultrapixel camera in the M8, but everything else is rock solid. The screen display is excellent (and it's very usable outdoors) the battery lasts me all day long, the stereo speakers are an improvement when streaming youtube or sharing other videos with friends, and it just feels solid in the hand. I think I'll have (ask) my wife take my M8, and I'll upgrade to the M9, or whatever they call it when it comes out :-) David...
  • I would love to try an HTC phone but a 5.0" inch screen it's just to small. Hopefully they will release another HTC One Maxx. Posted via the Android Central App
  • I'm perfectly happy with the size of the screen on my S4. Not sure how I would feel about the 5.5in on the G3, but I might be willing to go just a tad larger if the bezel was shrunk down considerably. But there has to be a limit to these ever increasing screen sizes! Posted via the Android Central App
  • We all know that the long speaker grills are just for show. If HTC just places the grills where the speakers actually are, it would leave room for branding. I would like to see an all glass front with the speaker holes drilled through the glass. All metal back, All glass front. I think they can make the dimensions of the phone closer to the M7 that way but with a 5 inch screen.
  • Lol I agree but the bezel is not for branding. They put that there so it looks less awkward. Posted via the Android Central App
  • This is what I really want too even before you posted it. Can't wait to see it but at the same time my M8 is still super nice! Minus the camera ever now and then. Posted via Android Central App
  • The speaker grills are not for show but the the speakers do only take up about half of them. My thought was that they should set the speakers perpendicular to the screen and under the top and bottom of the screen and then have a curved port that would direct the sound toward the user. That way they could use a thin slit for the sound and reduce the vertical space the speakers take up thereby reducing the overall height of the device but keeping the stereo speakers.
  • This is my next phone mostly likely. I do hope they have improved the camera...
  • This thing will absolutely fly with the 810 and 1080p. My be the best performing phone graphically ever. However please make the phone smaller. You can keep the 5" screen, but make the thing smaller. The M8 is huge compared to any other 5" skin phone. Also put the freaking power button on the side where it belongs... This was the main reason I never bought an M8. I didnt want to contort my hand and risk dropping the phone every time i turned the screen off.
  • Why would you use the power button to turn the screen off? Posted via the Android Central App
  • How else would you dim you screen when you are done using your phone? Posted via the Android Central App
  • I can swipe, three finger tap or triple tap, can't remember the last time I used the power button except to turn the phone off My M8 posted this
  • Exactly! Tap on and tap off.
  • I absolutely hate the pwr button the side. Everytime I grab someones samsung phone and try to use volume I shut the screen off. U dont use the power button that often leave it on top Posted via the Android Central App
  • But when you do use it, you have to contort your hand to an abnormal position and slide the phone down in your hand to reach it. I completely agree with you when phones were 4", but not anymore. The m8 was massive for its screen size, and it was practically impossible to reach that horribly placed button. You get used to it on the side very quickly and then wonder why it was ever anywhere else. There is a reason everyone else puts it there. Posted via the Android Central App
  • Damn can't wait, ill probably wait until m10 or something else as Im loving every part of the m8. Lets see if HTC changes its design philosophy... Posted via the Android Central App
  • I can't wait Posted via the Android Central App
  • I'm a huge fan of the One series. It will be hard to top the M8 successor if they go with similar build and put in better cameras and other obvious must have things. Posted via the Android Central App
  • If they fix the camera issue, I'm trading in my Galaxy S5 for sure. I SOOO miss the front-firing speakers of my original One. I also do not like the Samsung home button - too "clicky". And it better have enough storage. 16 or 32 GB is just too little. 64 GB is perfect.
  • Boomsound
    64-bit chip
    64gb memory
    4gb ram
    Good camera
    Good front facing, wide angle camera All this and I'm sold. Posted via the Android Central App
  • Can't wait to dump the nexus 6 for this. 5 inch is almost perfect.
  • im getting this phone anyway but if is somehow has wireless charging, then it is definitely a utopia. shot in the dark though
  • Gotta have a better camera for me to leave my note 4 Posted via the Android Central App
  • My M8 is almost perfect. The camera is OK, but needs to be better. All you clowns talking about 4gigs of ram, and 64 gigs of internal memory are just stupid. That's what sd cards are for. And 3 gigs is more than enough. Honestly 2 gigs is fine. I just hope they improve the camera to the rumored specs of 20.7, a bigger battery, keep 1080p, Bose speakers, and a screen size of 5.2, because with the onscreen buttons it's really only 4.7 with the 5" screen. Oh, and I would rather have the headphone jack on top and power jack on the side. The power button on top is cool with the knock/swipe features.
  • Why in 2015 should a flagship phone have 16GB and I should be happy about that and be resigned to purchase more storage. These aren't flip phones these are hand held multimedia computers.....capable of making phone calls on the side. I have a 32GB phone right now but that phone is two years old. I won't even consider a phone without at least 64GB.
  • Stupid my ass. A One to rule them all needs to have this. The HTC flagship phone should last you 2 years not 6 months before others are offering higher spec'd phones. I hope they keep it under 5.5" and bump the battery up over 3000 mah Posted via Android Central App on my HTC M8
  • Ooo a 1080 display! How 2013! Hopefully they'll stop using those gimmicky ultrapixel cameras. Posted via the Android Central App
  • Just because tech companies some out with something new like 3D TV's, for example, doesn't make it practical or progressive. I would rather they improve the daylight viewing of smartphones, energy consumption/battery life, contrast/blackness and viewing angles before they waste time on pixels that don't improve my user experience more than superficially.
  • My nexus 6 has a supposedly screen to 1080p, but to be honest it looks a bit shit. Posted via the Android Central App
  • So you want a note 4 Posted by my soon to be retired Note 3
  • I wouldn't of minded if Samsung stuck to a 1080p display on the note 4 if it meant more battery life. Don't get me wrong the dismay is amazing it's just I'm a power user and my phone needs to be charged sooner then I would have liked. Posted via the Android Central App
  • If they ditch the ultra pixels they'll surely have to invent some new camera branding... Image sense, Zoe, Ultrapixels, Eye Experience... What's next? 'One-Vision'? Posted via the Android Central App
  • Well, they do have the 16 MP Re standalone camera too. So they could call it the "Re" camera....with Eye experience of course. haha I would call it the Eye Sight camera. (take that Apple!)
  • Any clue if this is gonna have Band 12?
  • If all the rumored specs are true, take my money now. Posted via Android Central App
  • For the love of God, ditch the UltraPixel camera
  • They are....relax...
  • To be honest, I like the power button being located on the top since the IR is already integrated to the button itself and placing it into the side will likely prompt HTC to place the volume rocker on the opposite side, which is a big no no for me. Having the power button on the same side as the volume rocker is also a horrible idea imo. U WOT M8
  • Yess someone gets it, I hate samsung pwr button on the side I always shut off the screen trying to change volume. Valid point about ir as well its in the button and the button is in the perfect spot already! Posted via the Android Central App
  • Will it be called the "HTC Galaxy S"? Because that's what the picture makes me think of. Maybe that's not fair - but there are billions of other ways to have a creative background image and they went with a blanket picture of space. At least they aren't pulling an Xiaomi and ripping off their competitors or a OnePlus and overpromising for what will obviously under deliver.
  • Personally hope they hurry up dropped my M8 and drop no longer responsive (not getting dot case and assume it's safe.. Hehe or any more shirts without breast pocket).. There is no phone out there that I would want even now to replace my M8 except hopefully the new one. Posted via the Android Central App
  • 1080p is so 2013. - sent from my note edge Posted via the Android Central App
  • Hope they ditch the ultrapixel camera, at least for the back anyway. Hope they have any of the issues the 810 was having worked out before launch. Don't want to have another thunderbolt like device due to the SoC having issues.
  • Hope they have a "mini" flagship too this year. via AC App on VZW Moto X DE/N7
  • I don't even want to hear the word "ultrapixel".
    I really don't know if it improved much with the M8, but I couldn't stand the M7 camera. Most of the pictures reminded me of the pictures from my old flip phones unless it was nice and bright outside. It really turned me away from anything ultrapixel, especially after the way HTC hyped it up so much. It was a shame because that phone had a lot going for it. Posted via Android Central App
  • It's easy better on the M8. It's not an iPhone6 so don't expect that kind of performance. But it takes decent pictures in everydsy settings and excellent pictures in low light without the flash. There is no lag and no blurry photos because you moved the phone or started to turn it around and look at your photo before realizing the picture hasn't been taken yet. I wish they would have kept the OIS, but maybe they will throw it back in this year. Posted via the Android Central App
  • Did anyone else notice the eye imagery? The curve of the green part coupled with the ring looks like a reflection on an eye. This suggests an emphasis on the camera (ie. Desire Eye). Posted via the Android Central App
  • That's a good catch. I just noticed that when you mentioned it. Posted via the Android Central App
  • Wow great catch... Could be it. Posted via the Android Central App
  • hehe I first noticed the big IR with utopIa and progRess... but then I could be reading to much into this... will put the image out to the conspiracy theorists and see which iluminati wing this belongs to >:¬}
  • Here we are, half way through January, 2015 and still no sign of 5.0 for the masses with HTC One M7's. Tick Tock HTC.
  • I can't wait i hate big phones thats why i got a.. (phablet)
  • This phone's about to be hot! Posted via the Android Central App