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| The HTC One A9 will retail for £470 in the UK |
THE mid-range HTC One A9 rings in at a premium £470 price point.
The new HTC One A9 smartphone has been priced at an eye-watering £470 and this is the reason it will FAIL.
HTC recently announced the specifications for its next smartphone in its One range.
The phone maker is pinning its hopes on the A9 to rival Apple’s finest.
With its premium metal finish and soft, curved design it even looks like the iPhone.
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| Mid-range HTC One A9 rings in at a premium price |
There’s a five-inch Full HD display carefully encased in scratch-resistant Corning Gorilla Glass 4.
Under the hood you’ll find the beating heart of a 64-bit octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 617 processor.
Connectivity-wise it supports Bluetooth 4.1, alongside 2.4 and 5GHz wifi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac and internal GPS.
HTC is also sticking to its roots as charging and syncing is handled by a trusty micro USB rather than the reversible USB Type C found on the new Nexus smartphones and OnePlus 2.
The HTC One A9 is mid-range phone through and through, yet that’s not stopping HTC from asking for £469.99 of your hard-earned cash.
In order to put that in perspective you can pick up an Apple iPhone 6 for £10 LESS.
The new handset is also JUST £10 cheaper than Samsung’s latest flagship, the Galaxy S6.
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| Apple iPhone 6 costs £10 LESS |
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| Samsung Galaxy S6 costs just £10 MORE |
Technology Editor David Snelling noted in his hands-on preview that:
"HTC say they are aiming this smartphone at a new younger audience and, if the price is right, it could go down a storm.”
However with the £470 price tag HTC has certainly put an end to that dream.
In the crowded smartphone marketplace HTC needs to remember that it isn’t Apple, or even Samsung.
When faced with offerings from its competitors, the casual buyer isn’t going to fork out for a middle of the road phone with a high-end price tag from HTC.
Had HTC been tactical and actually brought the price down to a point more worthy of mid-range then it might just stand a fighting chance.
If the Taiwanese phone maker is hoping the A9 will be the handset to finally topple Apple’s mighty empire it is sorely mistaken.
With a clutch of highly commended phones to its name it is safe to say that HTC is well-regarded in technology circles.
But mention the HTC M7, M8 or M9 to the average consumer and you’ll likely be met with a blank stare.
Despite being sponsors of the UEFA Champions League and deals to sponsor forthcoming UK music festivals in place, as a brand HTC just doesn’t have the recognition it so sorely deserves.
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| The HTC One A9 is stupidly expensive |
Bizarrely, if you’re living in the US you’ll fare a lot better.
The HTC One A9 is priced $399.99 (£257.69), and that spec also differs wildly from its poorer UK cousin.
The US iteration comes with 3GB RAM and 32GB of storage.
Whereas here in the UK we’ve been left with 2GB RAM and 16GB respectively.
The difference between the two prices is frankly maddening.
Express.co.uk has just received our A9 and we'll have a full review soon.
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