HTC One X9 officially announced in China

The HTC One X9 has been officially announced in China. Powered by an octa-core MediaTek processor, the One X9 is a premium smartphone that doesn’t command a premium price tag. Equipped with a 5.5-inch display, the One X9 features a good-looking design that’s been combined with a metal unibody. HTCclaims that it takes more than 300 hours and 50 advanced steps to assemble one of these beauties.

On the inside of the One X9 ticks MediaTek’s high-end Helio X10 processor, which is comprised of 8x Cortex A53 cores clocked at 2.2GHz. The 64-bit chipset is paired with a PowerVR G6200 GPU clocked at 700MHz, 3GB of RAM, and 32GB of internal storage. The One X9 has an UltraPixel front camera, great for low-light conditions and selfie lovers. Turn the device around and you’re greeted by a 13MP camera that’s armed with OIS and capable of 4K video recording. There’s also support for RAW image capture, which serious mobile photographers are sure to appreciate.

The One X9 comes with a large 3000mAh battery, which HTC claims can last about 15 hours of voice calls over 3G, 10 hours of high-definition video playback, and 40 hours of uninterrupted music playback. Support for fast charging is present, which is said to be 30% faster than charging with a regular 5V, 1A charger.

Just like most other high-end HTChandsets, the One X9 has powerful BoomSound speakers on the front side, which when coupled with Dolby Audio makes for an immersive audio experience. Also, the speaker holes are such that they are effectively water- and dust-proof. The handset is capable of powering professional hi-fi headphones, thanks to the in-built amp that can drive power output of up to 0.98V.

The One X9 is HTC’s smallest 5.5-inch device ever, as specified on their website, having a width of only 75.9mm. The display, which boasts 170-degree wide viewing angles and high contrast for good daylight visibility, is protected by Corning’s Gorilla Glass. HTCopted for a Full HD (1920 x 1080 pixels) panel instead of Quad HD or 4K. The resultant improvement in battery life is sure to be appreciated by end users.

HTC’s website doesn’t mention the Android version running on the One X9, but seeing that the One A9 released with Marshmallow out-of-the-box, we would be surprised if it weren’t the same case with their new smartphone. Perhaps one of the best part about the One X9 is its price, which is 2399 yuan in China, or roughly $370. Keep in mind the phone is currently a Chinese exclusive, but let’s hope that HTCintroduces the One X9 to other markets across the globe at the same aggressive price point.