Chou shows the new HTC One M8 phone during a launch event in New York
HTC CEO Peter Chou shows the new HTC One M8 phone during a launch event in New York March 25, 2014. The HTC One M8 has a 5-inch display, slightly larger than its predecessor, as well as improved camera technology, a faster processor and updated software, the company said. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid

The first quarter of 2014 saw the launch of HTC's flagship smartphone One (M8). The phone comes packed with metal-looking exterior, complemented by impressive features and solid under the hood performance. But now, the specs are outdated, as new smartphones with cutting-edge configurations are ruling the market. Therefore, the company has decided to manufacture the successor with up-to-date specs in the form of HTC One (M9).

Reportedly, the upcoming HTC One (M9) will feature a 5.2-inch display loaded with a 2K resolution of 1,440 x 2,560 pixels. And this combination translates to a pixel density of an impressive 564 ppi. In contrast, the predecessor One (M8) comes with a 5.0-inch screen and 1,080 x 1,920 pixels resolution, rounding up to a pixel density of 441 ppi, according to Phone Arena.

Under the hood, the HTC One (M9) is believed to be powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 805 processor and will be backed by a good 3 GB of RAM. Comparing this configuration to its predecessor, the One (M8) is powered by Snapdragon 801 SoC and comes with 2 GB of RAM.

As far as the memory goes, the device will come equipped with 64 GB of internal storage and microSD card support for expansion up to 128 GB. This is a sharp differentiating factor from the predecessor, as it comes with 16 GB and 32 GB of in-built storage capacity. Plus, as one would expect, the One (M9) will run on Google's latest Android 5.0 Lollipop OS, while the One (M8) runs on v4.4.2 KitKat. Nevertheless, a planned upgrade to Lollipop is in the offing. Apart from housing a promising battery and camera units, the One (M9) will also reportedly come with an IP rating higher than the current-generation device i.e. IPx3. Moreover, this handset will be released at the MWC in Barcelona in 2015.

Moving on to HTC's recent quarterly results, the company was able to reverse the slump and turn to profits in Q3 with the help of the flagship HTC One (M8) and Desire line of handsets' sales. HTC posted a Q3 net profit after tax of NTD 600 million (that roughly translates to US$19 million). Even though, the profits are not sky-high, the improvement over the same period of time in 2013, cannot be overlooked. Notably, HTC posted its first loss last year, after a good run for nearly a decade, notes CNet. The quarterly revenue stood at NTD 41.9 billion (i.e. US$1.38 billion). This translates to a worrisome 11 percent decline from 2013 and a 35+ percent decline from Q2.

Hopefully, the One (M9) would bring back some respite for the Taiwanese smartphone maker upon its release. What do you think of the HTC One (M9)? Technically, the Snapdragon 805 processor and 3 GB RAM configurations are already present in many smartphones released in this quarter. Therefore, will it be too late for HTC to catch up in 2015? Feel free to leave a comment.

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