HTC One (M8)
The new HTC One (M8) during a launch event in New York. Reuters

HTC One A9 already touts to be the only non-Nexus smartphone to be launched with Android 6.0 Marshmallow on board. Now the handset starts getting the first November security updates.

Earlier the company assured that the HTC One A9 would receive major firmware updates within 15 days after Google rolls it out to its own Nexus devices. As promised, Mo Versi, vice president of product management at HTC announced on Twitter that the unlocked version of the ONE A9 will start getting the “latest security updates including improvements to camera and battery.”

The update will bring in few security improvements and bug fixes. However, this firmware update will be extended to only unlocked owners in the U.S.

This upper-mid range handset is getting special treatment indeed. Apart from Google’s own Nexus 5X and Nexus 6P, HTC One A9 is the first device to launch with the latest operating system by Google.

The OTA (over-the-air) update will be hitting One A9 handsets in a staggered fashion. Users can check for the availability of the update and go to Setting > About Device > Updates on their phones, reports Android Headlines.

The unlocked models are easy to update as mobile carriers cannot get into the process of releasing the update. Carrier variants are always subject to long technical authorisation processes.

HTC also confirmed the list of devices to receive the Android 6.0 Marshmallow update in the coming months. The Taiwanese manufacturer included major flagship devices of the One family including HTC One M9, M8, M9+, E9, E9+ as well as the latest Desire family devices.

The HTC One A9 comes with a 5-inch full HD AMLOED display with 1080p resolution protected by 2.5D Gorilla Glass 4, Snapdragon 617 chip, 2 GB or 3 GB RAM options coupled with either 16 GB or 32 GB of storage and houses a 2,150 mAh battery. The handset is available in Deep Garnet, Opal Silver and Carbon Grey and Topaz Gold colour variants.

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