HTC One A9: Falls short on power

HTC One A9 is the new kid on the block to compete with the likes of the Google Nexus 6P and the iPhone 6s. Armed with a better camera, a fingerprint scanner and better user experience, the A9 sure seems like a strong contender. But it still comes with some drawbacks.

Like all HTC One series phones, the A9 also has an all-metal unibody design. The phone looks eerily similar to the iPhone 6. It is sleek and comfortable to hold because of its rounded corners. The new addition to the phone is its fingerprint scanner which sits just below the display and doubles up as a home button. The phone is perfect for one-handed usage with a 5-inch AMOLED display and a resolution of 1,920x1,080 pixels.

The A9 houses Qualcomm's Snapdragon 617 processor and 3 GB of RAM (for the 32GB model). Its definitely not the best but not that bad either. However, this is where the phone lags behind its competitors. There is a noticeable lag while using apps such as Google Maps and the camera. However, it doesn't affect daily usage much.

Another weak point is its 2,150-mAh battery. Though the processor manages power consumption quite well, the phone doesnt last an entire day even on a full charge. If you're a heavy user, it's advisable to keep a power bank handy.

However, I quite liked the camera. It has a 13-megapixel (MP) primary and a 4MP secondary camera. Even in low-light areas, the A9 delivers great selfies. The primary camera is much better than the other phones in the HTC One series. The output pictures are sharp and capture colours well. The camera has different modes available, including a Hyperlapse mode, which speeds up videos up to 12 times.

The A9 runs Android 6.0 Marshmallow while retaining HTC's Sense experience, albeit a stripped down version. The app drawer is vertical and it doesn't feature the most-used applications row.

The fingerprint scanner was a delight though. The A9 can register up to five different fingerprints. Setting it up was a breeze and within seconds I had registered my fingerprints. The sensor is very responsive and waking up the phone was easy.

Overall, the A9 is definitely better than its counterparts in the series. But, a weak battery life and the processor lag work against the phone. If you're a HTC loyalist, then look no further as the A9 is more than you can ask for. It is priced at Rs 29,990.