HTC decides to rip off UK customers with the new A9.

biron_w · 21 Oct 2015 at 00:18

Just reading about it now here

The best place to buy the HTC One A9 will indisputably be the United States. HTC is pricing the SIM-unlocked handset at $399.99 with 3GB of RAM and 32GB of storage.
Outside of the US, though, pricing skyrockets, with the UK cost of £429.99 translating to an eye-watering $665. Worse yet, the One A9 in the UK comes with 2GB of RAM and 16GB of storage, compounding the issue.

So an extra $265 for a lower spec model? :eek:

mrk · 21 Oct 2015 at 00:27

Does HTC want to stay in the phone business? Because that's how you don't stay in the phone business

Rich_L · 21 Oct 2015 at 00:52

Sweet if anyone wants a US model Ill buy and ship for a bargain price of $650

muon · 21 Oct 2015 at 00:54

Wtf?

Are they just looking for a fight with Apple? What is the point.

I didn't consider the Galaxy S a rip off of the iPhone. They were very different.

The One A9 has many more similarities to the 6/6S.

edit:

I do think it is a good midrange phone.

The Snapdragon 617 with 8 x ARM A53 cores won't be great where multithreading hasn't been exploited though. Is the Snapdragon 808 really that short on supply?

As for the price, there will be so many grey imports as long as the 3G/LTE bands are the same.

dbmzk1 · 21 Oct 2015 at 02:04

Good looking phone for the price in the US, but pointless everywhere else.

They really have just copy/paste the iPhone though, which is odd because HTC have always had their own little thing, for the most part.

As said above, are they doing this to purposely try and get out of the phone business? Cos that's what will happen if they carry on the way they are. Shame they had such promise.

Orcvader · 21 Oct 2015 at 09:07

So what makes HTC think they can sell an iPhone clone for a much higher price in the UK? Sorry, but even if HTC was betting on this phone to save them, it won't. The only interesting thing about the A9 is the toned down Sense it has.

reflux · 21 Oct 2015 at 09:18

No thanks HTC, I don't want your crappy iClone.

How the mighty have fallen. Very sad.

Having been an ardent supporter of HTC over the past few years, buying each new One phone, I don't know if I'll buy another. First the disappointment of the M9, and now this shameless rip off.

snapdragon · 21 Oct 2015 at 09:27

Loved my M8 however looks like I won't be buying another HTC mobile unless they pull themselves together, shame because Sense is by far and away the best skin/theme job ever applied to Android

Tunney · 21 Oct 2015 at 14:22

It's not just customers they're ripping off.

XeNoN89 · 21 Oct 2015 at 14:28

Lol HTC go home, you're drunk.

doodah · 21 Oct 2015 at 14:32

muon said:
Wtf?

The Snapdragon 617 with 8 x ARM A53 cores won't be great where multithreading hasn't been exploited though. Is the Snapdragon 808 really that short on supply?

As for the price, there will be so many grey imports as long as the 3G/LTE bands are the same.

I thought it might be cost but a friend pointed out, weren't HTC demoted by SoC suppliers from the top tier of manufacturers? Or something along those lines?

biron_w · 21 Oct 2015 at 15:25

mrk said:
Does HTC want to stay in the phone business? Because that's how you don't stay in the phone business

Exactly. For a company that's struggling you'd think they'd be trying to attract customers not turn them away.

scrivz69 · 21 Oct 2015 at 15:41

Lol funniest thing I have read all day.

Scougar · 21 Oct 2015 at 15:42

Rich_L said:
Sweet if anyone wants a US model Ill buy and ship for a bargain price of $650

The one's I'll ship will lovingly packaged and travel through 3 different local states ;-)

I wonder what the rest of the specs are on the non-US version?

Also... no USB-C ? What an odd choice not to have that on a brand new phone.

Smeghead · 21 Oct 2015 at 17:05

It's sad to say, but HTC are just growing increasingly irrelevant. The M9 did awful, and with the finacial issues they've been facing recently, I can't see them lasting past 5 years unless they do something drastic.

StevieP · 21 Oct 2015 at 17:23

So disappointed in this - I really like my M8 and find that a 5" screen really is the "sweet spot" for me size-wise so with a better camera (not difficult), 3GB of RAM, 32GB of internal storage and a micro SD card slot, this really could have been a phone I would have looked at!

Bad company you HTC!!!! Forshame!

TheVoice · 21 Oct 2015 at 17:57

Are HTC still making unbranded phones for networks like they used to, or have they lost that to the likes of Huaweieieieiei and ZTE?

Rimsy · 21 Oct 2015 at 18:02

Smeghead said:
It's sad to say, but HTC are just growing increasingly irrelevant. The M9 did awful, and with the finacial issues they've been facing recently, I can't see them lasting past 5 years unless they do something drastic.

I'd say releasing a blatant iphone clone that is both underspecced and overpriced is pretty dreastic! Not a good drastic mind...

Rilot · 21 Oct 2015 at 19:25

TheVoice said:
Are HTC still making unbranded phones for networks like they used to, or have they lost that to the likes of Huaweieieieiei and ZTE?

They got out of that market a long time ago.
Unfortunately, HTC seem to think that their brand is still worth something in the UK / Europe. It's not. No one cares.

biron_w · 21 Oct 2015 at 22:52

Rilot said:
They got out of that market a long time ago.
Unfortunately, HTC seem to think that their brand is still worth something in the UK / Europe. It's not. No one cares.

If they released a decent phone at a decent price then I'd possibly get one. But when they're pulling stupid stunts like they have with this phone then there's no chance I'd even consider them for a phone.