Windows 10 HTC One M9 reportedly heading exclusively to US
Latest leaks suggest that a Windows 10 model of HTC's upcoming One M9 could be making its way to the US later this year
HTC is expected to unveil its latest One M9 smartphone (code-named Hima) in just under a month’s time at MWC in Barcelona on March 1st, but the latest rumours suggest that there may also be a Windows 10 variation of its flagship handset making its way exclusively to the US later this year.
According to @upleaks, HTC also has a phone codenamed ‘HimaW’ in the works on top of the Android-powered ‘Hima’ One M9 that will run Windows 10. However, @upleaks goes on to say that we won’t be seeing it at this year’s MWC, suggesting that HTC may be saving it for a separate launch event later in the year.
We wouldn’t be surprised if HTC did release a Windows Phone version of the One M9, as it launched the One M8 for Windows with US mobile operator Verizon in August 2014. The Windows Phone 8.1 handset never made it to the UK, but it was powered by the same quad-core 2.3GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 processor as its Android counterpart, and had an identical 5in 1,920×1,080 display and 4-ultrapixel camera sensor. The only main difference was that both HTC and Verizon had their logos on the back of the handset.
As a result, it seems likely that a potential HTC One M9 for Windows 10 would follow in the same mould. While HTC has yet to confirm the One M9’s exact specs, it’s currently expected to have an octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 processor, 3GB of RAM, a 20-megapixel rear camera, a 4-megapixel UltraPixel front-facing camera and either a 5in or 5.2in Full HD display.
However, it’s worth noting that if HTC does launch a Windows version of the One M9, it’s likely that it will come with Windows Phone 8.1 at first with a free update to Windows 10 once Microsoft launches its new operating system. This is currently expected to be sometime around autumn, as Microsoft has yet to announce an official Windows 10 release date. While that’s not a lot of information to go on at the moment, we’ll bring you all the latest news about the One M9 and its potential Windows Phone cousin as it’s confirmed.