We're huge fans of the HTC One M8. In fact, despite being a year old, it's still number one on our list of the best smartphones, thanks to its stunning design and build, slick performance, speedy camera and impressive BoomSound speakers.
But its time at number one could be coming to an end, as the highly anticipated HTC One M9 is now here. The brackets have been ditched but just about everything else has been improved, with the One M9 bringing more power, a promising camera and a host of other upgrades and new features.
But that doesn't mean the HTC One M8 has been rendered redundant; with its lower price tag it could be just as compelling as ever, albeit as a more mid-range option in the face of the HTC One M9's flagship status.
Power
The HTC One M9 wouldn't be a flagship without a whole heap of power and that's exactly what it's got, with a 64-bit octa-core Snapdragon 810 processor, with four cores clocked at 2.0GHz and four at 1.5GHz.
That 64-bit power should allow it to make the most of Android 5.0.2, which it ships with, so expect truly top-tier performance, especially as it's coupled with 3GB of RAM.
But despite all that power it might not blow through its battery, as the Snapdragon 810 can switch between four fast cores and four slower ones depending on how much oomph it needs, so the HTC One M9 should be fairly efficient too.
A year ago the HTC One M8 impressed us with its power as well, but its 2.3GHz quad-core Snapdragon 801 processor seems fairly commonplace now.
That's not to say it's lacking in power though, it's still an impressively slick handset, especially as that processor is coupled with 2GB of RAM and it's even been upgraded to Android Lollipop, so its operating system isn't out of date.
Design
HTC created one of the best looking phones we'd ever seen with the HTC One and since then it's been refining the design to deliver handset after handset that's just as attractive as the shiniest of Apple's products.
The HTC One M9 is the latest evolution of that design, with a curved metal shell that's almost entirely devoid of plastic.
As well as looking incredibly high-end it's also stylish, with an optionally two-tone silver and gold design ensuring it's more than just a metal slab, though you can also get it in plain grey or gold and it's not the slimmest phone around at 144.3 x 69.4 x 9.56mm.
The HTC One M8 looks similar and we can't blame HTC for sticking with largely the same design as it really is a very good one.
It too has a full metal unibody which curves comfortably into your hand and the dimensions are very similar too, as it comes in at 146.4 x 70.6 x 9.4mm.
But unlike the HTC One M9 it sticks with one colour throughout, though you do have a choice of whether you want that one colour to be grey, silver or gold.
Screen
The screen is one thing which HTC hasn't changed much since the One M8. Both that handset and the HTC One M9 have a 5.0-inch 1080p display, for a pixel density of 441 pixels per inch.
That may come as a disappointment for anyone looking to buy the HTC One M9 with a more advanced display, but we can see the logic.
5 inches should be plenty big enough for most users, indeed any bigger and it can become awkward to use with one hand unless you're giant of finger.
As for the resolution, on a 5-inch screen any extra pixels would make minimal difference to the perceivable sharpness of the display, while battery life would inevitably take a hit. So while keeping things the same may not be sexy, in this case it might have been the right decision.
