HTC is planning to take on Samsung and its new Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge with the release date of its new flagship One M9 smartphone. The One M9 will be available in the U.S. on the same day Samsung globally launches its new smartphones.

Things have begun to heat up in the flagship Android smartphone market now that Samsung and HTC have revealed release dates for the Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge and HTC One M9, respectively. Samsung announced at its Mobile World Congress event that the Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge would launch globally on April 10. We recently reported that all four major U.S. carriers — Verizon, AT&T, Sprint and T-Mobile — were said to be planning to begin selling Samsung's new flagship smartphones on April 11.

When HTC announced its One M9 at Mobile World Congress, it did not reveal an exact launch date, but at its March 18 UH OH event for the U.S. HTC One M9, it finally gave a release date, and it appears it has Samsung's Galaxy S6 devices directly in its sights.

During the Q&A session of the event, Jason Mackenzie, president of HTC Americas, said that the HTC One M9 would begin to become available in the U.S. on April 10. He also said that HTC was partnering with carriers and retailers to set up exact dates, which is based on pricing and availability.

The U.S. HTC One M9 will include a new protection program called UH OH, which provides One M9 owners with a free replacement device within the first 12 months due to cracked display, water damage or carrier switching.

Now that you know targeted dates for the release of the Samsung Galaxy S6, Galaxy S6 Edge and HTC One M9 in the U.S., which are you planning to pick up? Let us know in the comments below. We'll be sure to keep you posted on any new information as it becomes available.