HTC has had back-to-back releases in the recent months with its midrange Desire 828 and Desire 728, as well as its high-end offering, the HTC One A9, which was the speculated make or break handset for HTC. However, recent leaks from a Mobile01, a Chinese technology-centric online community and Weibo, a Chinese consumer portal, suggest that HTC is not done yet and that another handheld called the One X9 will be released.
The Weibo post alleges that the yet-to-be-released HTC handset will ship out either with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 820, which is a quad-core SoC with each core clocked at 2.2 GHz, or a Helio X20 SoC from Mediatek. Moreover, the leaked list of specs also alleges that the One X9 will have 4 GB of RAM and will offer consumers a choice between 64 GB and 128 GB of internal storage. Some suggest that a 3 GB RAM and 32 GB on-board storage combo will also be offered.
It is also purported to feature a 23 MP main camera and a 3,500 mAh battery pack. Moreover, the upcoming phone is also alleged to have a 2K display and a full-metal body. Some sources have reported that the One X9 will have a 1440p native resolution instead of 1080p, which the 2K display points to.
Based on the image that was leaked on Mobile01, the rumored HTC handset will have Dolby cater to its audio. Some say that the dual front-facing speakers, which is one of the highly-praised features of HTC phones that were released prior to the One A9, will once again be brought back with the One X9. Bear in mind that HTC handsets brush shoulders with some of the best in the industry in terms of audio.
With the One A9 running on Android 6.0 Marshmallow out of the box, it is safe to assume that the HTC One X9 will also have the latest Android version. HTC is speculated to introduce the purported handheld for $472. If the Taiwanese electronics manufacturer decides to go with the Qualcomm SoC, granted the Snapdragon 820's 2016 release date, the One X9 should not be expected to come out during the holidays.
Note that the mentioned technical speculations are all speculations until an official confirmation is released by HTC. As such, take in what you've read with skepticism.