HTC One A9 vs Nexus 5X vs Nexus 6P

[Rob]

The HTC One A9 is the first non-Nexus device launching with Android 6.0 Marshmallow. Those Nexus devices are literally just now landing on doorsteps around the world. Is anyone deciding between the three, or more likely, between the One A9 and Nexus 5X?

 

[Hadron]

Personally I'll probably hold out for the M10, unless something terrible happens to my phone in the meanwhile . But if that were to happen, it would be an interesting choice: the A9 is promised rapid software updates, which offsets one advantage of the Nexus, but I guess we don't yet know about the development community for it. Hardware-wise the 5X wins slightly on processor and has a bigger battery, but is also a larger phone with less RAM and non-expandable storage.

Actually that last point rules the 5X out for me anyway - I've spent 2.5 years with 32GB non-expandable and I'm done with that. So the question for me is more what will the A9 be like when we get our hands on it for real?

 

[rivera02]

I was really hoping HTC bring a phablet to the table this year, but instead they show up with this thing.
This has to be the most poorly thought out device I've ever seen. They removed their excellent front facing speakers to fit a fingerprint scanner (and a logo lol) that doubles as a home button, but oddly enough still kept the on screen buttons. The result is a ridiculous bezel without the benefits of boomsound. A 2100 mah battery? The hell they smoking? It's a good thing it's quick charge 3.0 compatible, it just doesn't come with the 3.0 charger. Tough break there. Must've been pinching pennies so they could offer their mid-range phone at the low low "promotional" price of $400.
Seriously though, I don't see any reason to pick this up over say the moto x pure or nexus 5x or probably 20 other imports with better specs at a comparable price. I still have such fond memories of my old htc phones, but I think we're seeing them circling the drain these days. Ugh.

 

[timmyjoe42]

I'm really happy with the quality of the A9. The fingerprint scanner is amazing, and the amoled screen is sharp. I'm glad that I didn't go with a larger screen because those phablet devices are just too big to put into pockets. The biggest down side that I have is the dang thing is so slippery. I prefer the plastic texture of my Nexus 5 because it was grippy. The case options out there for us are very limited at this point. I also love the SD slot. I bought a 64gb card and put a ton of music on it. Having 32gb of built in memory plus the 64 expanded, is a huge improvement from my 16gb Nexus 5. I don't have to worry about filling it up or moving files off, and I no longer carry around my old Nexus 4 for additional music.

Positives (in order of importance to me):
Band 12 support and wifi calling is enabled for T-Mobile
5" size
3gb ram
Octacore processor (I increased the processor speed today in the developer settings, with little battery impact so far)
Micro SD card slot
Fingerprint scanner
Optical image stabilization in the camera
Amoled screen
Quick Charge
32gb internal memory
HTC BoomSound is pretty impressive

Downsides:
Extremely slippery (you'll really want a case.)
Installing and updating apps slows it down and heats it up.
Battery size is small (I haven't seen this to be a real negative. I can go approximately the same time between charges as my Nexus 5, and I have the processor speed increased through the developer settings.)
No wireless charging
Does not ship with quick charger
No USB type C port