But just as last year’s M8 had a lot going for it along with a few critical flaws, not everything is perfect with the M9. The biggest problem with the M8 was its lackluster camera, a low-resolution "Ultra Pixel" camera that just didn’t compare to the best cameras from Apple or Samsung. It was paired with a secondary sensor to do depth of field tricks that proved to be more gimmicky than useful.
For the M9, HTC took a completely different approach: its main camera has a high-resolution, 20-megapixel sensor and that secondary sensor is gone. The UltraPixel camera has moved to the front, where it actually works pretty well for low-light selfies and its lower pixel count isn’t as much of a problem. The new main camera has lots of pixels though — a direct response to criticisms that the M8’s camera wasn’t high resolution enough.
The M9's new camera doesn't result in better picturesUnfortunately, this new approach doesn’t result in any better pictures, and in many cases, images taken with the M9 are worse than they were last year. The M9 has the pixel count the M8 lacked, but all too often the images are fraught with noise reduction and smearing of details. Low light pictures often have odd color casts and there’s unpleasant blooming in highlights. In well lit scenes, the M9 has trouble exposing wide ranges of light to dark areas.
The actual camera software on the M9, the app that you use to take photos, is great. It’s fast and easy to use, and provides quick access to photographic controls such as white balance if you want them. But the end result just isn’t as good as it should be, certainly not for a flagship smartphone in 2015.
HTC One M9 image on the left, iPhone 6 image on the right (Images cropped and resized for the web)I tested the M9 against the iPhone 6 side-by-side in a variety of situations, and the M9’s images were softer, not as well exposed, filled with noise reduction artifacts that gave them a watercolor look, and often had inaccurate white balance. The iPhone 6 took better pictures in nearly every comparison. Apple (and to a certain extent, Samsung) has a huge advantage that HTC doesn’t: it controls its supply chain very tightly and can choose from the best camera components before anyone else. It's a disadvantage that HTC hasn't been able to overcome, and it's very obvious with the M9's camera.
If there was one thing HTC had to get right with the M9, it was the camera. The design didn’t change, the screen isn’t new, the software is largely the same. The camera is where HTC focused all of its efforts and it came up short.
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