HTC One E9 Plus release date update: phablet with 5.5 inch display launched in China

Just a couple of days after leaked images of the HTC One E9 Plus had surfaced online, the company has listed the phablet on its Chinese website.

(Pichi Chuang / REUTERS)

Even after HTC recently released its all-new One M9 in its home market of Taiwan, rumors about the company working on a phablet dubbed the One M9 Plus have continued to do the rounds. Recently, new leaked images showed the One M9 Plus with a 5.2 inch display, which is only slightly larger than the 5 inch display on the One M9, quelling rumors that the new device would feature a 5.5 inch display.

However, the images and specifications of the One E9 Plus posted on HTC's Chinese website show the Android 5.0 phablet with a screen size of 5.5 inches and a resolution of 2560×1440, making it the company's first smartphone with QuadHD resolution. The design of the One E9 Plus is similar to other models in the popular HTC series, but features a 7.49mm-thick plastic body.

Earlier rumors had suggested that the One M9 Plus would be powered by an Octa Core Snapdragon 810 64-bit processor with 3GB of RAM and 32GB of in-built storage. But the specifications listed on the company's Chinese website show that the One M9 Plus is powered by a 2GHz MediaTek MT6795M octa-core, 64-bit processor, along with 3GB RAM, 16GB internal memory (microSD expansion up to 128GB), and dual Nano SIM slots.

It was rumored that the One M9 Plus would have the same rear camera as in the One M9, but could sport an updated front facing camera. According to the company's specifications, the phablet features a 13MP rear camera and a 4MP UltraPixel front-facing camera with support for low-light photos. The device comes with BoomSound front facing stereo speakers, a 2800mAh battery and also supports 802.11ac WiFi, Bluetooth 4.1, NFC, and GPS.

HTC has not provided any other details of the One M9 Plus regarding its pricing or release date, but the company is expected to make an official announcement at its "More than One" event scheduled to be held on April 8 in Beijing.

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