Is the HTC One M9 a missed opportunity? Where’s the upgrade? #MWC15

The worst kept secret in the mobile phone industry finally became legit today when HTC took the wraps off its heavily leaked new flagship phone the HTC One M9. But within minutes of its launch industry seers were already asking if HTC had missed a trick.

It seems that the company is focusing heavily on design and style – the phone has a stunning metallic finish – perhaps in a bid to woo a few potential iPhone 6 buyers. However all that focus on aesthetics may have come at the expense of real innovation.

Rob Kerr, mobiles expert at uSwitch.com, is especially cynical. He saluted the way that HTC has inspired the camera – the M9 has an impressive 20-megapixel camera.

However in looking at the screen Kerr says that HTC has missed a trick.

“There is very little innovation to be seen in the M9. The five-inch 1080p screen remains the same as the M8’s, while other phone makers have moved on to 2K displays.

“There are slight improvements to the Android HTC overlay which will eventually work its way down to older models, which throws up the burning question: why bother upgrading to the M9 at all?”

Could it be that this is just a minimal upgrade in the same way that the Samsung Galaxy S5 didn’t offer a great deal more than the S4?

What do you think?