One E9+ launched in China: 5.5-inch Quad HD, MediaTek processor, plastic body

A steady stream of leaks revealed most of the key details of HTC’s newest flagship phones, but, over the weekend, HTC quietly finished the job by publishing an official page for the One E9+.

Like the E8 last year, the E9+ looks like a cross between the One M# series and the Desire series, featuring a two-tone plastic body, the distinctive BoomSound speaker setup on the front, and a large camera positioned up top on the back. Continuing the hybrid theme, the frame of the device is actually metallic with chamfered edges. The three color options are “Meteor Grey,” “Classic Rose Gold,” and “Gold Sepia.”

According to the HTC product page, the One E9+ will feature a 5.5-inch Quad HD LCD display (2560 x 1440 pixels) for a pixel density of 534 ppi. This is the first HTCdevice to make the jump from Full HD, with HTCsticking with the smaller resolution for the range-leader 5-inch M9.

HTC swapped the Qualcomm processor it usually prefers for higher-end devices with an octa-core chip from MediaTek, MT6795M. Like the troubled Snapdragon 810 inside the One M9, this is a 64-bit chip combining four Cortex A53 cores with four Cortex A57 cores, set up in a big.LITTLE arrangement. Other key features are 3GB of RAM and 16GB of internal storage (expandable), a 2800-mAh battery, a 20MP camera on the rear, and a 4MP UltraPixel camera up front. The device is running Lollipop with Sense 7.

There’s some confusion regarding these specifications, with the E9+’s spec sheet listing some lesser configurations, though, as Engadget points out, that’s likely an error on HTC’s side.

The lesser specs (1080p screen, 16MP camera, 2GB of RAM) could actually belong to the One E9, which hasn’t been officially confirmed yet. The E9 appears to be very similar to the larger E9+, save for the absence of the metallic frame and a smaller camera on the back. Here are some press shots of the E9 shared yesterday by @upleaks.

Both the E9 and the E9+ are likely to be primarily targeted at East Asian markets; so far, there’s no official info on price or availability, but we’ll keep you posted if HTCmakes any announcement.