HTC One M9 going on pre-order in the US at 12:01 AM tonight (update: live now)

Update: It’s live now. You can now grab the One M9 unlocked through HTC’s website.

HTC will be putting the One M9 up for sale early, with pre-orders set to begin at midnight in the US.

HTC previously announced April 10 as the availability date for its new flagship, but the company will be opening pre-orders for the unlocked model from March 27 at 12:01 AM. This goes for its online store; other retailers and carriers will offer the One M9 from April 10.

The unlocked One M9 will cost $649, and HTCalso offers a 12-month interest free financing option. From April 10, the One M9 will be available from all four major US carriers, as well as retailers Amazon, Best Buy, Best Buy Mobile specialty stores, Costco Wholesale and Target.

According to an HTCrep, those who “order soon” may receive their devices before general availability begins on April 10.

All HTCOne M9 purchases include the company’s newly announced Uh-Oh extended warranty program, which gives you a free replacement in case of screen damage, water damage, or carrier switching in the first 12 months from purchase. Even if you don’t need a replacement, you still stand to win from Uh-Oh, as HTCwill give you a $100 gift card to use towards the purchase of a new One device.

Despite the lack of major changes compared to the previous generation, the One M9 left a positive impression on our Joshua Vergara, who scored it a solid 8.5 out 10. The only real disappointment is the camera, which is simply subpar. Check out the full One M9 review here.

Get the One M9 from HTC’s US store here. Are you pre-ordering the One M9 tonight?

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Bellevue, WA —March 26, 2015 — HTCAmerica Inc., a leader in mobile innovation, will begin selling its highly anticipated new flagship device, the HTCOne® M9 that comes with the industry-leading UH OH™ Protection, online in the U.S. at 12:01 a.m. ET on Friday, March 27 and in-store on April 10 at major carriers and retailers.

Widely considered smartphone of the year for the past two years, the third generation of the HTCOne ups the ante in the smartphone category with the most personal, intuitive and powerful smartphone from HTCyet while continuing the design heritage for which the HTCOne is known.

“The craftsmanship of our new HTCOne M9 resembles that of a fine watch. We’ve retained our iconic design but made it even better while not compromising on what is important to our customers,” said Jason Mackenzie, president of HTCAmerica.

The HTCOne M9 boasts the iconic all-metal unibody design with a new scratch resistant, dual finish that is as distinctive as it is durable. The HTCOne M9 is launching in the U.S. in two stunning color options – gunmetal gray and jewelry-like, dual-tone silver with subtle gold mirror polished sides. Its beauty is only matched by its performance. The HTCOne M9 is running on the latest Android™ 5.0.2 Lollipop release with the most advanced Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ 810 octa-core processor.

“According to Kantar*, HTCOne owners listen to music more than the average smartphone user and so we didn’t compromise on what is important for our consumers,” said Mackenzie. “We kept the microSD slot and increased capacity to 2TB because you want your content with you, we made our HTCBoomSound™ experience even better by adding Dolby Audio™ to give you a surround sound experience, and while others are reducing battery size, we increased it so you can enjoy your music and movies even longer.”

The HTCOne M9 delivers an unparalleled personalized smartphone experience with the new HTCSense® 7. HTCThemes offers a unique customizable home screen either by selecting from the theme collection or by creating a custom theme from a favorite photo. Sense Home is a new, intelligent widget that automatically curates apps based on your usage and location. It is contextually aware of location, time of day and what apps are preferred at home, work or on the go and will intelligently recommend apps and nearby restaurants with ratings from friends and followers.

The HTCOne M9 cameras are designed to capture every moment with amazing quality. A 20 megapixel rear-facing camera delivers crisp, detailed shots and has a sapphire lens cover to protect it from scratches. The front-facing UltraPixel™ camera captures more light than most 13 megapixel cameras ensuring sharper, more natural and balanced self-portraits in any lighting conditions. A host of new editing effects have been added to HTCEYE™ Experience software include Double Exposure, Shapes, Prismatic, Elements and Bokeh.

The HTCOne M9 comes with HTCBoomSound, the iconic dual front-facing speakers, now featuring 5.1 channel Dolby Audio Surround*. HTCBoomSound with Dolby Audio has two modes, theatre mode and music mode. Theatre mode uses HRTF and Crosstalk Cancellation technology to create an extraordinary, cinema-style surround sound effect while watching movies. Whether listening via HTCBoomSound speakers or headphones, users will be blown away by 24-bit high-definition sound. As a hub for home entertainment, HTCConnect® makes it easy to create a multimedia experience beyond your phone. A three-finger swipe on the screen connects the phone to compatible TVs or external speakers. The integration of HTCConnect with Qualcomm® AllPlay™ smart media platform and Blackfire Research™ wireless media technology enables high-quality content to be streamed from the HTCOne M9 to multiple home entertainment devices around the house.

“We are not only delivering the best-looking, best-performing smartphone on the market, we are ensuring it stays that way with UH OH™ Protection,” said Mackenzie. “We are the only smartphone company that has your back if something unfortunate happens or if you need to change carriers.”

Purchase of an HTCOne M9 includes UH OH Protection. A first-of-its-kind, UH OH Protection provides a one-time free replacement within the first 12 months of purchase for cracked screens, water damage or a different carrier variant for customers wanting or needing to switch networks. If the UH OH Protection isn’t used within 12 months, HTCwill give $100 in credit towards a future purchase of an HTCOne.*

The HTCOne M9 with UH OH Protection will be available at AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile and Verizon. It will also be available from Amazon, Best Buy, Best Buy Mobile specialty stores, Costco Wholesale and Target. Exact specs, colors, availability and pricing of the individual carrier versions will be shared by the carriers and retailers. An unlocked version will be available on www.htc.com for $649, starting tonight (March 27th) at 12:01 AM ET, with a 12-month interest-free financing option. HTC.com offers carrier versions and the financing option as well.

The HTCOne M9 will be available with a range of unique accessories including a second-generation HTCDot ViewTM case, which adds new color options with a transparent back. It also has cool new interactive features such as a customizable scrolling message, games and animated, holiday or make-your-own themes. Adventure seekers can pair the HTCOne M9 with the IP68 water-resistant HTCActive Pro case.

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