HTC smartphones on display at a store
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HTC launched a new variant of its One M9 flagship smartphone in Germany with toned-down specifications. HTC One M9 Prime Camera Edition is the latest entry in the company's premium product portfolio and is listed on the company's German site for EUR 22.70 (approximately Rs. 1,700) per month on a 24 month contract, Tech First Post reported.

The new product was first spotted by a Polish website Android.com.pl and later picked up by other publications. The handset's name suggests the main focus of the handset is around its camera, but the specifications are lower than the original One M9. However, it could be an affordable version of the premium flagship.

HTC One M9 Prime Camera Edition sports a 5-inch display with Full HD 1920 x 1080 pixel resolution and a metal unibody just like the One M9 smartphone. Both smartphones have the same measurements and weigh almost similar. The new One M9 variant comes powered by a 2.2GHz MediaTek Helio X10 octa-core processor, while the One M9 uses a Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 chipset.

HTC One M9 Prime Camera Edition has 2GB RAM and 16GB expandable storage, which is comparably lesser than what the original One M9 offers (3GB RAM/32GB storage). In terms of camera, which is the main highlight of the One M9 Prime Camera Edition, there is a 13-megapixel sensor with OIS, 4K recording and dual LED flash on the rear and a 4-Ultrapixel sensor on the front. The One M9 has a 20MP primary camera.

Other specifications in the One M9 Prime Camera Edition are same as the One M9. The new handset packs a 2,840mAh battery, runs Android Lollipop-based Sense UI and supports 4G LTE and NFC features.

There is no information on whether the new handset will make it to other markets, such as India. At the same time, it is quite surprising why the Taiwanese tech giant is going back to the former models when it recently launched the HTC 10 flagship. The company also launched the One S9 recently, which looks just like the One M9 but lower specs.