HTC One M9 case reveals release date, phablet button placement

Otterbox cases for the HTC One M9 have shown up on a Dutch reseller’s website, and they reveal quite a few things if you look closely. The HTC One M9 is set for a March launch date at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain, so the cases are naturally not available for purchase yet, but you can pre-order them if you want to. Even though the display size is the most hyped feature about the HTC One M9, the Otterbox cases don’t reveal too much about that, but we can make safe assumptions nonetheless. The cases were first spotted by Dutch tech-site Android World. 

Judging by the button cutouts on the case, the HTC One M9 might just be a phablet in the end. The buttons are placed to the middle of the phone, on the right side, and they include the volume rocker and the power button. The placing suggests that the HTC One M9 will have a larger display, maybe even 5.5 inches and the buttons are designed to be reachable and easy to use. These are just assumptions, so take them with a grain of salt. Current rumors peg the HTC One M9 display at 5 inches with a Full HD resolution of 1080*1920, so we’re not sure if the Otterbox cases just make the phone look like a phablet or are just presenting accessible button placements for a medium display size.

The cases also reveal other port and camera cutouts on the HTC One M9. The camera space is pretty large, so we’ll probably have a large sensor, similar in size to the one seen on the HTC One M8. An LED flash as well as a microphone slot can be pinpointed on the case, with another cutout for a headphone jack on the top of the phone. The Dutch website also reveals some holsters which are allegedly suitable for the HTC One M9 and they point towards a 5.5 inch display. Since they are not specifically designed for the HTC One M9, we can’t be sure if they are just a recommendation, or point out the company’s knowledge of something that we haven’t been updated about yet.

From various leaks and renders, we can assume a list of specs for the HTC One M9, including a Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 CPU, 3 GB RAM, a 20 MP camera on the rear, a 5 MP camera on the front, BoomSound speakers and even a fingerprint sensor. While these are just rumors, at least we have confirmation from Qualcomm that the Snapdragon 810 will be part of the upcoming flagship.

The Otterbox cases are up for pre-order for prices between $30 and $40, but the more interesting part about the listing is that it reveals that launch date for the case is April 1st. Based on that, we could assume that the HTC One M9 should also be launched in stores and on e-commerce sites on the same date. Even though the device will make its debut at the MWC most likely, it probably won’t go on sale the following day. A month delay between the unveiling and the actual release date of the HTC One M9 seems fair, so the April 1st release date is likely, in our opinion. We shall find out more at the MWC 2015!