The HTC One M9 looks a lot like its predecessor, the HTC One M8. It is a solid, all-metal phone at 5.69 by 2.74 by 0.38 inches (HWD) and 5.5 ounces, with a 5-inch, 1080p LCD on the front and the Volume and Power buttons on the side. The back is shiny but not greasy, and it does not show fingerprints. There is a gunmetal gray model, a model of all-gold, and a model of two-tone, gold-and-silver. We have the gold-and-silver unit, which is covered, not flashy. There is a lip around the edge where the gold and silver halves meet. It was lovely.
I do not know if it was because of our pre-production unit, but the phone a few nicks in a single week of moderate use. That just should not happen in an all-metal phone. There are some scratches on the top end, and a rough patch on the right bezel. For a phone that rely heavily on design, it is distressing.
If you really bang up your M9, you can call HTC Uh-Oh protection, an extended warranty that comes with the phone. During the first year of ownership, HTC will replace your phone if it once a cracked screen, water damage, or if you try to switch carriers. That last moment is important because each of the four carriers in the US has its own model, which may not be compatible with all models of other carriers.
Samsung note: I love how HTC manages to include a microSD card slot on the phone without a removable back. The memory card slot is quite another SIM card slot on the other side of the device, and it worked just fine in our 64GB SanDisk Extreme $ 199.99 with SanDisk card test.