When is the HTC One M9 coming out? We gather together all the latest news and rumours about the HTC One M9 UK release date, price, specs, which is set to be the most beautiful Android phone to date - just look at the concept image from PhoneDesigner shown above!Also see:HTC One M9 Plus UK release date, price and specs rumours

HTC One M9: One Life.

@upleaks has reported that HTC will no longer be using its confusing M codenames. It says that rather than the M9, the next flagship HTC phone will now be known as 'Hima'. Whether that means HTC Hima or HTC One Hima we couldn't yet say.See also:The best smartphones: The best phones you can buy in 2015.

HTC's website source code says different, however. Not only does it refer to the upcoming flagship as the HTC One M9 without the brackets seen in the HTC One (M8), it also stipulates the tagline One Life (source).

HTC One M9 / HTC Hima UK release date: When is the HTC One M9 coming out?

HTC has settled into a nice pattern of launching its flagship phone in the Spring, in the weeks after the MWC show. In 2015 MWC takes place in the first week of March, and we expected the HTC One M9 to launch in March of 2015. Availability in the UK will likely to follow a couple of weeks later. (See also: 34 best Android smartphones in UK: What's the best Android phone you can buy in 2015?)

That March release date has been confirmed, with HTC having sent out invitations to a 1 March launch event. Also see:What to expect from MWC 2015.

And expect a Windows version of the HTC One M9 to launch in the middle of next year, Microsoft fans. Also see: Best Windows phones 2015.

HTC One M9 / HTC Hima UK price: How much will the HTC One M9 cost?

HTC has been consistent in its pricing of its top end HTCOne smartphones. The original HTC One M7 went on sale for around £500 before settling back to £450. Fast-forward to the HTC One M8 and the original SRP was £550, although you can now get it much cheaper if you shop around.

Components get cheaper over time, but inflation goes up, and the cost of shipping and R&D needs to be met. Let's face it: HTC needs to make a decent wedge from each handset. The next-gen HTC Hima will have flagship specs, so expect it to retail for something between £500 and £600. But also expect the price to drop back after launch. See also: 8 cheapest 4G smartphones in the UK 2014: Best budget 4G phones.

HTC One M9 Hima: Design and build

The photos below leaked bynowhereelse(now removed) reportedly show the HTC One M9 in the flesh. It looks remarkably similar to the current M8 and is really only distingishable by the camera on the back which has a square shape rather than round.We're also told that it will be extremely slim: just 7mm for an octocore smartphone with a large HD display.

Evan Blass (aka @evleaks) leaked the following pic onTwitterto show the HTC One's changing design. Some suggest this means the HTC One M9 will come in two sizes (adding more weight to the HTC One M9 Plustheory).

However, sources suggest all leaked images of the HTC One M9 have beendecoy test units. The One M9 is said to look remarkably similar to its predecessor, but with some design inspiration from theNexus 9, according toHTC Source. The M9 will remove the black bar that housed the HTC logo on the One M8, and the logo will move down to the bottom speaker panel. The plastic strips that previously covered these BoomSound speakers will now be taller, too, taking up more of the available space. These speaker panels are also now hidden behind edge-to-edge glass, save for the slit speaker grills that sit at the phone's top and bottom edges.

More leaked details suggest the HTC One M9 will be available in Dark Gunmetal, Silver/Gold, Gold and Dark Gunmetal/Gold.

HTC One M9 design / HTC Hima concept images

We love these concept images fromPhoneDesigner(also see that at the top of this page), which show the HTC One M9 truly will be the best-looking Android phone yet.

Below are some earlier concept images.

HTC One M9 / HTC Hima specs

HTC One M9 / HTC Hima processor, memory and storage

We are reliant upon a leak from the usually spot-on @upleaks, as reported around the web. The HTC Hima is rumored to pack a 5in 1080p Super LCD3 display and Snapdragon 810 chip.The latter offers an octa-core processor with 4 Cortex-A57 cores at 2.0GHz and 4 Cortex-A53 cores at 1.5GHz, Adreno 430 GPU and 3GB of RAM. Expect 16-, 32- and 64GB storage options.

HTC One M9 performance: How fast is the HTC One M9?

The HTC One M9 has shown up in the Geekbench 3.0 database, a benchmark we use to compare smartphone and tablet processing power. According to the database the HTC One M9 recorded 1232 points in the single-core component, and 3,587 points in multicore. As you can see in our articleWhat's the fastest smartphone 2015, that makes the HTC One M9 faster than any smartphone we've ever reviewed.

HTC One M9 / HTC Hima cameras

Early rumours suggested the HTC One M9 would have a 13Mp front- and 20.7Mp rear camera, and that the phone would be capable of 4K (UHD) video recording. However, GSMArena then said there would be a 4Mp UltraPixel camera at the front, and two 20Mp sensors at the back with a dual-tone, dual-LED flash. Leaked images have since disproved the dual-rear-camera theory, andLlabTooFeR reports that there will be a single 20Mp camera in the form of the Toshiba T4KA7 sensor, which is 1/2.4-inch and has a pixel size of 1.12µm.

This single-camera rumour is seemingly confirmed by the Amazon listing of an HTC One M9 case by TUDIA.

HTC One M9 / HTC Hima battery, other specs

The battery is expected to offer 2840mAh capacity, while the HTC One M9/HTC Hima will run Android 5.0 Lollipop with the new HTC Sense 7.0.

LlabTooFeRsays the HTC One M9 will have the same Broadcom wireless chip as the Nexus 6, which includes Bluetooth 4.1 and 2x2 802.11ac Wi-Fi.

HTC One M9 / HTC Hima accessories

Official accessories for the HTC One M9 include:Active Headset, DotView, DecoStand Case, Clear Case, Active Case and Premium Screen Protector. Upleaks refers to the following accessories with part numbers:

• HTC DotView 2(with more abundant colors than M8’s) – HC M231/232
• Clear Case – HC C1153
• Stand Case – HC K1150
• Waterproof Case(has IP68 rating) – HC C1152
• Waterproof Headset – RC E250
• Headset 2015 – MAX 500
• HTC BoomBass with WiFi support(Old phones are also can use if the phone updated to Sense 7.)
• Screen Protector – SP R230A

See also: The 12 best budget smartphones 2014: What's the best budget smartphone?