HTC One A9 Launch & CNY Media Appreciation Dinner

LeveL7even @Hilton Kuala Lumpur was  bustling with an almost carnival-like atmosphere when I got off the elevator. Everyone knows that HTC is a global leader in mobile innovation and design, so I was here to check out the latest additions to the award winning HTC smartphone family...

Upon registration, I was handed my goodie bag, press release and also a game card... Apparently I had to complete 4 tasks at 4 different game station before I can earn myself a stamp, and then only can I return the card to the counter for my lucky draw...

Resigned, I headed for the game stations... the first one I came to gave us the challenge of peeling the mandarin oranges with just one piece....two pieces or three pieces meant you are out... I managed to do it successfully....phew....

The second station was kinda hard... they mixed green beans, red beans and some yellow peas in a big bowl and the challenge was to pick up 20 of those yellow peas from the bowl using a pair of chopsticks... oh my!! It was hard, and I was almost on the verge of giving up, since I hardly manage to pick any with my chopsticks, but keep on trying and trying... I had a lucky burst of luck when from all the digging and manage to scoop three peas and five peas at a time...so I successfully completed the challenge and got my stamp...

Another station was even harder as they gave me 5 nuts (nuts and bolts -hardware thingie, not food) , a 'lidi' stick and a paper plate... I was to balance and hold that paper plate with one hand and arrange the nuts so they stood on one another in a row ... I only manage to complete the challenge after three tries..pheewww....

The last station was more of a reward... getting some free calligraphy from the calligraphy masters there or learning to make your own... I had the older master write me a couple of chinese characters for good luck and prosperity...

And the younger calligraphy master helped me decorate my calligraphy paper with some goldfishes....

Once I completed my tasks, I gave the card back to the registration counter for my lucky draw chance...

And well... in commemoration of the HTC One A9 which runs on the Android Marshmallow 6.0 platform, there was a little corner to indulge our sweet tooth with marshmallows dipped into the chocolate fountain and sprinkled with a topping (or not) of your choice..

,,, and the event officially began with an opening speech by Mr Faisal Siddiqui, President , South Asia HTC

And let's Lo Hei..... oh my gosh, but I really love the Yee Sang here at Hilton Kuala Lumpur....ok, this might not be the amazing new unique Yee Sang Chynna restaurant came out with this year that most foodie friends are raving about but it was great!! There were generous crunchy pillows, salmon etc...

Huat ah... Huat ah... 

And oh my... everyone seated at the tables were stunned by the appearance of two lion dance suddenly...

This lion dance troupe is the Yuan Lin lion dance and the performers are basically kids!!

And oh my, I think the drummer here is just sooooo cute and amazing.. He is probably 9 or 10 years old, and he led the lion dance drumming without faltering or missing a beat...

The lions handing over peeled mandarin oranges to the HTC management... 

Then there was a dance gambit...

Before the HTC One A9 was officially unveiled in a silver dome platter on every table..

The packaging of the new HTC One A9 ... (This phone was won by one of the RTM reporters, who was one of the lucky draw winners - I borrowed it for photography purposes... LOL, so sorry no official unboxing)

Tadaaa... this is how the HTC One A9 looks like....On picking it up and holing it, you can feel that the HTC One A9 feels very well made. The smooth metal back and curved sides are a delight to hold. At 7.3mm thick and weighing 143g....

The 5in full HD AMOLED screen is pretty awesome. It is pretty sharp and has rich colours after all, it is boasting a 1080x1920 pixels resolution and 441 ppi pixel density

The camera seems pretty impressive with various modes and options, including manual mode and RAW shooting.   

The fingerprint scanner supposedly is located under the HTC logo on the front. I have not tried it so I do not really know how it really works... but it is said to unlock the device and can be used for secure functions in third-party apps.  

 Platform Android Android™ 6.0 with HTC Sense™

• CPU Speed  Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ 617, Octa-core; 64-bit, 4 x 1.5GHz + 4 x 1.2GHz

Size 145.75 x 70.8. x 7.26 mm

Weight 143g

SIM Card Type Nano SIM

• Network  2G/2.5G - GSM/GPRS/EDGE:850/900/1800/1900 MHz; 3G UMTS 850/900/1900/2100 MHz; 4G LTE: FDD Bands 1,3,5,7,8,20,28; TDD:Bands 38,40,41

• Connectivity Bluetooth® 4.1; Wi-Fi®: 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac (2.4 & 5 GHz); 3.5 mm stereo audio jack; micro-USB 2.0 (5-pin) port

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  • Memory 3GB RAM / 32GB Storage

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  Display 5.0 inch, Full HD 1080p, Corning® Gorilla® Glass

  • Main camera: 13MP with sapphire cover lens, auto-focus , BSI sensor, OIS, ƒ/2.0, 1080p video recording

    • Front camera: HTC UltraPixel™, fixed focus, ƒ/2.0, 1080p video recording

    
    

  • Sound Dolby Audio™ with Hi-Res Audio

  • Sensors Ambient light sensor, Proximity sensor, Motion G sensor, Compass sensor, Gyro sensor, Magnetic sensor, Sensor Hub, Fingerprint sensor

• Battery ; Capacity: 2150 mAh with Quick Charge 2.0 support (forward compatible with Quick Charge 3.0 with future software upgrade)

There are also another four other additions to the HTC portfolio of smartphones which is the HTC One ME DUAL SIM, HTC Desire 728 DUAL SIM, HTC Desire 626 DUAL SIM and HTC Desire 828 DUAL SIM

HTC Desire 828 DUAL SIM - The combination of a host of features, advances front and back cameras for quality image capturing, and a trendy design enhances with dual sim operability. The HTC Desire 828 DUAL SIM comes in Dark Gray and Pearl White colours

HTC Desire 626 DUAL SIM is big, bold and distinctive. It has a 5 inch high definition display with outstanding 1.7GHz Octa-Core processor, 13 megapixel BSI sensor main camera and 5MP front camera. Get it in colourful dual hues of Blue Lagoon and White Birch

HTC One ME DUAL SIM is a perfect blend of style and usability, providing an immersive smartphone experience . The 5.2 inch display with stunning 2K resolution assure amazing viewing experience, brilliantly clear audio and amazingly vivid and detailed images. Priced at RM1599, the HTC One ME DUAL SIM comes in Classic Rose Gold and Meteor Gray colours.

HTC Desire 728 DUAL SIM combines high quality audio with a vibrant 5.5" High Definition screen, a 13 MP main camera and a 5 MP front camera. The feature rich HTC Desire 728 DUAL SIM comes in Purple Myst and White Luxury colours

Our dinner was sure yummy...consisting of Wild Mushroom Soup Cappucino with Avocado Salsa...

Pan Seared Fillet of Salt Water Sea Bass on Lemon infused Seafood Fricassee, Roasted Baby Tomato  and Charred Vegetables... a mouthful to pronounce but the taste was superb.

And to end it all... a lovely Chocolate Mousse, Crispy Feuillantine Flakes, Caramel Sauce and Pistachio Ice Cream....

Oh wow... what a beautiful dinner and evening, thanks to HTC ....

If you are planning on getting one of these, do hurry as if you get one of the HTC smartphones before the 29th February, you will stand a chance to take home Gold Bars, Shopping Vouchers and Limited Edition merchandises

For more info, do check out www.htc.com