HTC retaining nearly the same design on the One M9 as its predecessor has disappointed quite a lot of potential buyers of the handset, especially when Samsung gave the Galaxy S6 a massive overhaul in terms of build quality. Now, in an interview with The Verge, HTC’s lead designer has explained the reason as to why the company did not go with a new design on the One M9. 

As explained by Claude Zellweger, HTC’s lead designer, the Taiwanese OEM is looking to “build a lineage” and so they have created a phone that can be clearly identifiable from a distance as a “One product.” However, once someone takes a close look at the One M9, they will realize that the phone has a lot of subtle little refinements. For example, the M9 features the “best of both worlds” and comes with the “crisp edges” of the M7 and the “softness” of the M8 to avoid slipping from the user’s hand, which was a common issue with its predecessor.

Zellweger says that this is how a company builds a franchise — they take an iconic design and keep refining things that need to be refined. Despite retaining a similar design as the previous One(s), the overall manufacturing process of the M9 has further increased in complexity. (https://fooplugins.com) The process of anodization, processing and finishing of the One M9 actually takes 2x the time (300 mins) compared to the One M7 and One M8.

When questioned about the camera hump on the back of the One M9, Zellweger said that its “minimal” and “elegant,” and was necessary since everyone wants a great camera on their phone nowadays. However, he did say that the company is only ready to increase the camera hump to a limit and not go overboard with it.

Make sure to check out the interview above to know some more tidbits about the design of the One M9, the thought process behind manufacturing it, and more.