MWC 2015: HTC One M9, Grip hands-on

HTC Grip hands-on

We put on the HTC Grip smart band even though we're not the mid-level and pro athletes that HTC targets with this device. We're pretty impressed that the company managed to keep this project a secret in the day and age of all-encompassing leaks, though we're not exactly floored by the actual device itself.

HTC Grip

The Grip will come in three sizes - small, medium and large. There's a small metal extender that can be used if your wrist proves a bit too large, but not large enough for the next size. We don't think it will be needed on the largest version as that one had plenty of spare room on our wrists.

Putting on the HTC Grip • the metal extender

We found the plastic that the band is made of to be rather firm, though we'd to wear it a lot longer to decide if that will be a problem.

The smart band features an 1.8" PM-OLED black and white display with 32 x 160px resolution. In standby mode it shows the time and date and you can access some extra information like the weather. The band can also set alarms and control the music player when connected to a smartphone.

HTC Grip in standby mode

The HTC Grip is intended to work with the Under Armour app (HTC's partner in this venture), but things are still in the early stages so details are sparse.

The smart band is intended to be fully functional on its own. It has a built-in GPS receiver and will last for 5 hours with it active. The battery life increases to around 2 and half days with GPS off.

Connecting to GPS satellites

When the GPS is on, the Grip can track your run in terms of distance or time. The third option shows the distance ran and the speed in miles per minute.

Distance • time • distance and speed

With the GPS off, the HTC Grip continues to be useful by working as a step counter.

Step counter

The HTC Grip is planned to launch at $199, though the exact timeframe is unknown.