thout hyperbole, this is what we’ve been waiting for: HTC’s comeback into the worldwide war of Android phones. ether the company will be successful in reclaiming the glory it once boasted among the Android faithful will be determined later, but for now we have plenty of speculation, leaks, rumors.
So, what’s in the pipeline? HTC is announcing its next flagship smartphone on Tuesday, April 12, via a much-hyped Internet launch. You can watch online along with us, but before you do, you’ll want to study up on the rumors of what’s to come.
Goodbye, One
First things first: don’t call HTC’s next flagship the “One.” HTC will likely drop the moniker in favor of a simpler name: the HTC 10. I don’t know that it will resonate with Android newcomers as much as it will with diehard Android fans, but HTC is trying something new here— likely hoping that the number ten will inspire similar scores come review time.
On trend with its specs
#HTC10 (prototype specs) 5.15″ QHD / SD820 / Adreno 530 / 4GB RAM / 12M/ B Type-C pic.twitter.com/I8Mjlz8M
— Onaks (@Onaks) h 4, 2016
Thankfully, a rumor circulated by the often accurate Onaks claims that the HTC 10 will have B Type-C, in addition to a number of other impressive specifications. This includes a 5.15-inch QuadHD display, as well as a Snapdragon 820 4GB of RAM, which Qualcomm is teasing, too. This is on par with what both the G5 Galaxy S7 are running on, so it’ll be great having a variety of smartphones to choose from with similar performance numbers (although some early benchmarks point to more powerful HTC 10 than in year’s past). It definitely help HTC overcome the fallout from last year’s One M9, which ran on the version of the Snapdragon 810 riddled with performance issues.
A camera worth shooting with
rld First, rld Class, Front Back. You’ll see. #powerof10 pic.twitter.com/qN9HN6Oi
— HTC (@htc) h 15, 2016
HTC tried desperately to sell the world its idea of an Ultraxel camera sensor. And when that didn’t work, it shoved a sub-par 20-megapixel sensor into the One M9.
The company will attempt to turn that narrative around by equipping the HTC 10 with a 12-megapixel camera sensor. Before you get worried, remember that both the Nexus 6 Samsung Galaxy S7 both employ 12-megapixel rear-facing cameras, both perform quite impressively. The sensor inside the HTC 10 could also be the same Sony IMX377 sensor featured inside the latest Nexus devices. Those phones aren’t as able in low-light environments as Samsung’s flagships, but they’re certainly more capable than HTC’s phones have been the past few years.
Speaker grills for BoomSound
The HTC One’s major marketing play has always been the stellar sound of its smartphone speakers. The company may continue with that same ploy for the 10. A teaser photo tweeted out by HTC shows a massive speaker grill above the words “Audio.” The company then followed suit with a visually aggressive video clip.
There’s some skepticism from a few Android blogs about whether BoomSound will be worth the hype, however.
Tune in April 12
’ll be here covering the various news coming out of the HTC 10’s online launch at 8:00AM EST/5:00AM T. Be sure to stay tuned!