HTC Teases Next Flagship Phone for May 23rd - HTC U12 Incoming?
by Ryan Smith on May 3, 2018 3:00 PM EST- Posted in
- Smartphones
- HTC
- Mobile
- HTC U12
HTC has begun to ramp up their marketing campaign for their next major smartphone release, teasing that they will be making a proper announcement on May 23rd.
In an email sent to the press this morning and posted on their website, HTC posted a photo of neatly laid out phone components, with the text “Coming Soon... A phone that is more than the sum of its specs.” The photo and the announcement give a May 23rd date for more details.
This announcement is about HTC’s next flagship smartphone, which would presumably be the HTC U12. HTC launched the current U11 almost exactly a year ago in 2017, so the time is ripe for HTC to bring out its successor.
It’s an interesting choice for HTC to opt to show the components of the phone, but show nothing about the body itself. The components include a number of camera modules, so like other flagship vendors it would seem that HTC is looking at going the dual camera route. Meanwhile any markings on the primary SoC have been edited out, though as a long-time Qualcomm customer it’s practically a foregone conclusion at this point that HTC will be tapping Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 845.
Otherwise, we’ll have to see just what HTC has in store in a few weeks.
Update: As pointed out by Caetronianus, these aren't new components. Or even components of an HTC phone. Rather they're a disassembled iPhone 6...
Update 2, 05/04: It turns out things get even odder. While the main logic board is clearly from an iPhone 6, according to a report from CNET, the less distinguishable parts come from more than one phone, possibly including other, non-Apple phones. CNET also poked HTC about the parts and received the following reply:
We're glad people are studying our teaser so closely. The fact people have noticed parts from different phone models is exactly right – they represent the jumble of parts (specs) that our competitors inelegantly cram into their phones, while the space in the middle outlining HTC's next phone represents 'a phone that is more than the sum of its specs.
To be clear, none of the parts illustrated in the teaser came from the phone we're announcing May 23rd; people will have to tune in to htc.com that day to find out more…
Source: HTC
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Tams80 - Saturday, May 5, 2018 - link
Yet the number of people who complain about the battery life and ask for battery banks to borrow...Lord of the Bored - Saturday, May 5, 2018 - link
Personally, I think the entire existence of the case market points to a major failure in pocket computer design. They ought to be built so they don't need to be entombed in a friggin' Nerf cage.I love how people are all "Look at how the glass goes all the way to the edges, so sexy. Bezels the size of toothpicks, phone as thin as a supermodel" and then they cram it into some big rubber brick that negates every form-over-function design decision that led them to buy the phone in the first place. I miss when these things were designed to be thrown naked into a pocket full of change.
piroroadkill - Monday, May 7, 2018 - link
Huawei or other cheaper brand where you get a lot more than expected for the money, doesn't have to be Huawei specifically, I guess I should have made that more clear.paulgpetty - Friday, May 4, 2018 - link
They can't show a full picture until they finish their version of a notch.darwiniandude - Saturday, May 5, 2018 - link
Not relevant to the article, but as I’ve seen comments here with people wanting stronger glass, more drop proof phones etc, I have to say, not everyone drops phones.I’m 35, have been using organisers/pdas then smartphones since around 2000. I once cracked a resistive touch screen on a Sony Ericsson P800 in 2002 while it was in my pocket and I was leaning over something hard. Since then I always place phone displays facing inwards.
But I’ve had most iPhone models since then, never dropped one, never broken a screen, never used a case. I have an X currently but previously had 7+, 6+, 5s, 5, 4s, 4, 3GS, 3G, and the original that had to be modded to work in Australia.
Not everyone drops things.
Having said that, I believe they should design for durability - and the trade off is that glass (and sapphire) it hard, and if it’s hard it will shatter. If it’s soft it will get scratched. It’s a trade off. At least there are plenty of rugged case options for those who want them but I personally don’t.
Tragic-Jade - Saturday, May 5, 2018 - link
HTC's marketing department or contracted group has to explain the teaser for it to make any sense, and even then it probably only makes sense to people familiar with hardware. This is what in the business world is called an opportunity; HTC has an opportunity to completely re-think their marketing approach.