HTC 10 rumor roundup: Everything we think we know
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.
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—and likely hoping that the number ten will inspire similar scores come review time.
Thankfully, a rumor circulated by the often accurate OnLeaks claims that the HTC 10 will have USB 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 and 4GB of RAM, which Qualcomm is teasing, too. This is on par with what both the LG G5 and 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.
HTC tried desperately to sell the world its idea of an UltraPixel 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 6P and Samsung Galaxy S7 both employ 12-megapixel rear-facing cameras, and 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.
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.
We’ll be here covering the various news coming out of the HTC 10’s online launch at 8:00AM EST/5:00AM PST. Be sure to stay tuned!