The last few weeks, rumor mills were abuzz with HTC’s upcoming device, the HTC U (Ocean). While the release date continued to be a suspense, the Taiwanese smartphone maker today announced that it will be launching the device on May 16.
The announcement was made by HTC in a short video teaser with a tagline: “Squeeze for the Brilliant U”. HTC has also sent media invites for the launch event to take place in Taipei.
Part of the U series, the device follows the HTC U Ultra and HTC U Play that the company launched in January, this year. Also known as HTC Ocean, the device is expected to come with new Edge Sense technology that allows users to control actions with gestures, thanks to the frame-embedded sensors .
Earlier, well known tipster Evan Blass leaked renders of the device showing screen-to-body ratio design on board along with a physical home screen button at the front.
In terms of specs, the HTC U will feature a 5.5-inch WQHD display with 2560×1440 pixel resolution and will be powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 processor. There will be two storage variants, one being of 64GB and the other of 128GB.
HTC U will run Android 7.1 Nougat and HTC’s own Sense 9 UI. For pictures, it is expected to come with a 12MP rear camera and 16MP IMX351 front camera. Surprisingly, the upcoming device is not likely to feature a headphone jack.
Another feature worth noting is the artificial intelligence called HTC Sense Companion that will accompany the device. HTC Sense Companion will allow users to control their phone with voice, open apps and set important alerts and notifications.
The HTC U Ultra and U Play earlier did come with the Sense Companion feature that made them a formidable competitor. Specs wise, the U Utra sported a 5.7-inch QHD Super LCD display, in addition to a secondary 2-inch display.
It was powered by a Snapdragon 821 processor, paired with 4GB RAM, 64GB storage and 3,000 mAh battery. For pictures, there was a 12-UltraPixel rear camera and 16MP front camera. As for U Play, the device had a 5.2-inch full-HD Super LCD display, MediaTek Helio P10 processor, 2,500 mAh battery, besides a 16MP rear camera and 16MP front camera.
Now, with HTC U also made available, the smartphone maker is hoping to regain some lost ground with aggressive sales and expansion strategy.
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