However it seems that HTC isn’t quite done with flagship phones just yet. In an interview with Tbreak, HTC’s President of Smartphones and Connected Device Chialin Chang revealed that HTC could be planning another high-end smartphone for later this year. “Some people are talking about the timing [of our release] but timing was determined 9 months ago. This is the best CPU out there. When the next flagship CPU comes, HTC will be one of the very first tier doing that.”
Chang is right in the sense that back when the phone was being developed, the Snapdragon 821 was the best chipset out there. However at CES 2017, Qualcomm announced the Snapdragon 835 which is expected to find its way into flagship phones of 2017, such as the Samsung Galaxy S8.
Chang also confirmed that their next flagship handset will not be announced at MWC. “We want to have a couple of months of leadership before the next flagship CPU comes. But that will be in another period of time- not at MWC. Not for us or any other player. I can tell you that for sure. When the new CPU comes, HTC will have another flagship.”