HTC launched the HTC One M9 last year, which means that this year, we can expect a new flagship from the company. With the competition being so stiff, HTC will definitely need to step up their game if they hope to steal customers away from the likes of Apple, LG, and Samsung, just to name a few, so the question is, will the HTC One M10 be enough to get the job done? Read on to find out what we know about the handset so far.
Table of Contents
Design
Over the years, HTC has refined the look of their One M series. There hasn’t really been any drastic changes, but like we said, it has been more of a refinement process which we can appreciate. However if the designs are getting a little long in the tooth, the rumors are claiming that the HTC One M10 will look radically different from the previous One M handsets.
In fact the rumors are claiming that if anything, the HTC One M10 will actually more closely resemble the HTC One A9 more than the HTC One M9. This is not a bad thing as the HTC One A9 is a pretty good-looking handset. Some might liken its design to the iPhone 6/6s, but that’s not necessarily a criticism.
However the downside to this particular design is that it appears that HTC will be dropping the BoomSound stereo speakers. Those speakers were what made HTC handsets unique, but is it really a deal-breaker?
Display
It seems that the HTC One M10 will be getting an upgrade in the display department. It was a tad disappointing last year that the HTC One M9 launched with a Full HD display when the competition was going all out with QHD displays, or in the case of Sony, 4K displays.
However that is expected to change this year. The rumors are claiming that the HTC One M10 will sport a QHD display at last, which should appease the critics. Its screen size however won’t be too big of a change. Last year’s model had a 5-inch display, and if the rumors are accurate, this year’s model will only be going up in size by 0.1-inches.
This isn’t necessarily a bad thing because there are many users out there who can appreciate having a display where it is big enough to display content properly, but small enough where one-handed use is still possible.
Hardware
Given that the Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 is more or less the de facto chipset that OEMs will be using for their flagship phones, we suppose it is more than likely that HTC will be using it as well. HTC has turned to other chipsets from the likes of MediaTek in the past for some of their low-mid range handsets, but over the years their flagships have been consistently powered by Qualcomm’s chipsets, so it is unlikely that this will change.
Also since HTC does not make their own chipsets or sound like they are planning such a move, a HTC-made chipset is out of the question, unlike companies like Apple, Samsung, and LG who have made phones with their own chipsets. This is not a slam against HTC as Qualcomm’s chipsets have performed admirably over the years, so why not stick to something that works?
As for RAM, the HTC One M10 is said to pack 4GB of RAM. This is a slight increase over last year’s 3GB, but to be fair last year’s phone ran pretty smoothly, so we’re not sure if 4GB can really be felt by users, but the more the merrier, plus it makes for great marketing material.
In terms of storage, the HTC One M10 will feature 32GB of storage, or so the rumors claim. It is also expected to come with a microSD card slot so that users can expand the storage beyond the default capacity.
Camera
Interestingly enough it sounds like Samsung isn’t the only company planning on scaling back on the megapixels war. HTC is rumored to pack a 12MP camera into the HTC One M10. There are rumors that have called it an UltraPixel camera, but we’re not sure if this is the same UltraPixel technology that HTC used for the HTC One M8, or if HTC has decided to rebrand it.
The rear-facing camera is also said to come with laser autofocus and is said to be made by Sony, which isn’t surprising since Sony does supply camera modules to a lot of OEMs. The front camera is said to be of the 5MP UltraPixel variety and will be made by Samsung. Apart from the megapixel count and laser autofocus, we’re not sure if there is anything else HTC will be doing to the cameras to make them stand out.
Features
With the HTC One M9, HTC did not include a fingerprint scanner with the phone, an odd choice given that OEMs have been doing it for the past few years already. However with the HTC One A9, the company decided to bring in a fingerprint scanner so presumably, that marked the point in which HTC will now include the technology in future handsets.
According to the various leaks we’ve seen, the HTC One M10 appears to sport a home button, a first for the One M series, so it is likely that the home button will also double as a fingerprint scanner.
Pricing & Availability
Pricing is still unknown at this point in time, but it is a flagship phone so expect flagship-like prices (~$550-$650). In terms of availability, here’s where it gets a bit interesting. Many OEMs are expected to unveil flagships at MWC 2016, like Samsung and LG, but if the rumors are to be believed, HTC will be skipping any announcements for MWC.
Instead, the rumors are claiming that HTC will hold a separate event of their own in April 2016 where the HTC One M10 will be officially announced, and the handset is also expected to be released in May. In fact there are rumors to suggest that the phone might not even be called the HTC One M10, which might explain why HTC will want a separate event if they are to treat this phone like a new beginning for the company.
Conclusion
It is no secret that HTC hasn’t been doing well for the past few years, which could explain why the company has started looking into cameras, wearables, and even virtual reality headsets. The HTC One M10 is said to be the company’s attempt at having a fresh start, so a new design and a new name would certainly be one way to go about that. This should all be taken with a grain of salt for now, but check back with us in the coming weeks where hopefully we might have more details to share.
Filed in . Read more about HTC, HTC One, HTC One M10, MWC and MWC 2016.