HTC is in trouble. The Taiwanese company’s latest flagship, the One M9, failed to really improve upon last year’s One M8, and sales have been slow as a result. Now, HTC is reportedly planning an interim flagship to keep them afloat until the next One, to be released in November. This phone is called the HTC Aero – and here’s what we know about it so far.
According to HTCViet, the Aero will include a 5.2-inch display running at at QHD resolution, 2560 x 1440. The phone will be protected by Corning’s latest release, Gorilla Glass 4. The phone will also include “2.5D edges“, aka a slightly curved edge for smoother swiping. The resolution will be a step up from the One M9, but equals that of the One M9+, which is coming soon to the UK at Mobile Fun.
Other reports have included mention of a revolutionary new camera technology, said to be more significant than the release of the Ultrapixel or Dual Camera systems in previous One smartphones. The camera is also mentioned to have a f/1.9 aperture and the ability to save RAW photo files for later editing.
Previous tweets by @evleaks suggest that the phone will be released with One branding, yet occupy an intermediate place in the specification wars. This information seems slightly incongruent with the news from Vietnam; it’ll be interesting to see whether either rumour turns out to be correct.
Finally, various tech blogs have suggested that the phone may showcase a new design ethos from HTC. After three well-received (but increasingly stale) aluminium smartphones, look for the Taiwanese company to try something a little different to remain relevant.
That’s all that’s been rumoured so far. What do you think of the phone – does it sound promising? Let us know in the comments below, and be sure to enjoy the week ahead!