DHAKA: The HTC One M8 was a critical darling among Android smartphones in 2014, although that didn’t necessarily translate to big sales. Based on a few early spec leaks, it looks as if its successor isn’t going to be a radical change.
HTC’s preparing a high-end phone codenamed the “Hima,” according to reliable leaker Upleaks, reports the FB Techwire on Wednesday.
However, Upleaks said the Hima is going to be powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 810, which is an octo-core 64-bit chip that will likely power other flagship phones like the Samsung Galaxy S6, the report added.
Moreover, according to another report published on gigaom.com, the new HTC flagship’s going to have a 5-inch screen with a 1080p resolution.
“Rounding out the specs we think we know are 3GB of RAM, a 20.7MP rear camera, and the front camera will be either a 13-megapixel shooter or a 4MP Ultrapixel camera,” it mentioned. “It should be running Android 5.0 with HTC’s Sense skin when it launches.”
If the Hima is HTC’s flagship, its 1080p screen means that HTC is no longer trying to keep up with the bigger QHD screens we’re seeing on phones like the LG G3 or the Samsung Galaxy Note 4.
It’ll be interesting to see whether Samsung’s high-end flagship also stays at five inches, especially considering other high-end phones released recently, like the Nexus 6, feature screens larger than that.
On the other hand, Upleaks also shared dimensions for the Hima, which could measure 144.3mm tall, 69.4mm wide, and 9.56mm thick.
Those are all within a few millimeters of the HTC One M8, which means that although the Hima should have a 5-inch screen, it won’t be losing the chunky bezels that drive some people crazy about the HTC One M8. It’s safe to assume the Hima will have HTC’s front-facing BoomSound speakers.
The dimensions didn’t come with a weight, so we can’t tell if HTC is going to stick with the metal body seen on the HTC One and the HTC One M8. HTC does know how to make plastic phones with top-notch build quality and given that the HTC One M8’s metal body didn’t lead to a decisive sales advantage over phones from Samsung, it wouldn’t be surprising if HTC is moving away from machined aluminum and steel. It’s also worth noting that the codename for the M8 was the, well, M8, so the fact this one is called the Hima internally might signal a shift away from the generic “One” moniker.
Upleaks has a good track record on HTC leaks — the leaker has provided an early look at the HTC-assembled Nexus 9 as well as several other HTC devices. Expect an official announcement on the HTC Hima in the first few months of 2015.
BDST: 1854 HRS, DEC 24, 2014
