We’re now just one day away from the reveal of the Samsung Galaxy S8, but a new leak has surfaced that focuses on a flagship from another company.
New details on an HTC flagship smartphone known as the HTC U have leaked. The HTC U, which VentureBeat says is codenamed “Ocean,” will feature a 5.5-inch 2560x1440 display, Snapdragon 835 processor, and Android 7.1 Nougat below HTC’s Sense 9 user interface.
Also said to be included with the HTC U is a 12-megapixel rear camera with a Sony IMX362 sensor, as well as a 16-megapixel front camera with an IMX351 sensor. Internal storage will reportedly be available in 64GB and 128GB sizes, and there’s also expected to be a microSD card slot included.
Perhaps the biggest feature of the HTC U, though, will be its Edge Sense feature. It’s said that Edge Sense will let you perform customizable actions using gestures like squeezing the phone or swiping along the left and right sides. This is thanks to sensors embedded in the phone’s frame.
You can get an idea of how the Edge Sense functionality could work by watching the video below.
Remember the HTC Ocean? (https://t.co/q5ghm3vQ8Z) pic.twitter.com/GtpqowETjM
— Evan Blass (@evleaks) January 8, 2017
The HTC U is reportedly set to be unveiled in mid to late April, followed by a global launch in early May.
We’ve seen smartphones getting larger and larger in recent years, which in turn has made using them one-handed more and more difficult. Some phone makers have tried to solve this issue by using super slim bezels around their phones’ displays, HTC appears to be trying new edge gestures that let you launch apps by squeezing and swiping the sides of the phone.
We’ll have to wait and see how HTC’s Sense Edge feature works in the real world, but it’s definitely an interesting approach to one-handed use. Based on what we’ve heard of it so far, are you interested in this HTC U?
