HTC U With Edge Sense Feature Arriving in April?
Despite recently releasing the U Ultra and U Play earlier this year, tech aficionados have been steadfast in the belief that HTC is still planning to release one more device — a true flagship for its new smartphone lineup. According to the latest reports, the Taiwanese consumer electronics company will be launching a new device called HTC U.
Previously known by its codename, Ocean, it is said that naming the upcoming flagship device HTC U does make a lot of sense as the 5.7-inch HTC U Ultra will serve as the "plus" variant and the 5.2-inch HTC U Play will serve as the midrange option.
According to VentureBeat, the HTC U will feature a 5.5-inch display with a resolution of 1,440 x 2,560 pixels and it will be powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 processor. The smartphone is also touted to come with 64 GB or 128 GB of built-in storage and both options will support expandable memory via a microSD card slot.
Rumors suggest that the device will be equipped with a 12-megapixel (MP) Sony IMX362 rear camera and a 16 MP Sony IMX351 front shooter. The smartphone will also run the Android Nougat 7.1 operating system with HTC's Sense 9 user interface on top.
However, the most exciting feature of the HTC U is expected to be Edge Sense, "frame-embedded sensors [which] enable the user to control numerous, customizable actions with gestures such as squeezing or swiping along its left and right sides."
Based on a video posted by popular leakster Evan Blass on Twitter, Edge Sense will allow users to access a list of shortcuts with just a press of a button. Once the side frame pops up, users will be able to quickly access contacts, take selfies or listen to music, among others.
The HTC U is touted to launch in mid- to late-April and could be available to purchase in retail stores by early May. However, it should be noted that HTC has yet to officially confirm the rumored flagship device, so information should be taken with a grain of salt.
