Are we free to speculate? I'm hoping HTC has invented hyperglass so any drop or bump can now send glass shrapnel from $1000 handheld devices into the 4th dimension.
AH HAHAHAH...honestly would not surprise me with phones these days, that the glass has a pressure under the already strained glass (part of what makes gorilla like glass tough, supposedly)
is funny (if you are not the owner) to bump the phone real hard and nothing happens but a small grain of dust will shatter the supposedly crazy tough glass like it is made of like confetti.
There is only that one logical step left, to make sure it quite literally explodes (pressure gas inside the display) raining shrapnel death to any poor person or animal to be nearby the "smart" dumb putze design decision.
They mean it is going to be really expensive. The components themselves will be run-of-the-mill and most likely nothing really new, probably will be thinner as well and have less battery power.
The M7 used a mid range SoC didn't it? I still have one and it runs just fine. If they have gone for mid range parts and spent time really optimising it, they could be onto something that's a bit cheaper but performs really well.
Or it could be an excuse to sell a mid range phone as a flagship.
Is it possible for anyone to discern from the components whether it has a headphone jack. If so can you please highlight which part of the image you think is the headphone jack.
Man, if I don't want to use normal headphones, I use bluetooth headphones. If I'm using a cord, I want a real headphone jack, not a GBA SP-style dongle mess. Or alternatively, headphones that work ONLY with my phone, and also prevent me from charging it. Again, just like the GBA SP.
Remember, folks. History repeats itself, if you have enough courage.
I would be so happy if they just cloned the Axon 7's design, but whacked in an SD845 and the U11's camera. They could call it the HTC 12. Stereo front-facing speakers + a headphone jack with a decent DAC behind it would be major differentiators in 2018. PS yes I know I could just buy an Axon 7, but I want HTC's software and camera. A guy can dream.
Will they follow all those other fools into having a notch just because Apple did it? Or will they realize that a thicker top bezel is no less functional nor aesthetically displeasing?
What they should really do now is just aim for the value premium against OnePlus. $500-600, SD845, 6gb RAM, OLED screen but maybe only FHD+ not QHD+, big battery, good fingerprint reader on the back, decent camera, headphone jack, wireless charging, clean stock Android.
The SIM tray looks like it's from the HTC U11 though, so maybe that's where the innovation comes in. That and including 7 of the components twice. Looks like no Touch ID this year though.
Let me guess - it'll be enormous, just like every other modern phone. Be slippery and unwieldy, like every other modern phone, it might even lack a few useful features that all phones had until the last couple of years, like a headphone jack. It'll be priced so high that you'll end up buying a Huawei, and overall will just be another forgotten device in a couple of years, with no software updates.
I miss the time just before the first iPhone came out. Sure the phones maybe had a bit of feature glut at the time, and the UIs were not very slick; but damn were there innovations and designs for everyone. Companies actually dared to be different and make some interesting stuff (even if some of it flopped).
Now we have 'innovative' new companies such as Essential that... at best started a slightly useful trend (or something really stupid depending on how you view it). And they wonder why they don't sell...
Although honestly who cares if a phone is slippery? I think most people just want it as thin as possible so when they put it in their preferred case it goes in/out easily and gives them the grip they want.
Personally, I think the entire existence of the case market points to a major failure in pocket computer design. They ought to be built so they don't need to be entombed in a friggin' Nerf cage. I love how people are all "Look at how the glass goes all the way to the edges, so sexy. Bezels the size of toothpicks, phone as thin as a supermodel" and then they cram it into some big rubber brick that negates every form-over-function design decision that led them to buy the phone in the first place. I miss when these things were designed to be thrown naked into a pocket full of change.
Huawei or other cheaper brand where you get a lot more than expected for the money, doesn't have to be Huawei specifically, I guess I should have made that more clear.
Not relevant to the article, but as I’ve seen comments here with people wanting stronger glass, more drop proof phones etc, I have to say, not everyone drops phones. I’m 35, have been using organisers/pdas then smartphones since around 2000. I once cracked a resistive touch screen on a Sony Ericsson P800 in 2002 while it was in my pocket and I was leaning over something hard. Since then I always place phone displays facing inwards. But I’ve had most iPhone models since then, never dropped one, never broken a screen, never used a case. I have an X currently but previously had 7+, 6+, 5s, 5, 4s, 4, 3GS, 3G, and the original that had to be modded to work in Australia. Not everyone drops things. Having said that, I believe they should design for durability - and the trade off is that glass (and sapphire) it hard, and if it’s hard it will shatter. If it’s soft it will get scratched. It’s a trade off. At least there are plenty of rugged case options for those who want them but I personally don’t.
HTC's marketing department or contracted group has to explain the teaser for it to make any sense, and even then it probably only makes sense to people familiar with hardware. This is what in the business world is called an opportunity; HTC has an opportunity to completely re-think their marketing approach.
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Gunbuster - Thursday, May 3, 2018 - link
Are we free to speculate? I'm hoping HTC has invented hyperglass so any drop or bump can now send glass shrapnel from $1000 handheld devices into the 4th dimension.1_rick - Thursday, May 3, 2018 - link
Excellent idea! You can break this phone AND your next one at the same time!Dragonstongue - Thursday, May 3, 2018 - link
AH HAHAHAH...honestly would not surprise me with phones these days, that the glass has a pressure under the already strained glass (part of what makes gorilla like glass tough, supposedly)is funny (if you are not the owner) to bump the phone real hard and nothing happens but a small grain of dust will shatter the supposedly crazy tough glass like it is made of like confetti.
There is only that one logical step left, to make sure it quite literally explodes (pressure gas inside the display) raining shrapnel death to any poor person or animal to be nearby the "smart" dumb putze design decision.
philehidiot - Saturday, May 5, 2018 - link
Now that would be awesome. But the teaser would probably be a tesseract. A shattered one.ianmills - Thursday, May 3, 2018 - link
"more than the sum of its specs" doesn't bode well for its actual specs ;PPeskarik - Friday, May 4, 2018 - link
They mean it is going to be really expensive.The components themselves will be run-of-the-mill and most likely nothing really new, probably will be thinner as well and have less battery power.
philehidiot - Saturday, May 5, 2018 - link
The M7 used a mid range SoC didn't it? I still have one and it runs just fine. If they have gone for mid range parts and spent time really optimising it, they could be onto something that's a bit cheaper but performs really well.Or it could be an excuse to sell a mid range phone as a flagship.
ArmedandDangerous - Monday, May 7, 2018 - link
All HTC flagships have used the highest end SoC of the year, including the M7.8aravindk - Thursday, May 3, 2018 - link
Is it possible for anyone to discern from the components whether it has a headphone jack. If so can you please highlight which part of the image you think is the headphone jack.shabby - Thursday, May 3, 2018 - link
Obviously there isn't one.Flunk - Thursday, May 3, 2018 - link
If you want one of those, the OnePlus 6 might be the phone for you. Most current high-end phones don't have them.Lord of the Bored - Saturday, May 5, 2018 - link
Man, if I don't want to use normal headphones, I use bluetooth headphones. If I'm using a cord, I want a real headphone jack, not a GBA SP-style dongle mess.Or alternatively, headphones that work ONLY with my phone, and also prevent me from charging it. Again, just like the GBA SP.
Remember, folks. History repeats itself, if you have enough courage.
stephenbrooks - Thursday, May 3, 2018 - link
On the plus side, if the components separate like that, the battery and SD card are definitely removable.ToTTenTranz - Thursday, May 3, 2018 - link
It will be interesting if it has dual front facing speakers, an audio jack and no notch.It will be forgettable if it has the same unbalanced earpiece + down-firing speaker, no audio jack and a notch.
I'm hoping for the second, but unfortunately HTC has been launching just metoo after metoo phones for a while, so I'm counting with the first.
1_rick - Thursday, May 3, 2018 - link
What did they ever do to you?ToTTenTranz - Thursday, May 3, 2018 - link
The question is what they did to themselves.Their financials from the last couple of years speak for themselves.
1_rick - Friday, May 4, 2018 - link
No, see, I was making a joke, because why would you want them to have the notch, no audio jack, etc.?ToTTenTranz - Friday, May 4, 2018 - link
Argh I switched the order!asfletch - Tuesday, May 8, 2018 - link
I would be so happy if they just cloned the Axon 7's design, but whacked in an SD845 and the U11's camera. They could call it the HTC 12. Stereo front-facing speakers + a headphone jack with a decent DAC behind it would be major differentiators in 2018.PS yes I know I could just buy an Axon 7, but I want HTC's software and camera. A guy can dream.
Sttm - Thursday, May 3, 2018 - link
Will they follow all those other fools into having a notch just because Apple did it? Or will they realize that a thicker top bezel is no less functional nor aesthetically displeasing?What they should really do now is just aim for the value premium against OnePlus. $500-600, SD845, 6gb RAM, OLED screen but maybe only FHD+ not QHD+, big battery, good fingerprint reader on the back, decent camera, headphone jack, wireless charging, clean stock Android.
Caetronianus - Thursday, May 3, 2018 - link
"It’s an interesting choice for HTC to opt to show the components of the phone, but show nothing about the body itself"That's an iPhone 6.
Ryan Smith - Thursday, May 3, 2018 - link
Oh for the love of Pete...Thanks, Caetronianus!
Caetronianus - Thursday, May 3, 2018 - link
No worries. :)I repair phones for a living, so iPhone components are very familiar to me.
Speedfriend - Friday, May 4, 2018 - link
Now the obvious question is did they intend to use an iPhone 6 or did someone use a stock photo without thinking!Knowing my marketing team....it is the latter!
ToTTenTranz - Friday, May 4, 2018 - link
I'm taking out my popcorn as this spreads to mainstream tech news outlets.repoman27 - Friday, May 4, 2018 - link
The SIM tray looks like it's from the HTC U11 though, so maybe that's where the innovation comes in. That and including 7 of the components twice. Looks like no Touch ID this year though.piroroadkill - Friday, May 4, 2018 - link
Let me guess - it'll be enormous, just like every other modern phone. Be slippery and unwieldy, like every other modern phone, it might even lack a few useful features that all phones had until the last couple of years, like a headphone jack. It'll be priced so high that you'll end up buying a Huawei, and overall will just be another forgotten device in a couple of years, with no software updates.Peskarik - Friday, May 4, 2018 - link
Probability is high with that one.Tams80 - Friday, May 4, 2018 - link
Sounds about right.I miss the time just before the first iPhone came out. Sure the phones maybe had a bit of feature glut at the time, and the UIs were not very slick; but damn were there innovations and designs for everyone. Companies actually dared to be different and make some interesting stuff (even if some of it flopped).
Now we have 'innovative' new companies such as Essential that... at best started a slightly useful trend (or something really stupid depending on how you view it). And they wonder why they don't sell...
vanilla_gorilla - Friday, May 4, 2018 - link
Everything except buying Hauwei.Although honestly who cares if a phone is slippery? I think most people just want it as thin as possible so when they put it in their preferred case it goes in/out easily and gives them the grip they want.
Tams80 - Saturday, May 5, 2018 - link
Yet the number of people who complain about the battery life and ask for battery banks to borrow...Lord of the Bored - Saturday, May 5, 2018 - link
Personally, I think the entire existence of the case market points to a major failure in pocket computer design. They ought to be built so they don't need to be entombed in a friggin' Nerf cage.I love how people are all "Look at how the glass goes all the way to the edges, so sexy. Bezels the size of toothpicks, phone as thin as a supermodel" and then they cram it into some big rubber brick that negates every form-over-function design decision that led them to buy the phone in the first place. I miss when these things were designed to be thrown naked into a pocket full of change.
piroroadkill - Monday, May 7, 2018 - link
Huawei or other cheaper brand where you get a lot more than expected for the money, doesn't have to be Huawei specifically, I guess I should have made that more clear.paulgpetty - Friday, May 4, 2018 - link
They can't show a full picture until they finish their version of a notch.darwiniandude - Saturday, May 5, 2018 - link
Not relevant to the article, but as I’ve seen comments here with people wanting stronger glass, more drop proof phones etc, I have to say, not everyone drops phones.I’m 35, have been using organisers/pdas then smartphones since around 2000. I once cracked a resistive touch screen on a Sony Ericsson P800 in 2002 while it was in my pocket and I was leaning over something hard. Since then I always place phone displays facing inwards.
But I’ve had most iPhone models since then, never dropped one, never broken a screen, never used a case. I have an X currently but previously had 7+, 6+, 5s, 5, 4s, 4, 3GS, 3G, and the original that had to be modded to work in Australia.
Not everyone drops things.
Having said that, I believe they should design for durability - and the trade off is that glass (and sapphire) it hard, and if it’s hard it will shatter. If it’s soft it will get scratched. It’s a trade off. At least there are plenty of rugged case options for those who want them but I personally don’t.
Tragic-Jade - Saturday, May 5, 2018 - link
HTC's marketing department or contracted group has to explain the teaser for it to make any sense, and even then it probably only makes sense to people familiar with hardware. This is what in the business world is called an opportunity; HTC has an opportunity to completely re-think their marketing approach.