Press invitations to the October 20 virtual event were sent out yesterday. The unveiling can be watched by anybody via an official livestream on HTC’s website. The invitation includes the hashtag “#BeBrilliant” and has a background image of lumps of coal, leading some to speculate that it could represent a new “carbon gray” chassis colour option.
The device that will be revealed is still uncertain but general speculation suggests that the long-rumoured One “Aero” A9 will finally make an appearance. This will not be a direct replacement for the M9 of earlier this year but rather a device intended to sit between the upper-mid-range and flagship sectors of HTC’s line-up.
The phone is thought to be based around a Snapdragon 617 processor and 5-inch Full HD AMOLED display. The size and processor are indicative of its position in the range and are joined by 2GB of RAM, a 13MP camera and fingerprint sensor. The device will be all-metal, available in six different colours and styled into a similar design to Apple’s iPhone.
One certainty about the October 20 event, regardless of the device that emerges, is that it will be one of the very first phones to include Android 6.0 Marshmallow. The new version of the ubiquitous mobile operating system officially debuted yesterday on Google’s own Nexus 5X and 6P smartphones.
The new device will be important to HTC as the Taiwanese brand hasn’t been having a great year. Although its flagship Android Lollipop device, the One M9, was positively reviewed at its launch, the phone has proven to be unpopular with consumers who have been drawn towards Samsung’s completely redesigned Galaxy S6, widely regarded as the best Android smartphone around.
The issue doesn’t lie inherently with the One M9 being bad but more with its rivals being so good. Combined with already stagnant sales, the M9’s failure to be a success has resulted in HTC’s revenue consistently crashing down over the past few months.
By launching a new device near to but not actually at the top of its range, HTC can attract new sales now with one of the first Android 6.0 devices. This could allow it to achieve some revenue growth in the last quarter of the year while buying some time to create a Galaxy S7-beating One M10.
