HTC has confirmed what was pretty much the worst kept secret in the world: The M7 – or now called the HTC One. The phone features a 4.7-inch full HD display and a camera that could rival the Lumia 920’s own PureView technology. But, will this high-end smartphone be enough for HTC to differentiate itself from its Android rivals and, ultimately, its financial results?
The HTC One internals include an 1.7GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 600 processor, 2GB of RAM, 32GB or 64GB of storage and support for NFC and 4G LTE. The 4.7-inch screen is said to be bright and beautiful, optically bonded and comes with a full 1080p HD resolution and a pixel density of 468ppi. All of this is encased inside a sleek and thin (only 9.3mm at its thickest point) aluminium body.
The body also incorporates dual front-facing stereo speakers – called “BoomSound” – and a powerful amp to deliver clear studio-quality sound. And like other HTC devices, it is powered by Beats Audio. It also has improved capturing sound with “HDR sound recording” – basically using two microphones to record undistorted audio.
However, the big feature of the One smartphone is the camera. Called “UltraPixel”, HTC says that it allows three times more light than the conventional 8-megapixel lens, and able to take ghostless HDR images and video. It will also handle low-light conditions better, able to record in full HD video, and include Optical Image Stablisation (OIS) like the Lumia 920. However, all photos are limited to 4 megapixel resolution.
HTC has also revealed its little competitor to Vine – called Zoe. Simply press the shutter button and it will capture up to 20 photos and a 3-second video. You can even add filters, and share it to your friends on Facebook and Twitter.
Like all phones from the Taiwanese maker, Android is skinned with Sense. HTC says it brings a “clean, modern design” – though, like I said, there are bits of Windows Phone in the design. There is also a new feature called BlinkFeed, where you can keep up to date with your news, social networks and feeds all from your homescreen. HTC has said that they have 1400 content providers – including AOL and ESPN – to the service.
Image: The Verge
The phone ships in late March in the United States and the UK – expect the Australian launch to be timed there too. Telstra and Optus are confirmed to be carriers of the smartphone, we’re not entirely sure about Vodafone because it could mean Vodafone UK and not Vodafone Australia.
UPDATE 10:05 – HTC confirmed that Vodafone Australia is getting the device.
But we’re likely to hear more information tomorrow – because HTC will have their Australian press event. We’ll be there – and we’ll pass on any news from that press event on our site and on our Twitter feed (@techgeekcomau)