HTC teases squeezable smartphone ahead of May unveiling

[Shawn Knight]

HTC has sent out press invitations for an event next month in which it appears as though the company will showcase a squeezable smartphone. An image accompanying the invitation carries the tagline, “Squeeze for the Brilliant U” along with a date for the event.

Over on Twitter, HTC published a brief looping video that appears to showcase someone squeezing the sides of a phone – presumably to activate some sort of function or menu.

Squeeze for the Brilliant U. 05.16.2017 https://t.co/89OuHXbBlt pic.twitter.com/jLaeFD2wMW

— HTC (@htc) April 20, 2017

If the device is indeed as it appears (squeeze to activate), one has to wonder how installing it in a case would impact its use. Last I checked, OtterBox cases remain wildly popular among consumers and aren't exactly flexible. Cutouts could be made, I suppose, but that kind of eliminates some of the "magic" of the effect.

The device HTC is teasing is, according to serial leaker Evan Blass, a smartphone codenamed Ocean (likely to arrive as the HTC U).

The Android 7.1-powered handset will reportedly feature a 5.5-inch display with a resolution of 2,560 x 1,440, up to 6GB of RAM and perhaps as much as 128GB of local storage (expandable via microSD card slot). It may also carry a 12-megapixel rear-facing camera (IMX362 sensor) and an IP57 dust / water rating. Also worth noting is that it won’t ship with a 3.5mm headphone jack.

HTC’s event takes place May 16 at 2 p.m. in Taipei. That translates to 7 a.m. in London and a sleepy 2 a.m. in New York City.

Leaked image courtesy Evan Blass

Permalink to story.

https://www.techspot.com/news/69041-htc-teases-squeezable-smartphone-ahead-may-unveiling.html

 

[RevD14]

I'm not really sure this is a good idea.

 

[Skidmarksdeluxe]

After the abortion that was the HTC Ultra, I've lost a lot of faith in them. I'm certainly not looking to replace my current HTC 10 next year with another device from HTC, unless they can manage to pull a rabbit out of their butts by then otherwise it's another Samsung S series for me again. Their A series is always a given as my secondary device.

 

[MoeJoe]

A 'pergers phone. Cool.

 

[soulsassassin]

After the abortion that was the HTC Ultra, I've lost a lot of faith in them. I'm certainly not looking to replace my current HTC 10 next year with another device from HTC, unless they can manage to pull a rabbit out of their butts by then otherwise it's another Samsung S series for me again. Their A series is always a given as my secondary device.

do you really need to upgrade every year ?

 

[Skidmarksdeluxe]

do you really need to upgrade every year ?

Of course not, I think that's just silly. I upgrade every two years. By June next year I will have been using my HTC 10 for two years. I use two mobile phones, a primary and a secondary. The secondary phone (Galaxy A3) is a much smaller, cheaper device than the primary and I use it only for training and workouts simply because it's easier to stash and pocket and won't break the bank should I break or lose it. I replace one phone one year and the other phone the following year so yeah, you can say I buy a phone every year although I use both phones for two years respectively before replacing them. This year I replaced my 2015 A3 with the 2017 A3 and next year I'll replace my 10 with probably the S9.

 

[soulsassassin]

Of course not, I think that's just silly. I upgrade every two years. By June next year I will have been using my HTC 10 for two years. I use two mobile phones, a primary and a secondary. The secondary phone (Galaxy A3) is a much smaller, cheaper device than the primary and I use it only for training and workouts simply because it's easier to stash and pocket and won't break the bank should I break or lose it. I replace one phone one year and the other phone the following year so yeah, you can say I buy a phone every year although I use both phones for two years respectively before replacing them. This year I replaced my 2015 A3 with the 2017 A3 and next year I'll replace my 10 with probably the S9.

I understand by now everyone is using two phones for me one cheaper with a great battery for calls and a secondary phone for browsing taking photos and everything else , I use LG G3 & LG c660 I have really no reason to upgrade

 

[Badelhas]

do you really need to upgrade every year ?

Of course not, I think that's just silly. I upgrade every two years. By June next year I will have been using my HTC 10 for two years. I use two mobile phones, a primary and a secondary. The secondary phone (Galaxy A3) is a much smaller, cheaper device than the primary and I use it only for training and workouts simply because it's easier to stash and pocket and won't break the bank should I break or lose it. I replace one phone one year and the other phone the following year so yeah, you can say I buy a phone every year although I use both phones for two years respectively before replacing them. This year I replaced my 2015 A3 with the 2017 A3 and next year I'll replace my 10 with probably the S9.

I have the M8 and love it but I was thinking about buying the HTC 10. Will I miss something? Do you recommend it?

Cheers

 

[Skidmarksdeluxe]

I have the M8 and love it but I was thinking about buying the HTC 10. Will I miss something? Do you recommend it?

Cheers

It's a really nice, solid device, I like it a lot but it often seems to be overlooked and underrated. Although I'm not the biggest fan of it's Sense UI, hardware wise it's every bit as good as any 2016 high end device and if sound quality (from the 3.5mm jack with a good pair of earbuds) is important to you, then it's still among the best to date. It also get Android updates regularly which is always a plus. Mine is already running Nougat 7.1.2 but it is an unlocked and carrier free device which probably explains that.

 

[Badelhas]

T

It's a really nice, solid device, I like it a lot but it often seems to be overlooked and underrated. Although I'm not the biggest fan of it's Sense UI, hardware wise it's every bit as good as any 2016 high end device and if sound quality (from the 3.5mm jack with a good pair of earbuds) is important to you, then it's still among the best to date. It also get Android updates regularly which is always a plus. Mine is already running Nougat 7.1.2 but it is an unlocked and carrier free device which probably explains that.

Thanks for your answer. Yes I do enjoy the music quality through headphones. We are just a couple of days from the HTC 11 U announcement so I'll wait just to see if the rumors are true: No metal chassis, no headphone jack, no front stereo speakers, no amoled screen. If so, I'll get the 10
Cheers

 

[Skidmarksdeluxe]

T

Thanks for your answer. Yes I do enjoy the music quality through headphones. We are just a couple of days from the HTC 11 U announcement so I'll wait just to see if the rumors are true: No metal chassis, no headphone jack, no front stereo speakers, no amoled screen. If so, I'll get the 10
Cheers

You're welcome.