HTC's next smartphone to feature 5G support, Snapdragon 855

[midian182]

Why it matters: It’s no secret that HTC has been having a tough time this year, with its new smartphones failing to make a big impression on consumers, but the company isn’t giving up its mobile ambitions. According to new information, the Taiwanese firm is working on an upcoming device that will not only feature a Snapdragon 855 but also support 5G.

Earlier this year, HTC announced it was laying off almost a quarter of its workforce. Combined with a 68 percent decline in sales, things aren’t looking good for what was one of the first companies to launch a 4G phone.

But according to the LinkedIn profile of senior RF designer Kevin Duo, HTC is aiming to turn its fortunes around with a new device powered by Qualcomm’s future Snapdragon 855. Like Huawei’s recently revealed Kirin 980—one of our top picks of IFA 2018—the US firm’s next SoC will be built on the 7-nanometer process. Duo writes that HTC is currently sampling the 855, which will bring plenty of performance and efficiency improvements over the current Snapdragon 845 that's found in many flagships.

Additionally, the profile suggests that the Snapdragon 855 in HTC's phone will be paired with Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X50 5G modem. While the SoC features an X24 LTE modem as standard, manufacturers have the option to pair it with the 5G-capable X50, which is what HTC appears to be doing. Qualcomm says it is “on track to help launch the first 5G mobile hotspots by the end of 2018.”

Smartphones featuring the Snapdragon 855 aren’t expected to arrive until the middle of next year, so we’ve still a while to wait before HTC’s mystery device is unveiled. Other companies will doubtlessly be implementing the new chips in their next-gen handsets, too, so it remains to be seen if HTC can drag itself out of its current downward trend by beating them to the punch. But its seems the one-time big industry player isn’t ready to stop trying just yet.

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https://www.techspot.com/news/76341-htc-next-smartphone-may-feature-5g-support-snapdragon.html

 

[bexwhitt]

Both HTC phones I've had, had some sort of hardware fault, maybe there is a clue there.

 

[p51d007]

All users get, it faster processors and higher prices. NO real innovations.

 

[Reehahs]

They should:

- keep it notch-less
- put a bigger battery like 5000 mAh
- make it comfortable to hold, thinness is so overrated
- Keep the headphone jack or have dual USB-C ports
- no premium material stupidity, double side glass sucks
- price it like last year's flagship

 

[Hammayon]

Obviously, there aren't enough smartphones out there.
We need more! Every bob and joe is making a smart phone.
There are some companies that are bound to go bankrupt unless they have marketshare on other non-smartphone products.

 

[gigantor21]

They should:

- keep it notch-less
- put a bigger battery like 5000 mAh
- make it comfortable to hold, thinness is so overrated
- Keep the headphone jack or have dual USB-C ports
- no premium material stupidity, double side glass sucks
- price it like last year's flagship

As much as I would love to see that, I think we both know it'll likely be an iPhone X copy design wise--with the price to match. :/

 

[Nobina]

Shieet. I thought it was gonna have Snapdragon 808 and 3G.

 

[yRaz]

Shieet. I thought it was gonna have Snapdragon 808 and 3G.

I'm still waiting for my 8008 phone

 

[NightAntilli]

HTC, if you're reading this... I bought your HTC One (M7) and the HTC 10. If you want me to upgrade to your next phone... These are my demands;

- Must have headphone jack! (or two USB Type-C ports with an INCLUDED dongle for the headphone jack)
- Do not make the screen too big. 5.2" MAX, preferably ~ 5.0". I want a phone, not a phablet.
- NO GLASS backsides. The only thing that should be glass is the front/screen itself.
- Better battery life, or, swapable battery.

If ANY of these are missing, I will skip your phone.

 

[Teko03]

HTC, if you're reading this... I bought your HTC One (M7) and the HTC 10. If you want me to upgrade to your next phone... These are my demands;

- Must have headphone jack! (or two USB Type-C ports with an INCLUDED dongle for the headphone jack)
- Do not make the screen too big. 5.2" MAX, preferably ~ 5.0". I want a phone, not a phablet.
- NO GLASS backsides. The only thing that should be glass is the front/screen itself.
- Better battery life, or, swapable battery.

If ANY of these are missing, I will skip your phone.

5.2" inches is not big...anything under 6 inches is a standard phone size these days. This is like looking for a phone with a physical QWERTY keyboard in 2012.

 

[Reehahs]

5.2" inches is not big...anything under 6 inches is a standard phone size these days. This is like looking for a phone with a physical QWERTY keyboard in 2012.

Blackberry had a decent chance of producing a phone with a decent physical keyboard like they were renowned for but they blew it with BB Passport. The physical swipe feature is nice but the balance of the device is very poor in your hands.

 

[Ramrunner]

Both HTC phones I've had, had some sort of hardware fault, maybe there is a clue there.

Yep - ditto. Two HTC Desires and a Nexus 9.

Worse than that their service department was a nightmare. The Nexus 9 issue was never resolved by HTC. I have no sympathy for their declining sales - they only have themselves to blame.

 

[NightAntilli]

5.2" inches is not big...anything under 6 inches is a standard phone size these days. This is like looking for a phone with a physical QWERTY keyboard in 2012.

Standard screen size used to be 4". I found 4.7" ideal. Then I couldn't get anything respectable below 5" and had to go with a 5.2". 5.2" was considered a phablet in the past. Now 6" is normal for a phone? How far are we going? To be fair, I never liked phones with a physical qwerty keyboard either. Too big.

So... NO. I don't want my phone with a screen any bigger than 5.2". If it isn't a flagship but some lesser model, so be it. Flagships aren't really necessary anymore either, since performance has gone up a lot.

 

[bexwhitt]

Yep - ditto. Two HTC Desires and a Nexus 9.

Worse than that their service department was a nightmare. The Nexus 9 issue was never resolved by HTC. I have no sympathy for their declining sales - they only have themselves to blame.

I loved the htc desire, great phone for its time (until it wasn't), shame that it would reboot if you used it for anything more than a dumbphone like trying to find somewhere with google maps.