An unannounced HTC phone sporting an “Edge Sense” option in its Settings menu has recently surfaced online. A limited number of screenshots that you can see below seemingly suggests that the device supports contextual gestures on either the edge of its display or the side of the case. The source of the screenshots that you can see below also reveals some basic specifications of the mysterious device that seems to be a smartphone. The handset is allegedly powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 system-on-chip (SoC) and between 4GB and 6GB of RAM, which implies that it might be available in two variants if it hits the market. Furthermore, the phone boasts a 5.5-inch display panel, 64GB of storage space, a single-lens rear camera setup, and something the source refers to as the “Sense AI Assistant” but is probably just the HTC Sense Companion that launched on board of the HTC U Ultra.
The mysterious Edge Sense feature is said to be officially called “Sense Touch” once the device hits the market, the source indicates. The smartphone will apparently “support mobile VR,” which likely refers to Google’s Daydream virtual reality platform. Finally, the leak suggests that the HTC-made device will be equipped with a USB Type-C port and run Android 7.1.1 Nougat out of the box. While that’s all of the available information on the hardware and software specifications of the unannounced HTC smartphone, the source also claims that the device will be announced in late April. The aforementioned Edge Sense option may suggest that the Taiwanese tech giant is working on a smartphone with a curved screen similar to the Galaxy S7 Edge, but it’s also possible that HTC will simply ship a device that supports contextual gestures on the edges of a regular flat screen.
The fact that this leak indicates HTC will announce the device in either late April or close to that period is in line with recent comments made by the company’s President of Smartphones and Connected Devices Chialin Chang. Back in January, Chang vowed that HTC will be one of the first adopters of the Snapdragon 835. Seeing how the Galaxy S8 and the Galaxy S8 Plus that will almost certainly be powered by Qualcomm’s latest chip in some regions are slated to be released in the second half of April, Chang’s comments suggest that HTC will launch a Snapdragon 835-equipped smartphone shortly after. It remains to be seen whether that new device ends up being the one detailed above, but more information on the matter will hopefully follow by spring.
