The bearish smartphone market has its hopes pinned on the next generation of wireless networks and apparently, HTC also wants to try its luck. According to a new sighting on the Bluetooth SIG website, the company is working on a phone that will support Bluetooth 5.0 and the said phone bears the model number 2Q6U10000. This is where this listing gets interesting, as previously the well-known leakster Evan Blass had claimed that HTC is working on a 5G-ready smartphone with the model number 2Q6U.
For the uninitiated, the Bluetooth Launch Studio, which published this listing, is a body that approves the devices which will come with Bluetooth support. Rumors have been flying around about a possible 5G HTC smartphone since 2018 and per new reports, the company might launch the device in the second half of 2019.
Apart from the possibility that the upcoming device would include 5G support, nothing is known about the mystery smartphone so it remains to be seen what other specifications it would offer. In the next few months, a good many companies are expected to launch their smartphones with 5G capability so unless the aforementioned 5G device offers something to differentiate itself from the other offerings, it could have a tough time in the market. The company will face stiff competition from big shots such as Samsung, Huawei, and LG.
Some media outlets believe that the company’s 5G phone could be the HTC U13 but at this point, this is just a rumor and the company could very well release its 5G phone under new branding. In January 2018, Google acquired the company’s smartphone team and later on, the HTC U12+ failed to perform well in the market, raising speculations that the company might quit the smartphone business. However, the company had denied these rumors. Needless to say, HTC’s mobile division isn’t doing so well right now and a 5G-enabled phone might help it to turn things around. During the MWC 2019, HTC launched the 5G Hub, which is a 5G hotspot.
If HTC’s upcoming phone would indeed be 5G-ready, it would most likely be fueled by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 chipset. Apart from that, it’s hard to guess what else the phone would be offering but it could reportedly come with blockchain capabilities.
The smartphone industry has been witnessing a decline in sales over the last few years. People are apparently holding on to their smartphones for longer, which partially explain the slowdown. To get people to upgrade and revive sales, vendors are trying to up their game by bringing innovative new features such as foldable screens. Similarly, the increase in speed that would be offered by 5G is also expected to give the industry a boost. However, it would take a couple of years for 5G to become ubiquitous.
So, the road ahead is not as easy as it may sound. As the early reviews of the Samsung Galaxy Fold have indicated, the foldable technology seems half baked right now and unless the Huawei Mate X proves otherwise, customers might not be inclined to shell out upwards of $2,000 on a phone that won’t last them very long.