The great thing about the fast-moving nature of the mobile industry is that, at any given time, there's something to be looking forward to. We've spent the last few months lusting after the Samsung Galaxy S5, and with the Mobile World Congress announcement of the upgraded device now done and dusted, we're now left to pine for HTC's next big thing. Technically known as the 'M8', the follow-up to the HTC One will be announced later on this month, and thanks to a revelation made via the Evleaks Twitter handle, it looks like its Taiwanese maker has also been working on an interesting case for its soon-to-be-showcased asset.
Although both Sony and Samsung managed to keep the pre-announcement sightings of their respective flagships down to a minimum, the same cannot be said of HTC, which, after an abundance of leaks, yesterday got a 12 minute-long hands-on demo from an unofficial source. Still, as techies, we're delighted that the Taiwanese company is struggling to keep its next big thing under wraps, and today, as well as more photos of the device, we've also got some benchmark figures.
The next-generation HTC One is expected to make its debut later on next month, and with Samsung having laid its cards on the table with the introduction of the Galaxy S5 at Mobile World Congress, the HTC One 2 will have the opportunity to upstage its fiercest rival in Android space. Today, as well as yet another leak showcasing the device - which does indeed boast two rear-facing cameras - HTC has also delivered a new video talking about the improvements made to the BoomSound technology for the One's eventual successor. Teasingly, the key details are obscured, but if you've been looking forward to the next big thing from HTC, it's now just a few weeks away.
The annual Mobile World Congress gathering, organized by the GSM Association, has been taking place in Barcelona for the last couple of days. Tech giants such as Sony, Samsung and LG use the event to introduce and showcase their latest tech in front of the world's press, but MWC also hosts the Global Mobile Awards that rip through various categories to filter out and award the best-of-the-best of the last 12 months. The awards may be packed full of random and obscure categories that don't necessarily appeal to the average technology enthusiast, but there was some great news for Apple and HTC, with both companies receiving a best in class award for one of their products.
Coupled with the revelation earlier today that the next HTC flagship will be unveiled on March 25th, a new render of the device paints the clearest picture yet as to its probable form factor. Since this particular leak has been dug up by the ever-reliable Evleaks, we can say with relative authority that we now know what Taiwanese manufacturer will be showcasing in one month's time, and although, on first glance, it does look rather similar to last year's flagship HTC One, there are some notable differences.
The HTC One was last year's great surprise package. The Taiwanese company had been struggling, like many other vendors, to keep up with Samsung, but after several powerful-yet-flawed releases, the One seemed to strike a chord with its audience. Boasting smooth operation, a great display and an award-winning unibody design, the handset was lauded by many as the smartphone of the year. But that was 2013. This demanding industry is always looking out for what's next, and right on cue, HTC has begun dishing out invitations for a special event on March 25th.
According to a report from Bloomberg, HTC is working on an updated and refreshed version of its flagship One handset. The Taiwanese electronics manufacturer released the device in the spring of last year to much critical acclaim, and with the shelf life of most smartphones now seldom exceeding the twelve month mark, the company is looking to consolidate its re-emergence amongst the big boys in the mobile market.
The HTC One has definitely been this year's surprise package. With the Taiwanese company struggling to deal with the tidal wave of high-end Samsung handsets flooding the market, as well as Apple's iPhone, it was looking like the quietly brilliant maker of Incredible, Desire smartphones was about to fall by the wayside. But offering the slickness of a Galaxy S, allied to design finesse that even the Cupertino company would be proud of, the HTC One has won many awards, and is considered by many to be the smartphone of the year. So, what's next?
After weeks of sitting on a terribly guarded secret, HTC has finally introduced the world to a gold variant of its popular One handset. A number of companies have quite clearly taken note of the excitement surrounding the launch of the gold iPhone 5s eight weeks ago and have decided that if you can't beat them then you might as well join them. Or emulate them depending on your personal view of the situation. Apple watched as worldwide inventory of the gold iPhone 5s was immediately depleted upon launch, with HTC hoping that they can also generate the same levels of excitement about their gold option.
Android users around the globe rejoiced when Google announced that an additional array of smartphones would be benefiting from the KitKat update in the "coming weeks". Google took their usual stance of not going into any great detail regarding when specific hardware would be able to get the upgrade but it seems that weeks will actually be more like months for HTC One owners. Not exactly the longest wait that Android owners have had to endure, but still not exactly ideal for those itching to experience Android at its finest.
