Taiwanese smartphone maker HTC has sent out invitations to its press event on October 20 where the company is expected to launch virtually its latest smartphone, the HTC One A9, also referred to as the HTC Aero.
Although HTC has not made any specific details about its launching event for the HTC One A9, but the adjective virtually could indicate that the company may be using Virtual Reality or VR during the officially unveiling of the HTC Aero during its press event.
While HTC One A9 is a complete deviation from the HTC One flagship smartphone series of the Taiwanese handset maker, critics believe that HTC Aero is the successor of the HTC One M9, which was just unveiled six months ago as the flagship smartphone of HTC.
But with the less-than-satisfactory reception and sales results of the HTC One M9 when it hit the global retail markets in April, the Taiwanese smartphone maker had to do something fast the redeem itself and continue to be in the same league as the big players like Samsung and Apple.
Among the firsts to get Marshmallow
From a September 29 scheduled release date, Google has deferred the official unveiling of the Android 6.0 Marshmallow next week and it is expected that when HTC launches the HTC One A9 on October 20, it shall already have the latest Google mobile OS onboard.
With this development, it appears that HTC will be among the first Android smartphone manufacturers to actually roll out a brand new device running Android 6.0 Marshmallow out of the box, cites Tech Times.
HTC One A9 has been making the rumor mill since early August and it further heightened the excitement of HTC fans and users when leaked images of the smartphone made the rounds on the internet showcasing its design that resembles Apple’s iPhone 6, iPhone 6S, iPhone 6 Plus, and iPhone 6S Plus.
Based on the same leaks, the HTC One A9 will feature a five-inch 1920 x 1080 AMOLED display with a pixel density of 441 pixels per inch (ppi), an octa-core Snapdragon 617 processor and 2GB of RAM. It shall have a 16GB of internal storage with an option for expansion via a microSD card expansion slot.
The HTC Aero will feature a 13-megapixel rear-facing Sony camera with optical image stabilization and 4-megapixel UltraPixel front-facing snapper.
Third in a span of three weeks
The launching of the HTC Aero on October 20 will actually be the third smartphone to be rolled out by the Taiwanese smartphone maker in a span of three weeks.
On September 29, HTC also launched the HTC Butterfly 3 and the HTC One M9+ Aurora, reports the International Business Times.
The HTC Aero shall also come with a fingerprint scanner that will be part of the home button and to be located at the tail-end of the handset. It shall also have a modest 2,150 mAH battery.
The newest HTC smartphone will come in six different colors, but it will only be available by November.
The HTC One A9 comes amid disappointment generated by HTC One M9 as the Taiwanese company really needs some form of redemption to entice smartphone buyers to stick to its brand and the company needs it fast.
When word got out about the HTC One A9 early in August, fans and users were actually uncertain whether the HTC One A9 will be the redeemer of the HTC One M9 or it would just come out again as another of its Desire series mid-range handsets.
However, based on the silhouette of the handset on the flier released recently, the HTC One A9 looks like an iPhone clone, which means that it is to be the company’s latest entry to the high-end smartphone market.