Skip to main content

HTC wants you to forget about megapixels and think about Ultrapixels instead

HTC One X Back cameraWe already know HTC has an event planned for February 19, plus we’ve got a good idea the rumored HTC M7 will be at least one of the highlights, but a new rumor has added some color to the M7. It could feature a very special camera. According to Pocket-Lint, HTC won’t be using the word megapixel to describe the M7’s camera, but Ultrapixel instead.

What’s an Ultrapixel you may ask? Well, it sounds a bit like marketing nonsense on HTC’s part, and could be its version of Nokia’s PureView brand, i.e. the name given to highly capable camera modules used on certain smartphones in its range. Rumor has it the M7’s camera will be a made up of three, stacked 4.3-megapixel sensors, which thanks to some clever software will produce detailed, clear images surpassing that of a normal 13-megapixel camera.

Now, it’s not clear at all how this term will be applied to the M7’s camera. Will the 13-megapixel total become a single Ultrapixel, or will it simply be 13-ultrapixels, or it could even be a 4.3-Ultrapixel camera. HTC is playing with fire though, as the word megapixel actually means something – a million pixels – and is used for a reason, while Ultrapixel means absolutely nothing. Presumably then, HTC will still have to put a megapixel count in there somewhere, or it risks doing nothing but confusing everybody.

Of course, like the M7 name, the use of Ultrapixel hasn’t been confirmed and it could all change when the time comes. HTC is said to be working in a whole new marketing plan for the coming year, and the introduction of buzzwords such as Ultrapixel could be part of it. Whether it catches on is another thing, but if the M7’s camera is anywhere near as impressive as Nokia’s PureView efforts, it may not matter that the name is a bit silly.

Editors' Recommendations

Andy Boxall
Senior Mobile Writer
Andy is a Senior Writer at Digital Trends, where he concentrates on mobile technology, a subject he has written about for…
The 6 biggest announcements we expect from Google I/O 2024
Google I/O 2019

Google will hold its annual developer conference, Google I/O 2024, on May 14 in Mountain View, California. The event is about a month away, and we're expecting a few big announcements.

As with any Google I/O event, this year's conference will start with a big opening keynote presentation from CEO Sundar Pichai. But what actual announcements are we looking forward to? Here are a few of the biggest things that we are likely to see at Google I/O 2024.
Android 15

Read more
This crazy headband uses music and brainwaves to make you a better athlete
A person wearing the Alphabeats headband.

This company wants you to put on a headband and listen to music while the device's sensors in it read your brainwaves to help you focus and to increase your sporting performance. It’s called Alphabeats, and the electroencephalogram (EEG) headband combines with your choice of music and an app on your phone to help train your brain to either stay in its top-focused state or concentrate on its requirements in the moment, whether that’s relaxation, recovery, or sleep.

Aimed at professional ahtletes or highly motivated amateurs, Alphabeats won a CES 2023 Innovation award and is now available for pre-order. It costs $499 at the moment, but the price will increase to $689 after the promotional period ends. You probably won’t be surprised to learn (given the recent growing and  unfortunate trend) that this price includes a year’s subscription to the service, but at the time of writing, there’s no information about how much the subscription will cost after the first year.

Read more
Here’s how Apple could change your iPhone forever
An iPhone 15 Pro Max laying on its back, showing its home screen.

Over the past few months, Apple has released a steady stream of research papers detailing its work with generative AI. So far, Apple has been tight-lipped about what exactly is cooking in its research labs, while rumors circulate that Apple is in talks with Google to license its Gemini AI for iPhones.

But there have been a couple of teasers of what we can expect. In February, an Apple research paper detailed an open-source model called MLLM-Guided Image Editing (MGIE) that is capable of media editing using natural language instructions from users. Now, another research paper on Ferret UI has sent the AI community into a frenzy.

Read more