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Rumors point to new beginning at HTC, starting with the HTC O2 flagship smartphone

htc o2 m10 news version 1439957198 render side
MyDrivers
There are rumors HTC will release a new phone to replace the One M9, a device which may also mark the end of the firm’s awkward One Mx approach to nomenclature. Although the phone has been leaked as the M10, it’s also possible the phone will be called the HTC O2. It makes sense really, as it ties in with the One name used on older models, but ensures we all know it’s a sequel. However, we’re not sure what UK network O2 will make of it.

Updated on 12-10-2015 by David Curry: Added in news that the HTC O2 might have been cancelled. 

O2 flagship might be dead

HTC leaker @LlabTooFeR posted a tweet earlier this week revealing that the HTC O2 might have been cancelled. The leaker has been reliable in the past with HTC news, and claims the new 2016 flagship is codenamed the HTC Perfume. We still don’t know anything about the Perfume’s internal specs or design however, meaning HTC might have carried over most of the O2 specs to the Perfume.

Rumored high-end specs

Before the rumor arose that the O2 flagship might be dead, several leaks from Chinese sources painted an almost complete picture of the HTC O2. Mobile-Dad, who referred to the phone as the M10, asserted that it’ll have a massive 6-inch screen with a 2K resolution, which we’ll take to mean 2,560 x 1,440 pixels. Apparently two versions will be released, one with 64GB of memory and the other with 128GB. A pair of camera are mentioned, 20.7 megapixels on the rear and 5 megapixels on the front, plus a 3,500mAh battery — considerably more capacious than many other HTC phones.

The HTC O2 name comes from a MyDrivers report, which repeats speculation the phone will use Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 820 processor. The report said that the HTC O2 would launch before the end of 2015, but we suspect if it’s the sequel to the One M9, then it’s more likely to arrive at MWC in 2016.

Both Chinese sites have published concept images of what the HTC O2/M10 may look like. The pair agree an almost bezel-less screen is possible, with the MyDrivers render showing a 2.5D curved glass display.

If all that sounds a little too neat and tidy for early rumors, talk of a smaller version of the phone has been circulating as well, just to confuse us. Mobile-Dad mentions a 5-inch HTC phone for 2016 that may also feature the Snapdragon 820. So which one will be the O2? We don’t know yet, and it may end up that neither exists at all, so treat all the above as speculation for now.

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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…
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