HTC U 11 Name Tipped for Upcoming 'Squeezable' Flagship Phone

In recent weeks, we’ve had a pretty clear idea of what to expect from HTC’s upcoming flagship. The smartphone, that was codenamed Ocean, was teased by the company with a confirmation that the flagship will be called ‘U’. However, a new report suggests that the name will also get a numerical value along with it i.e. it will be called HTC U 11.

A day after HTC's teaser, noted tipster Evan Blass reported that the company will call its next flagship HTC U 11. The naming scheme works in two ways - the first being that the flagship comes under the U series which includes the U Ultra and U Play, and second the number 11 makes it a straight up successor to the HTC 10.

Blass also reported that the HTC U 11 will come in five color options which include white, black, blue, red, and silver. The premium flagship phone is tipped to sport top-end specifications as well as a new Edge Sensor feature. The feature was also recently spotted in a video, which shows couple pressing the edge of the smartphone to bring what looks like a quick-launcher menu. They are shown rubbing and tapping the side to scroll through the menu and select an app. You can check out the promotional video below.

The Edge Sensor, which is being touted as the main highlight of the HTC U 11, will feature a sensitive touch frame that lets you quickly open apps and perform functions by simply swiping, squeezing or tapping the metal edges. Based on past leaks and the teaser, the sensors seem to be placed on the bottom half of the handset, right where one would normally grip the smartphone. This means you could potentially squeeze the HTC U to perform different actions, which sounds interesting as far as innovation goes.

Based on recent rumours, the dual-SIM HTC U will be running Android 7.1 Nougat, and sport a 5.5-inch QHD (1440x2560 pixels) display with Gorilla Glass 5 on top. The handset is rumoured to be powered by the newest Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 SoC coupled with either 4GB or 6GB of RAM options.

The HTC U is tipped to sport a 12-megapixel Sony IMX362 sensor at the back and a 16-megapixel IMX351 sensor over at the front, suggesting a selfie-focused smartphone. Additionally, the smartphone could be offered with either 64GB or 128GB of internal storage depending on the RAM. The latest leaks rates the battery at 3000mAh with Quick Charge 3.0. Connectivity options listed include Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac and Bluetooth 4.2.

The HTC U is said to come with dual speakers on the top and bottom and the USB Type-C port will support HTC's USonic earphones. Video and image capture is also tipped to get a boost with Smart Video Zoom support and real-time HDR scene detection, as well as four microphones embedded in the phone to record 3D audio or Hi-Res audio.

HTC's latest teaser also confirmed that the HTC U 11 will be unveiled on May 16.