What you need to know
- HTC could be gearing up to unveil a new mid-range smartphone.
- The HTC U23 Pro 5G has figured in a leak, which spills the beans on its key specs along with live photos.
- It will apparently be powered by a Snapdragon 7 Gen 1 SoC, paired with at least 8GB of RAM and 256GB of internal storage.
- Other standout specs include a 108MP main sensor and Android 13 out of the box.
While HTC has not completely exited the smartphone business, its recent releases have not been as popular as they once were. The company's focus has shifted to the mid-range market, and a new leak may have revealed details about an upcoming budget HTC handset.
Courtesy of the Chinese website ptt.cc, a few real-world photos of the upcoming device, dubbed the HTC U23 Pro 5G, have surfaced. As per the source, the phone's rear panel and frame are made of plastic (via GSMArena). This is unsurprising given that the device is expected to be in the mid-range price category.
A closer look at the back panel gives away a few details about the phone's shooting prowess. The HTC U23 Pro will boast a quad-camera setup featuring a 108MP primary sensor.
There's no word on the rest of the sensors, but leaked images of the phone's screen reveal a few key specifications. Images of the phone running the AIDA64 hardware detection tool show a 4,600mAh battery with wireless charging support. The device will also be powered by a Snapdragon 7 Gen 1 SoC, paired with at least 8GB of RAM and 256GB of internal storage.
According to the leaker, the handset will run Android 13 out of the box and include a 3.5mm audio jack, which is a mainstay on many of the best cheap Android phones on the market.
The leaked photos also suggest that the device has model number 2QC9100, but there are two more variants bearing the model numbers 2QC9200 and 2QCB100, as per tipster Abhishek Yadav. These model numbers presumably refer to a regular model and another variant in the upcoming series.
HTC has scaled back its smartphone business in recent years due to stiff competition in the market. In 2020, the company only released a single smartphone, the HTC Desire 20 Pro, and it has since primarily focused on the mid-range market rather than high-end devices, with the Desire 22 Pro being its latest affordable offering.
It is hard to say for sure if HTC will return to the high-end smartphone segment in the future despite a long history of making premium devices. If they can come up with a compelling product that offers something unique, they may be able to capture a sizable portion of the smartphone market. However, the HTC U23 Pro doesn't hold that guarantee.
