The HTC One M9 has just landed and we're already talking about the HTC
One M10. Too soon? We don't think so. Much though we loved the HTC One
M9, our time with it also revealed its flaws, and the things that most
need improving next time round.
But this isn't just about addressing HTC's flaws. In this list of 5
things we want to see in HTC's next flagship, we've also taken into
account technologies that aren't ready for the mass market yet, and
other projects of HTC's that we're really hoping have some part to play
in the HTC One M10. Read on to find out our expectations, demands and
dreams for the HTC One M10.
HTC One M10 Design
The HTC One M9 looks fantastic - no one's trying to take credit away
from it there. With that said, each successive 'One' redesign since the One M7
has been less noticeable than that of its predecessor. The One M7 blew
us all away, and paved the way for aluminum to be a key feature in
flagship phones. The One M8 impressed us with its added curviness. And
the One M9? It just didn't really surprise is in any way. Apart from a
nice brushed metal effect, there was a sense that we'd seen it all
before, depriving it of that 'wow' factor of its predecessors.
HTC probably knows that it'll need to be a bit more radical when
designing the One M10. For all its talk of the One series being the
unchanging 'Porsche' of smartphones, the public seeks a refresh every
now and then. The need for a rethink isn't as urgent as, say, Samsung's
was building up to the Galaxy S6,
but by next it will be high time HTC wows us again. Many also see the
area below the bezel containing the HTC logo as a waste of space, so
perhaps that could be used more productively?
What would you like to see in the HTC One M10 design? Should HTC
infuse its chassis with a bit of Samsung-style glass, get rid of unused
bezel space? Or maybe a radical change isn't really needed after all.
There is a strong case to be made that the HTC One M9 is still the
best-looking phone around, so perhaps HTC will take an 'as we were'
approach (fingers crossed they don't).
HTC One M10 camera
The Achilles heel of recent HTC flagships has undoubtedly been the
rear camera. Moving the 4MP (sorry, 'UltraPixel') camera from the back
of the HTC One M8 to the front of the One M9 was a great move, but the
20.7MP camera on the back of the M9 proves that high MP count doesn't
automatically equate to a great camera.
We'd
like to - and expect to - see better autofocus technology, so you can
take pictures quicker than with the One M9 camera (HTC could learn a few
tricks from LG's Laser AutoFocus technology here). The One M8 actually
had a wider aperture than the One M9 (f/2.0 vs f/2.2), meaning it was
capable of letting in more light when taking pictures. We expect the One
M10 camera to have an aperture of at least f/2.0, as well as Optical
Image Stabilisation, if HTC is to finally become a contender in the
camera department.
HTC One M10 display
The feature of the One M9 that will most certainly need an upgrade
come M10 time is the screen, which is the same 5-inch Full HD IPS as the
HTC One M8. Even upon release, the HTC One M9 display already
lagged behind rival phone displays like those on the Samsung Galaxy S6
and the older LG G3, both of which have QHD resolutions.
HTC's reasoning behind sticking with a Full HD display was to
preserve battery power, but the strong lifespan in both the Galaxy S6
and LG G3 batteries suggests that QHD displays aren't necessarily the
battery drains HTC thinks they are. We imagine HTC will have learned its
lesson by next year, when QHD will very much be the norm.
Size-wise, flagship smartphones appear to have settled on the
5.0-5.2-inch sweet spot, so we're not expecting the One M10 display to
be bigger than that (that job will likely be left to variants equivalent
to this year's HTC One M9+ and HTC One E9)
HTC One M10 - Virtual Reality?
One of the biggest surprises to have emerged from MWC 2015 was the announcement of the HTC Vive, a virtual reality headset designed in collaboration with PC gaming platform Steam.
From what we know so far, the Vive will be aimed at PC gamers, and
early tests suggest it has huge potential to lead the virtual reality
revolution. With HTC's main focus still being the mobile market, we're
wondering whether the powerful VR headset will have some part to play on
the HTC One M10. This will to some extent depend on the graphical
firepower that the One M10 will be capable of, because utilizing such a
technology on below-par visuals would waste its potential.
HTC has not indicated that the Vive will be used with its mobile
devices, but we're hoping that HTC doesn't forget the mobile medium on
which it built its reputation.
USB-C
Turning from the mind-blowing to the mundane but extremely useful, we
think that the USB-C cable is the most exciting cable since HDMI. It's
just about ready for mass production, so we should be seeing it packed
with devices soon.
What's so exciting about it? Reversible ends, faster charging, faster
data transfers, and compatibility with larger devices like laptops.
That not enough for you? Read our piece on why USB-C is the all-in-one cable you've been waiting for.
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