It appears that HTC has something very interesting in store for its fans. The Taiwanese company is readying a couple of announcements on January 12, and from what we’ve been able to learn there will be at least two devices unveiled at the launch event.
The so-called HTC U Ultra will be the company’s new flagship smartphone, while the HTC U Play is likely to be a smaller brother of the former. The handset maker did not offer any details on what devices it could announce next week, but we have gathered a lot of information thanks to a couple of leaks published in the first days of 2017.
The latest information comes via Evan Blass, as the reputable leakster has just published the official presentation video of the HTC Ocean. The phone shown in the video might be HTC’s upcoming flagship and it will introduce a unique feature that Samsung hasn’t been able to.
Even though the South Korean company was among the first to introduce the dual-edge curved display into the smartphone industry, the functionality of the panel hasn’t been more than a gimmick for most users.
Remember the HTC Ocean? (https://t.co/q5ghm3vQ8Z) pic.twitter.com/GtpqowETjM
— Evan Blass (@evleaks) January 8, 2017
Well, it looks like HTC has found a way to take advantage of the edge display and provide unique functionalities that look very useful in the video. Basically, you will be able to use the edges of the phone to scroll up/down, as well as tap to open a certain application.
The new feature could be available on both HTC U Ultra and HTC U Play, or whatever their names will be.
Unfortunately, there’s no telling how well the new functionality will work in real life, but the video shows the user can smoothly scroll between apps and open the camera app by just touching and tapping the edged of the phone’s screen.
Both edges of the HTC smartphone can be used to scroll and tap, which makes it suitable for both right and left-handed users. The unofficial reveal makes the January 12 announcement even more interesting now.
UPDATE: The HTC Ocean smartphone shown in the video has nothing to do with the Ocean Note device that the Taiwanese company will announce on January 12, Evan Blass claims.
