Mobile Technology

HTC squeezes – er, teases – smartphone with a touch-sensitive frame

HTC squeezes – er, teases – smartphone with a touch-sensitive frame
HTC will reveal its squeezable smartphone flagship on May 16
HTC will reveal its squeezable smartphone flagship on May 16
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HTC will reveal its squeezable smartphone flagship on May 16
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HTC will reveal its squeezable smartphone flagship on May 16

Today, HTC issued a "Save the Date" for the launch event for its latest U flagship smartphone: May 16. HTC has been mum about details, but its "Squeeze for the brilliant U" event announcement seems to confirm rumors about a touch-sensitive frame.

Reliable rumors (specifically, those from industry leaker Evan Blass) describe the forthcoming HTC U as having touch-sensitive sensors embedded in the metal frame that allow customizable action gestures like squeezing the phone and swiping its sides.

Whereas other manufacturers are eliminating bezels all together, HTC seems to be supercharging them. Of course, we'll need some hands-on time with the phone to see whether this innovation is worthwhile and how well it is implemented.

The HTC U will also reportedly have some capable internals, including the latest Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 processor seen first in Samsung's latest Galaxy S8 flagships. It is also expected to have a 5.5-inch, 2,560 x 1,440 display, 12 MP rear camera and 16 MP front camera.

We'll find out more through HTC's May 16 event, which will be live-streamed from Taiwan at 2 PM local time (unfortunately for US fans, that's 2 AM EST).

2 comments
2 comments
Paul Anthony
I wonder how a case affects these
Daishi
This method of control makes a lot of sense in smart watches because you don't need to use the edges to hold the watch. Manufactures can deal with the lack of real estate on the small screen with a bunch of controls on the outer edge. Hopefully this (or similar) tech makes it there.