HTC One M10 teased: 9 Things to know about Taiwan’s answer to the Samsung Galaxy S7

HTC hasn't been doing that great in the smartphone industry off late, with their declining sales figures vibrantly expressing their state and, while they did make an appearance at the MWC 2016 in Barcelona, the Taiwanese smartphone maker failed to impress. Well, they did showcase a modern design in the form of what they refer to as a "Micro-Splash" pattern for their Desire lineup namely the Desire 825, 630 and the 530, the internals of the smartphone were far from appealing.

In fact, defying popular belief HTC didn't say a word regarding their upcoming flagship aka the One M10 or the Perfume at their event in Barcelona. Surprisingly though, the company sent a cryptic mail to the media houses including GizBot earlier today teasing a launch of a device which any one can guess by a simple glance at the teaser image. It's none other than the HTC One M10, or is it called so? Well, that debate still remains, and probably will chug along until the device is officially launched.

What's in a name?

Well, a lot. At least that what the likes of HTC believe in. While the Taiwanese company was carrying forward the legacy of their flagship device in the form of the M series, the launch of the 'premium' flagship One A9 changed the notion. Now they have launched the HTC One X9 at the MWC. What's more confusing is the fact that all are premium offering from the company and with the launch of the HTC One M10 delayed by a year, many are forced to believe that the new A series might be the new M series for HTC. No blaming them though, as recently Sony pulled on something similar in the form of the Xperia X series. Reports are clouding the internet regarding Sony's decision to stop releasing flagship devices under the Z series.

#M10 is NOT the CODENAME of the next #htc #flagship & the soc presented today is inside.. #talk #easy for #obtuse minority spread in #forum

— Ricciolo (@Ricciolo1) November 10, 2015

With a simple chronology in mind, our logic makes us believe that the HTC One M10 will be the name of the upcoming flagship. However, a few reports state otherwise.

The tipster has been right on the money a number of times, however the teaser sent by HTC earlier today might be well lay the knife on the coffin. More recent reports by another tipster @evleaks namely Evan Blass state that the flagship device from the Taiwanese maker would come with a codename - 'Perfume'.

It's ALIVE pic.twitter.com/J8zLLKh6zo

— Evan Blass (@evleaks) January 25, 2016

Nevertheless, after receiving the teaser image earlier today, it would be safe to assume that HTC will indeed launch the device under the M10 branding.

Would it look like an iPhone?

After the launch of the HTC One A9, this might be the probable question that going on in your mind. Incidentally reports by @evleaks indicates that HTC One M10 may carry forward the design philosophy from the recently launch One A9 and the One X9 and well, what better could it be than to look like an iPhone?

If you like the A9, you'll love the M10.

— Evan Blass (@evleaks) January 26, 2016

Post the launch of the HTC One A9, the Taiwanese firm which was once making wave in the smartphone industry was heavily criticized for coming up with a design which was highly inspired by one of its competitors. Thus there's still a chance that HTC may come up with something different in the One M10, but one thing is for sure though, whatever may be the design it will surely boast of metal.

https://t.co/PKvW63aF8L pic.twitter.com/zsyzQWbVAt

— Evan Blass (@evleaks) February 5, 2016

Wondering why? Have a look at the chamfered metal edge of the smartphone, revealed in the teaser image.

Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 under the hood

With the likes of Samsung, LG, Xiaomi launching their flagship smartphones with the latest and the greatest chip from Qualcomm, it would be highly unlikely to see HTC opt for anything other than that. Rather a report by Venture Beat, claims that the HTC One M10/Perfume will indeed by powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 SoC which is reported to be clubbed with 4GB of RAM and 32GB of onboard storage. It is expected that HTC will also include a MicroSD card for memory expansion.

A Familiar Chin

Did you have a look at the HTC One A9 before? If so, its highly likely that you may find the HTC One M10 familiar looking and, that's mainly due to the chin of the two smartphones. With fingerprint sensors becoming a necessity from being just an added nicety, it's quite natural to see HTC include it in their upcoming flagship.

A recently leaked image by @evleaks reveal the HTC One M10 sporting a fingerprint sensor embedded within the rectangular home button which debuted with the One A9. In fact, a quick glance at both the devices will make up feel like there are quite similar, at least when it comes to the chin.

Display still under the wraps

Not much have been talked about the display of the HTC One M10, apart from one credible rumour which stated that the smartphone will feature a 5.1 inch QHD AMOLED display.

Incidentally a recent rumour by a reputed HTC leaksters denies the previous report and claims that the device will come with not 5.1 but a 5.2 inch panel. Well, one this for sure though - the HTC One M10 may indeed come with a QHD panel.

12MP UltraPixel sensor on cards

While initials reports indicated at a 23MP rear camera from the One M10, a recent leak suggest that it feature a 12MP UltraPixel camera instead. Just to recall HTC was the first smartphone brand to introduce the UltraPixel concept in the smartphone space with pixels as large as 2µm.

HTC Perfume "UltraPixels":
Main Camera - Sony IMX377 12MP 1.55um + Laser Autofocus + PDAF
Front Camera - Samsung s5k4e6 5MP UltraPixel

— LlabTooFeR (@LlabTooFeR) February 11, 2016

A contradictory report by LlabTooFeR however, state the HTC One M10 will come with a 12MP camera utilising a Sony sensor with pixel size of 1.55µm. Apart from that the camera will come with PDAF and Optical Image Stabilisation.

On the other hand, an image published on Weibo purportedly reveals the rear of the One M10 with a protruding 12MP camera and dual LED Flash and Laser Autofocus Sensor.

Marshmallow flavoured 'Sense'ible UI

HTC showcased their new Desire range of smartphone at the MWC and guess what we are rather impressed with the modifications to the Sense UI after having a brief hands-on time with the device. In a word its more sensible than before. Well, the HTC One M10 is also assumed to run on a similar version of the Sense 7 UI on top of Android Marshmallow 6.0.1. A few reports also suggest that the HTC One M10 may run on a new Sense 8 UI when launched.