After what seems like almost an eternity, Taiwanese smartphone original equipment manufacturer (OEM) HTC is back with a new device. According to reports, HTC’s next flagship smartphone is due to be unveiled on June 28, and it will also be dedicated to the buzzword found across the entire tech landscape today, “the metaverse.”The smartphone, called HTC Viverse, which is expected to match the flagship specifications, will be launched in the company’s domestic market in Taiwan later this month.
HTC’s next flagship smartphone: what it has to offer
Unfortunately, little is known about HTC’s next flagship smartphone yet. In fact, the device was so hidden from the radar that there were no supply chain reports and rumors about what the device might look like and what it might bring to the table. However, we do know that the device is expected to focus on augmented and virtual reality.
The name “Viverse”is similar to the name of the virtual reality headset and platform HTC Vive. Since ditching its investment in the once-successful smartphone business, HTC has grown into one of the most famous companies in both consumer and enterprise VR with its Vive products. Now, with the metaverse concept steadily gaining momentum and evolving in so many different ways, it might be interesting to see what HTC has to offer on the table with a phone built for AR/VR purposes.
For example, HTC can offer full-featured virtual reality headsets that run on phone processing power, allowing them to work without being tied to a PC. This can give VR and AR applications more portability if they are based on a smartphone. However, this is purely speculative.
It’s been almost four years since HTC released a flagship smartphone, and in 2018 the company launched the Exodus 1 with Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 SoC, which is the latest flagship device. The company has largely abandoned the smartphone market, though it has a few mid-range offerings even now. HTC was also an experimental company trying to build a “blockchain”phone – long before the web3 craze began.
In March of this year, a company executive announced that HTC’s next flagship smartphone would be released in April this year, but there seems to be a delay in the original schedule. However, we should get answers about what this phone has to offer by the end of this month.