HTC U flagship to be available in May with touch-sensitive frame: Report

HTC is planning to release its 5.5-inch HTC U flagship, codenamed Ocean, in early May with a touch-sensitive frame and Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 chip, according to Evleaks of VentureBeat.

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The HTC U's touch-sensitive frame, dubbed "Edge Sense," will allow users to customize control with gestures like squeezing or swiping along the sides, Evleaks reported. HTC will overlay Android Nougat 7.1 with Sense 9.

Evleaks started the Ocean rumor mill in September 2016, with a video showing the purported handset with a touch-sensitive frame that can access an app launcher and volume.

Other rumored specs:

• 5.5-inch WQHD (2560x1440) display
• Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 system-on-chip
• 12-megapixel IMX362 rear camera
• 16-megapixel IMX351 front camera
• 64GB or 128GB of internal storage
• microSD card expansion

Following in the steps of 2016's HTC 10, the HTC U is said to be announced in late April. It will join the HTC U Play and HTC U Ultra unveiled in January.

There's no word on pricing, but the HTC U is set to compete with Samsung's Galaxy S8, which is expected to be announced on Wednesday.

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