HTC M8 Leaks Confirm a Major Change for HTC

There is a major change coming to HTC smartphones in 2014 that some may or may not like, at least if the multiple leaks and rumors as of late are accurate.

The HTC One’s successor, codenamed the HTC M8, is sounding more and more like an excellent phone with each new set of details we receive. While we’ve been reporting the device will have on-screen keys for weeks, today the popular and usually accurate @evleaks confirmed it again. Stating the HTC One M8 will be the first HTC device with all on-screen keys.

The HTC One was a device which had many users upset over the button configuration. There was no menu button and instead a back, HTC logo that (should have been the home button) did nothing, and then a home button. The layout was odd, they added long-press  and double tap options to use home as a menu button or for multi-tasking, and overall it has been a mess.

The three dot settings button became a huge black bar on the bottom of the screen wasting space, and HTC is finally ready to stop messing around and take Google’s approach. That being on screen navigation keys. Many hate the idea as it is “wasted space” but Android 4.4 KitKat hides all these buttons and allows apps to go fullscreen, so it really isn’t a concern, and we think the majority of users will welcome the change. I, for one, love on-screen keys.

Read: HTC M8 Release & Rumor Roundup

At the moment most leaks still have the phone coming in late February or early March, and the specs are quite nice that most consumers will love. We still have a powerful quad-core processor with 2GB of RAM, but the screen increases to 5-inches to better handle those on-screen keys. Front facing speakers are included along with the excellent aluminum unibody design, and you’ll get Android 4.4 KitKat and the latest all-new Sense UI 6.0 software interface. The leakster has also been sharing HTC One M8 wallpapers from the device, so more details and leaks are surely coming soon.

Most importantly we’re also hearing that along with on-screen keys HTC will be going back to its old roots and will offer a micro-SD card for expanding storage. Something all Samsung owners enjoy, that HTC has been holding out on. This will allow users to get a regular price 16GB smartphone, and add a 64GB micro-SD packed full of apps, games, music, and movies.

We still don’t have a concrete release date aside from the Feb-March rumors, but with final details and wallpapers starting to leak more and more, we’re expecting plenty of information to arrive soon. Most leaks are still pointing to a general announcement in February.