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HTC M7 Release Date & Features: What Not to Expect

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2013 is already shaping up to be an exciting year for Android smartphones and one of the device’s that is sure to have impact is the HTC One X’s rumored successor, the HTC M7. The HTC M7, which is presumably a code name, has leaked out several times in recent days exposing itself as a viable Samsung Galaxy S4 competitor.

Yesterday, we told you about what to expect from the HTC M7 release date and features. Now, it’s time to take a look at what consumers should not expect from either the HTC M7 release date or its features.

Read: HTC M7 Release Date & Features: What to Expect.

Already, Android smartphones destined for release next year are making waves and one of those devices is the HTC M7, which is presumably going to replace the HTC One X as the company’s flagship smartphone. That of course means that it’s going to be doing battle with the likes of the iPhone 5S and Samsung Galaxy S4, two of next year’s rumored big name smartphones.

And given what we’ve already seen leak out from the HTC M7, it certainly has a fighting chance.

DSC02602-620x406

The HTC M7 will likely replace the HTC One X, seen here.

Over the past few weeks, the HTC M7 has seen many of its features as well as possible launch and release dates float to the surface ahead of its official announcement. So far, so good, as the HTC M7 is looking like the high-end HTC One X successor that we thought it would be. What remains to be seen is whether or not the M7 can keep pace with the likes of the iPhone and Samsung Galaxy series which both dominated in sales over the course of 2012.

In anticipation of that clash, we wanted to dive deep into what we already think we know about the HTC M7 and make some educated guesses. We already took a close look at what should be expected from both the HTC M7 release date and the features on board but now it’s time to reverse gears and take a look at what consumers should not expect from the HTC M7, the company’s rumored flagship Android smartphone for 2013.

HTC M7 Release Date

Separate Launch Event

With the Droid DNA, HTC and Verizon used their own launch event to announce the first 1080p smartphone in the United States. But don’t expect it to follow in the footsteps of Samsung and do that with the HTC M7 announcement.

November did not have a viable trade show for the Droid DNA announcement to piggy back on so that’s likely why they used a separate event. February, which is when HTC is rumored to be announcing this phone, is a lot different. Mobile World Congress, which takes place every February in Barcelona, is set to kick off at the end of the month and it’s there that HTC will almost assuredly be announcing this phone.

It used MWC 2012 as a launching pad for the HTC One X and consumers should expect HTC to again use that global platform to debut its new device.

P6190008-620x465Release Date Near Galaxy S4

Last year, the AT&T HTC One X didn’t arrive until May, the same month that Samsung debuted the Samsung Galaxy S3, a device that went on to blow the HTC One X out of the water in sales. Look for HTC to try and avoid this type of timing again and release the HTC M7 at a safe distance from the Samsung Galaxy S4.

Thus far, rumors seem to back this up. The HTC M7 is rumored to be coming out as early as March would could mean an April release for the United States. Last year, the device touched down in most places in April and hit the U.S. in May.

The Samsung Galaxy S4 is rumored to be coming at Mobile World Congress as well, but that doesn’t seem as likely as the HTC M7’s debut. If it misses MWC, it may not be released until May or later which would leave HTC with an ample window to sell the HTC M7.

Long Waits

Like Samsung, look for HTC to try and lessen the gap between the release of the international version of the device and the arrival of the U.S. version of the device. At the very least, look for HTC to get this phone out to the international arena a few weeks after it debuts at Mobile World Congress. The days of announcing a phone and then waiting several months to release are starting to become less common as manufacturers realize how damaging it is.

And for a struggling company like HTC, it can’t afford to deliver a product with a release date that’s way off in the distance. Look for an announcement and release dates given at the event.

Single U.S. Carrier

Last year, the HTC One X arrived on AT&T and AT&T only. This year, HTC is rumored to be taking a page out of Samsung’s book and launching the phone on an assortment of carriers. Current rumors point to Sprint and Verizon though it appears that the device could land on AT&T and T-Mobile as well. After all, it’d be odd to see AT&T miss out after hosting the HTC One X and HTC One X+.

While nothing is confirmed, at the very least, expect there to be a couple of carriers that carry the HTC One M7 rather than just one.

HTC M7 Features

Flexible Display

Samsung is rumored to be bringing its flexible display technology to CES 2013 in January in the form of a Galaxy Note 2-size display. There are also rumors of a 4.99-inch OLED display making an appearance too so it could be that it brings multiple designs to its booth. The former is rumored to be a 5.5-inch flexible display with a 1280 x 720 resolution and a 267 pixel density. The display apparently can’t roll up, it will allow designers to add more curve to smartphones.

Read: Samsung to Demo Galaxy Note 2-Sized Flexible Display at CES.

Of course, there are rumors that the Galaxy S4 might have this type of technology on board but there are also rumors to the contrary and analysts believe Samsung won’t be able to push out a phone with this type of technology until 2014.

If Samsung can’t get it out until 2013 or late 2013 at the earliest, we don’t expect HTC to either. Translation: Don’t expect the HTC M7 to have a flexible display.

2012’s Specs

The HTC M7’s specifications already look amazing on paper and while they aren’t confirmed, it’s clear that this phone won’t be a phone caught in a time warp. Instead, look for the company to outfit it with high-end specifications befitting of a 2013 smartphone.

Rumored specifications include a 4.7-inch 1080p display, 1.7GHz quad-core Snapdragon processor, 13MP camera, 2GB of RAM, and a unibody aluminum design. None of that is confirmed but we’d be shocked to see anything but that kind of firepower on the M7 when it arrives.

Perfection

That doesn’t mean that the phone will be perfect though. HTC’s though has been guilty of failing in some crucial areas. Storage space, battery life and design in particular. With the HTC One X, HTC slimmed down its phones and we expect it to make the HTC M7 even thinner than the HTC One X. The other two though are already shaping up to be possible blemishes.

The M7 is rumored to be coming with a 2,300 mAh battery that we think will bring good battery life. Good though, not great, and great is what many consumers are after in a world that spoils them with the likes of the iPhone 5 and the Motorola Droid RAZR MAXX HD. A 2,300 mAh battery is nice but there’s a chance it won’t provide the kind of battery life that consumers have come to expect after some of 2012’s big releases. What’s more, the unibody design will more than likely keep the battery locked in which means consumers won’t be able to upgrade.

HTCOneX-10a

The HTC M7 may again bring a non-removable battery.

Another area where it might suffer is storage. HTC looks like it may just offer one size, like it did with the HTC One X+. A 32GB HTC M7 is rumored and while that’s nice, consumers want choice, especially when a unibody design means lack of microSD. With file sizes increasing regularly, some prospective customers might be turned away by only one choice.

Point is, don’t expect this phone to be perfect and do expect it to fail in areas that it shouldn’t.

Android 5.0 Key Lime Pie

The Samsung Galaxy S4 is rumored to have Android 5.0 Key Lime Pie on board and that’s certainly possible given that it could launch in May. The HTC M7 though, with a MWC launch date heavily rumored, appears destined for Android 4.2 Jelly Bean.

Even the leaked specification sheet displayed Jelly Bean. So those expecting Android 5.0 Key Lime Pie, the next version of Android thought to be coming at Google I/O in May, on the HTC M7 will likely be disappointed.

Frustrating Sense 5.0

With the release of HTC Sense 4+, it’s clear that HTC is finally starting to see make some sense with its custom user interface. It has simplified it and made it useful whereas before, it was an annoyance. Don’t expect HTC Sense 5, the version of the UI rumored to be coming with the HTC M7, to backtrack. Instead, look for it to be HTC’s best and ambitious effort yet.

10 Comments

10 Comments

  1. Miles Edwin Cleave Wallace

    12/20/2012 at 5:18 pm

    i just want htc to produce a genuine phablet, somthing 5.5″-6.5″ i dont think ill be getting a new htc untill they start increasing theyre screen sizes beyong 5″, i currently have the one x+ and i love it but id love it allot more if the screen was bigger

  2. nneptune

    12/20/2012 at 8:26 pm

    See, personally, I disagree with you on this. The phones are becoming TOO big, in my opinion…though to each his own. The Rezound is the perfect size for a phone for my giant hands. We’ll see, though. I’m up for an upgrade in late january, so the M& will most likely be my next phone..
    No removable battery and no SD card make me cringe, though…

    • tonyZ

      12/31/2012 at 2:47 am

      Yes yes totally agree about the phones being too damn big. 4.7 is the Max for me. Count me in for the new HTC

  3. Randall Colucci

    12/21/2012 at 12:16 am

    What the hell is wrong with these idiots at htc? They think theyre gonna compete with the Samsung S4? NOT!! Im typing this on a Note2. Phone is great, wonderful device. But, its slightly too large for one handed operation (OHO) and a bit unweildy so I am considering sending this back while in the buyers remorse time frame to wait for the the likes of the M7 or the S4. I own a EVO 4G and have for last 2.5 yrs. After reading what htc is doing with the M7, I’ll likely pass. I was an htc fan but my God, this is not rocket surgery! They blew it with the DNA too. Only on Verizon, only 11GB, no removeable battery (an underpowered one at that), crappy name. They could have rocked the smartphone world if the DNA had expandable memory and removeable battery. A 5″ screen is perfect ergonomically for OHO yet big for screen size and overall usage and with the 1080p screen as well as everything else it offered, it really could have sold well. The S4 is rumored to have a 5″ screen up from 4.8″ and htc is gonna use a 4.7″ on their new “flagship” phone? What will happen is even if htc releases the M7 in March 2013 in the USA (which it likely won’t), folks will wait to see what the S4 will be like especially if the rumors on the specs hold true over time. Then htc will just repeat the One X debacle and then watch what happens to htc. Like RIM trying to claw its way back after being an industry leader, htc will be known as the company with the acronym for Had The Chance. They still have a chance to be in the running but if they keep using the same business sense they have been….Had The Chance will be their reality.

    • Abdus Samad

      12/21/2012 at 5:42 am

      One X already blows the S3 out of the water. Its getting better and better with updates,HTC really nailed it with One X but 2 things are not going well for them is the lack of MARKETING and NEGLECTING THE 1 FLAGSHIP PER YEAR STRATEGY.
      If HTC wanna make a giant come back,they should bring out 1 flagship for 2013 n start its marketing,but do not skip the SD card and bigger battery. Else no one’s gonna look at them in this flooding market of tech. I wish HTC reads this and think about it.
      – 2013,we’ll see.

  4. ivansito

    12/21/2012 at 10:15 pm

    The htc m7 sounds like an awesome phone… I used to own an htc aria (first smartphone) which at first liked but couple of months later hated… I got an s2 which i fell in love with. till this day i would get an s2… But then the one xl came and i fell iin love once again… the one xl does not disappoint in any area my battery life is awesome. i don’t know why people complain about htc having bad battery life? also memory storage is a bit low but with 28 gb of drop box and extra 50 with box i think im pretty much set with memory? personally i don’t like the s3. the design is not attractive. the display is not accurate with colors. the camera isn’t quite as good as the one xl. (personally) and a photographer the one xl is amazing and with at&t 4g lte speeds is a lot easier for me to upload pictures. I cant wait for the m7 im for sure going to get that phone.

  5. jdiaosjdaadasdas

    12/24/2012 at 11:06 am

    I’ve never read so many words that say so little.

  6. Jon

    12/28/2012 at 6:58 pm

    A few things I would love to see in the HTC “M7″ that I know are not going to be in this phone :-( (Would make it perfect in my eyes at least)

    1. Quad Core A15 Processor (Exynos5, Tegra4 etc.) but the A9.5 S4 Pro is still nice (not a deal breaker) although a microUSB 3.0 (supported on A15 only) would be epic!
    2. 64GB storage space (like the One X+) and not a GB less more are ok though :) (Unless they include an SDcard slot! then 32 or even 16 are ok… (This is a deal breaker)
    3. Screen size of 5″ would be nice but 4.7″ is nice as well good pocket-able size (both are good to me i just like 5” a bit more)
    4. Big Battery!!! at least 2400mAh and IF it’s less than even that tiny size it NEEDS to be removable. (Deal breaker for this too)

    A few things that i see as always “pissing” people off are Storage space and battery life/size (and yes battery size even though each phone eats battery at different consumption rates but people just like bigger batteries period, and same with STORAGE! cloud sucks if you have data caps and speed issues and coverage issues Ahhh damn it just put more storage in the phone already!)

    Ill probably not be getting this phone because if HTC’s track record holds up, they always have a great phone with a few MAJOR things missing that would make it a bomb shell nice phone (that other phones have that are out already!) wtf HTC…

  7. noahc89

    12/29/2012 at 6:09 pm

    Lol at the battery comparison with iPhone 5…the battery is about twice the capacity!

  8. Admin

    01/07/2013 at 1:07 am

    htc butterfly (or deluxe ) was the perfect HTC phone in case it would have been imported to europe. I hate HTC for this huge, bad, crazy decision not to bring it to europe. M7 will not be better then butterfly due to lack of SD card…

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