HTC, once a dominant player in the Android smartphone market, has seen its glory days fade as other manufacturers have stepped up to take the lead. Nevertheless, the Taiwanese company continues to release new phones, albeit at a considerably slower pace.
Last year’s Desire 22 Pro was marketed as the “first metaverse smartphone,” and it failed to create a significant impact. Just a month shy of its first anniversary, HTC has already teased the launch of another smartphone focusing on the metaverse experience.
Leaked images have now surfaced, providing a closer look at this upcoming mid-tier device, rumored to be called the HTC U23 Pro 5G, along with some preliminary hardware specifications.
These leaked images have surfaced from a Chinese publication, suggesting that both the back panel and frame of the U23 Pro 5G will be made from plastic, which is not surprising for a midrange phone. However, there are still some notable improvements over the previous model, such as an AMOLED screen.
Further details from the images reveal that the U23 Pro 5G is powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 7 Gen 1 chipset, accompanied by a minimum of 8 GB of RAM and 256 GB of storage space. The rear camera is expected to feature an impressive 108MP sensor with optical image stabilization (OIS), although information about the other sensors remains undisclosed.
The model shown in the images bears the identification number 2QC9100, but leaker Abhishek Yadav has discovered two additional models, namely 2QC9200 and 2QCB100. Yadav also suggests that the phone will come with Android 13 pre-installed.
The top of the device features a 3.5mm headphone jack, while the SIM slot is conveniently located next to the USB-C charging port. Additionally, the U23 Pro 5G is expected to be equipped with a 4,600 mAh battery, offering support for wireless charging.
Given that the Desire 22 Pro was unveiled in June last year, it is reasonable to speculate that HTC might be considering a similar release timeframe for the U23 Pro 5G in 2023.
