HTC rumored to be dropping ‘One’ moniker for next flagship, ‘HTC 10’ predicted smartphone name [Update]

Update: It looks as though Steve Hemmerstoffer received a tip also seemingly showing ‘HTC 10’ in a device’s ‘Phone Identity’ settings menu. On its own, it’s hardly definitive, but when two of the most reliable leaksters online agree on something, it’s definitely worth taking note.

HTC’s next flagship is coming, and the Taiwanese company hasn’t been holding back the teasers. Instead, it’s ramping up its social media campaign to hype the #powerof10, first showing off the shiny chamfered edges, then telling us how much it was obsessing over the design. We all assumed this meant the HTC One M10 was coming. But if a tweet from the oft-reliable leakster Evan Blass is accurate, HTC might be about to ditch the ‘One’ moniker as well as the ‘M’ prefix on the model number.

You heard it here first:

“HTC 10”

— Evan Blass (@evleaks) March 4, 2016

If true, it’ll be interesting to see how the manufacturer plays its model strategy going forward. Right now, there’s the HTC One A9, One M9 and One X9 on the market. If they did launch the HTC 10, it would create a tangible distinction between its main flagship device and the other HTC One-branded phones. But it does bring in to question how it would name its flagships from next year. Would it be the HTC 11? Or the HTC 10 (2016)?

Regardless of the naming scheme, the HTC 10 (or One M10) is rumored to feature high-end specs, and will compete head-on with the likes of the Galaxy S7 and LG G5. It’s predicted to have a 5.2-inch Quad HD AMOLED display, the awesome camera from the Nexus 6P and a fingerprint sensor when it launches in May.

Perhaps just as interesting as its list of features is the one feature which won’t make it to the main HTC phone this year: BoomSound. It seems HTC is planning to ditch one of its best features in order to make a more attractive, fashionable and powerful flagship phone. We’ve seen a couple of leaks already which seem to suggest we’ll have an HTC One A9-like glass front panel with a home button, along with a more traditional M-series styled metal unibody.

Whatever the device ends up being, we hope it gives HTC a much-needed boost and brings the company back in to the limelight after a couple of years of underwhelming smartphones.