HTC’s financials are in dire straits right now, but it’s next smartphone could be just the product coup the company needs.
According to a new report, HTC’s next flagship smartphone – rumoured to be called the HTC One A9 – will have a ten-core processor.
That gels with previous reports that suggested the HTC One A9 will be powered by MediaTek’s new Helio X20 chipset.
The Helio X20 is a deca-core chip, which is fairly unique. Qualcomm’s current top-end Snapdragon 810, for instance, has eight processor cores.
The latest report (via PocketNow) cites a supposed benchmark readout that lists the HTC One A9’s processor as the ‘MT6797’.
We already know this to be MediaTek’s Helio X20 chip, so everything seems to fit.
The readout also purports that the HTC One A9 will carry a whopping 4GB of RAM, just like Samsung’s new Galaxy S6 Edge+.
If you’re wondering whether a smartphone actually needs a deca-core processor, there’s plenty of debate on the issue.
For instance, it can be argued that most apps don’t supported multi-threading – using several cores at once – across more than four cores.
However, having lots of cores at different performance grades can be a huge help for battery life.
For instance, a smartphone can utilise low-power cores for basic tasks, while switching to high-performance, energy-draining cores when you’re doing something more demanding.
Whatever the case, the industry hasn’t made its mind up just yet. Many smartphones use eight cores, while Apple’s iPhones are still doing just fine with a dual-core setup.
Related: HTC One M10
HTC first confirmed it had a new flagship in the works back in June, when CEO Cher Wang revealed a ‘hero’ handset would launch towards in October 2015.
This ‘hero’ handset is expected to be peddled as a more premium alternative to the current HTC One M9, which met tepid critical reception when it launched earlier this year.
Unfortunately, the Taiwanese tech giant has yet to detail any specifics about its next handset. In fact, we’re not entirely sure it’ll be called the HTC One A9.
The device has also been rumoured under the name HTC A9, HTC Aero, and HTC O2.
Whatever the case, we know a new handset is definitely coming, so let us know what you’d like to see from HTC’s next smartphone in the comments below.
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
