HTC M4 rumoured to be a mid-range HTC One, launching June
A lower-specced version of the flagship HTC One is rumoured to be on the way, with the same ultrapixel camera tech.
A cut-price HTC One could go on sale in June, with a less impressive spec list and a metal alloy body. The sometimes-iffy DigiTimes reports the handset will be called the HTC M4.
HTC is keen to avoid any component shortage issues, like those suffered by the HTC One, and so has reportedly given its chassis orders to one company called Catcher. 700,000 of the blighters are expected to ship sometime between April and June, just before the official launch.
The handset is expected to feature the same Ultrapixel camera as the HTC One. Our cousins over at CNET Asia found the One's camera a bit of a mixed bag -- while it was impressive in macro mode, it didn't cope as well in more common conditions.
What of the M4's specs then? According to BGR, the mid-range handset will have a 4.3-inch 720p HD display and 1.2GHz Snapdragon 400 processor, with 16GB storage, and 1GB of RAM. On the software side of things, HTC's Sense 5 UI will lay atop Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean. Which sounds pretty good for a mid-range affair, though a lot depends on the price.
The One is HTC's latest flagship, and it scored a very impressive four out of five in our review. HTC followed it up with the HTC First, which debuted Facebook Home, though you can get it on other Android handsets now. The Taiwanese company has had a rough couple of years, and hopes the One and its more wallet-friendly phones can help it claw back some market share.
Google is rumoured to be launching a new version of the Nexus 4 next month, ahead of the Nexus 5 in the winter, so it's all go in the world of Android handsets.
Would you like a slightly lower-specced HTC One? How much would you be willing to pay? Let me know in the comments, or on our Facebook page.