HTC Zenith, Accord and Rio leak as HTC's first WP8 phones

HTC's first Windows Phone 8 smart phones are out the bag, just one day after Microsoft showed off the latest version of its mobile software.

Revealed by the Verge, which cites a 'knowledgeable source', they are the HTC Zenith, Accord and Rio.

The HTC Zenith will be the top of the range mobile, apparently. Expect it to arrive with a 4.7-inch 720p display, HSPA+ connectivity and an 8-megapixel camera. The Zenith is said to be powered by a quad-core Qualcomm processor.

That would put some serious processing grunt behind Microsoft's operating system, which features a refreshed Start screen, as well as a slew of new features.

The HTC Accord is reckoned to be the mid-range option, and will play host to a 4.3-inch display that happily also boasts a 720p resolution. A dual-core chip, HSPA+, 8-megapixel camera and NFC are also on board.

Finally, at the cheaper end of the scale you'll get the Rio, which has a 4-inch 480x800-pixel screen and a 5-megapixel camera.

All three phones are expected to hit shops this year, with Zenith arriving at some point in the last three months of the year, and the Accord and Rio making a debut in October. An autumn date means the Accord and Rio could be launched at the same time as Windows 8 itself.

Microsoft hasn't earned itself any favours among fans by confirming that existing Windows Phone devices like the Lumia 900 won't be updated to Windows Phone 8. A new version of the Start screen will be coming to existing mobiles, but new apps built for Windows 8 won't work on current blowers.

My colleague Natasha reckons that's a real sucker-punch for Windows Phone fans, as those who chose to get involved with the operating system early are now lumbered with soon-to-be-obsolete smart phones.

Do you agree? And what do you think about those rumoured HTC phones? Let me know in the comments or on our Facebook wall.