New HTC U Phone Works Better When You Squeeze It

Easy peasy, mobile squeezy. According to HTC’s recent teaser trailer, this sentence sums up the effortless interaction users will have with its soon-to-be-unveiled U phone. #mobilemagic

HTC is planning to release a unique smartphone next month. The mysterious launch, teased on their social media accounts, is going to take place on May 16th. On that day, we’ll get to see HTC U, a smartphone that can enable certain functions by squeezing its frame:

Squeeze for the Brilliant U. 05.16.2017 https://t.co/89OuHXbBlt pic.twitter.com/jLaeFD2wMW

— HTC (@htc) April 20, 2017

 

The company didn’t say anything more about the device, such as the technology used to make this touch-sensitive mode possible.  That said, there have been rumors about a HTC “Ocean”.  This is a 5.5-inch smartphone, with 4GB of RAM, or even 6GB on some versions, and 64-128GB of internal storage. More importantly, it’s the only phone rumored to have something called “Sense Touch”. This is a technology meant to empower the user and help him trigger menus and apps by squeezing the sides of the device.

Another important detail leaked about HTC U / Ocean is the lack of a headphone jack, an increasingly popular trend among smartphone makers. After iPhone 7 ditched the jack last fall, LeEco announced the missing jack on its LeMax 2 and recently, Xiaomi released Mi 6 with stereo speakers but no headphone jack. 

We’ll see how it all turns out though at the middle of next month. The event will be streamed live on HTC’s website,  at 2AM Eastern.