Leak: HTC Sensation “Special Edition 2″ to feature a faster processor and Beats headphones

HTC’s recent $300 million purchase of a majority stake in Beats Audio, a company that offers headphones that are markedly more expensive than your average set of cans, yet sound only marginally better, has been heralded by many as a huge waste of money. Similar to how everyone knows you have an Apple product due to the white headphones shoved in either side of your skull, HTC is looking for the same type of brand recognition, except with red cords streaming out of your questionably empty head should you happen to own a pair of said Beats Audio headphones. The question on everyone’s mind since the deal went down has of course been how long until HTC starts slapping the Beats brand on their products? According to a recent leak, the wait might not be that long. Rumor has it that HTC will launch a refreshed Sensation dubbed “Special Edition 2″ that will have a faster processor (1.5 GHz dual core versus 1.2 GHz dual core), larger battery, and of course a pair of Beats headphones inside the box. The rumor goes on to say that this device will cost about $845 off contract in the UK.

If you’re shaking your head at this point, then realize that you’re not alone. Will consumers be gullible enough to spend more of their hard earned money just for the sake of branding? The sad answer to that question is yes, and that disappoints us to no end. Millions of people will get slightly better audio than what they’re used to, and that’s a good thing, but they could also do so much better if they only spent an hour or so doing some research online about what the best set headphones are in their given budget.

Expect to hear more about the HTC Sensation Special Edition 2 in just a few hours as HTC is holding a press event to clue everyone in on their latest plans for world domination.