HTC’s design language is frankly starting to get a bit stale. Ever since the Nexus One shipped in early 2010, all of their devices since then have been nothing more than slight derivatives. The upcoming HTC Zeta however, it completely destroys the mold. Images of a device purported to be the HTC Zeta were sent to the folks at Engadget, along with a spec sheet, and it simply redefines what a high end smartphone should be. Inside there’s supposedly a 2.5 GHz Qualcomm APQ8064, 1 GB of RAM, 4.5 inch 720p resolution screen, 8 megapixel camera that also captures 1080p video, all in a body that weighs 146 grams and measures 109.8 mm x 60.9 mm x 9.8mm. And just look at the bezel around the screen, it’s stupid thin. All that being said, is the Zeta a real device or a concept?
Notice how there’s still a strip of dedicated Android keys on the bottom of the device? That’s something that’s no longer needed with Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich. Also, the spec sheet, 2.5 GHz is the maximum clock speed that the APQ8064 can reach, don’t you think that it’ll be clocked a little bit slower when put in a smartphone to conserve battery? The press release announcing the APQ8064 doesn’t even mention the word “smartphone” once; Qualcomm say it’s for “Next Generation Tablets and Computing Devices”. Our friends at SemiAccurate, who have seen the next generation of Qualcomm processors, are also saying that thanks to the newly designed Krait core, a dual core solution can easily outperform a quad core ARM Cortex A9 configuration, i.e. the Tegra 3. So why release a quad core smartphone? Just to make nerds foam from the mouth?
While we do think the spec sheet of the Zeta is a bit of a fabrication, we hope that the photo that’s been leaked is a sign of things to come. HTC needs to make Android phones that look unique again. After seeing the Nokia N9 and Lumia 800, which really set the bar in terms of design, it’s time for everyone else to step up their game.