HTC has given smartphone fans several not-so-subtle hints that it will be dropping the leaker-friendly One Mini today. There have been multiple leaked images cropping up on the web since early June, including today’s photos from the Chinese telecommunications ministry.
HTC also posted a rather obvious teaser on its official blog yesterday, an infographic titled “Little Things That Pack a BIG Punch.” It presents a series of fun facts about some of the world’s unsung heroes, such as the incredible strength of a mite or the extreme spiciness of a small pepper, ending with the open-ended question: “Can you think of anything else that packs a big punch into a small package?”
Following the infographic came a tweet from HTC UK. It left little to the imagination, with the shiny silver corner of very HTC One-esque handset peeking out of a polka-dotted denim pocket. The accompanying text read, “We have a ‘little’ bit of news tomorrow.”
So far, the rumor mill has churned out a pretty full list of expected specifications for the HTC One’s little brother. It is said to have a 4.3-inch display rated at 720p, with a dual-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 processor. The HTC One Mini will pack 1GB of RAM and 16GB of internal storage. It is likely to ship with Android 4.2 Jelly Bean, and be offered in the same silver or black metal finish as its predecessor.
While these specs are clearly lower than the One, the One Mini will allegedly come with the same 4MP “UltraPixel” camera that helped to make the flagship such a big hit. However, a notable physical difference from the original One is that the One Mini appears to have a plastic ring around the edge, akin to a bumper case.
“While the ‘regular’ HTC One isn’t huge by any means, it could still be a little large for many. Even with a 4.7-inch display, there is enough bezel along the top and bottom to make the device taller than other devices with the same screen size,” said Phandroid. “We can’t wait to see how this device compares to its other tiny rival, the Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini which by most accounts, shares more in common with low-end offerings than the actual S4.”
Keep your eyes on HTC’s official Twitter feed for the upcoming announcement.