Google deal no herald of doom as HTC looks set to launch another flagship

It's been all HTC for the past few days, an orchestra that climaxed with a deal with Google for a whopping sum of US$1Bn yesterday. Details of the deal are unclear at the moment but it looks like HTC still retains its controls of its smartphone division, at least until the deal is completed next year.

"This agreement also supports HTC’s continued branded smartphone strategy, enabling a more streamlined product portfolio, greater operational efficiency and financial flexibility. HTC will continue to have best-in-class engineering talent, which is currently working on the next flagship phone, following the successful launch of the HTC U11 earlier this year, " The company said in its press release. "The transaction, which is subject to regulatory approvals and customary closing conditions, is expected to close by early 2018."

A few days ago, we reported the possible launches of three new devices in Q4, with one of them, in particular, looking like a flagship. That one, codenamed "Ocean Master", is by all indications, the U11 Plus, which will be a successor to the U11 that was released earlier in the year. 

The U11 Plus comes with a host of premium features and specifications. Here's a rundown of what to expect on it.

• 5.9-inch QHD bezel-less display
• IP68 Certification
• Snapdragon 835
• 4 to 6 GB of RAM
• 64 to 128 GB of UFS 2.1 storage
• 12 MP rear camera
• 8 MP selfie shooter
• Edge Sense

Not much else is known about the U11 Plus at this stage, but it's expected to sport the trending 18:9 aspect ratio. There's a chance it may also be aimed at the Chinese market, and as such will come with a downwards price revision when compared to the U11.

We'll be sure to keep you updated on this.