Renders show HTC U11 variant with dual front camera

Renders have surfaced online of what should be an HTC U11 variant with a dual front camera. According to telecom journalist Evan Blass, HTC wants to present the device after the weekend and HTC has indeed sent out invitations for an introduction in Asia.

The device will be named U11 Eye(s), reports Blass, also known by his twitter name EvLeaks. The name seems to be a reference to the Desire Eye, a device with a striking front camera from more than three years ago. He does not report anything about the specifications of the front cameras on the U11 Eye(s). The phone has a 6″ LCD with a resolution of 2160×1080 pixels.

HTC has opted for a Qualcomm Snapdragon 652-soc, with 4GB of lpddr3 memory. That soc is an obsolete model for midrange telephones. The storage capacity is 64GB. The device is water resistant with an ip67 rating, while the battery has a capacity of 3930mAh. This seems to be the same battery as in the recently released HTC U11+.

What is striking about the renders is that the styling of the icons differs from that of devices from last year. The icons are in rounded squares, a design element that HTC has never used before. For example, the icons on the U11+ are much rounder.

There have been rumors for some time about the device, which has the code name Ocean Harmony. HTC had already applied for a Chinese CCC certificate for the device in December, with some specs already coming out. According to Playful Droid, HTC has invited media outlets in China, Hong Kong and Taiwan for an introduction on January 15, emphasizing the word “eye.” It would not be the first time that the Taiwanese smartphone maker presents a smartphone just after the electronics fair CES. That happened last year with the U Ultra.