Is HTC dropping the One brand in favour of O2?

By Matt Hanson 13 hours agoMobile phones

And could it breath new life into the company?

Update: We spoke to mobile operator O2 about what its thoughts were on a potential HTC O2, and were told "we're very flattered HTC have seemingly given their new phone the codename O2. Good to know even phone designers can be more dog."

Original story follows...

According to new rumours HTC is planning to name its next flagship smartphone the HTC O2, which could mean that the HTC One M9 will be the last of the Taiwanese manufacturer's smartphones to feature the "One" moniker.

Rumours suggest that the freshly-named HTC O2 will come with a 6-inch QHD display and a Snapdragon 820 chipset, which if true would make this a pretty powerful phablet.

However rumours suggest the O2 could arrive as early as the end of October this year, while Qualcomm's Snapdragon 820 SoC isn't expected until next year.

While the SoC is in doubt, the other rumoured specs seem more believable, with 4GB of RAM, 64GB and 128GB storage options and a 3,500mAh battery. The HTC O2 is also said to come with a waterproof and dust-proof chassis.

Bursting the bubble

HTC might be hoping that dropping the One name for O2 could breathe some new life into its smartphone business, but it might run in to difficulties in the UK where the O2 mobile network operates.

While O2 might not mind the free publicity or association with the handset (providing it's good), its competitors might not be too keen.

There's a second O2 model rumoured for next year, with an alleged 4K, 5-inch display, but we're a little more skeptical of that one.