HTC Deluxe leaks online

Previously we’ve paid little attention to the reports of the US-only HTC Droid DNA, but now it appears an international variant will in fact be available under the title of the HTC Deluxe.

A press shot has leaked online via social networking site Twitter, showcasing the as yet unannounced 5-inch Android smartphone.

There’s no official word from HTC at this stage, but based on the known spec of the Droid DNA it should sport a 1080p HD SLCD3 display with a 1920x1080 pixel resolution at 441 pixels-per-inch (ppi).

This would make it the rumoured international implementation of the display tech leaked in the Japan-only HTC J Butterfly revealed in October.

Assuming there’s no switchover for the international market, power will likely come from the combination of a 2020mAh battery and a 1.5GHz quad core Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro chipset with 2GB of dual-channel RAM and an Adreno 320 graphics processor (GPU).

You can expect Android Jelly Bean (either 4.1 or 4.2), 16GB of onboard storage and no card slot for expansion.

It seems a fairly safe bet to say this will be a premium model, therefore the 8-megapixel camera will likely follow HTC’s other recent high-grade camera offerings with a f/2.0 aperture, LED flash and back-illuminated sensor (BSI).

It should also include a dedicated imaging chip with simultaneous 1080p HD video and image capture and a multishot mode. The front-facer could be a 2.1-megapixel 1080p shooter with video calling capability.

It’s not clear at this point whether the HTC Deluxe will have 4G LTE in its UK-facing incarnation now that EE's network is up and running. Of course the US model has it and there’s LTE capability on the Qualcomm chip, but it’ll need expensive calibration for the UK's spectrum bands.

HTC is in a spot of bother at the moment so may be looking to cut costs and put the Deluxe at a more attractive price point. Google recently released LG’s high-spec Nexus 4 with no LTE capability at a cut-down price and it sold out in 30 minutes flat.

HTC’s unenviable situation comes from a combination of low sales figures and profits and a patent-based financial assault on at least two fronts, with both Microsoft and Apple now charging it around £5 per Android handset shifted.

Meanwhile, Nokia is lining up as a potential third with its recently announced patent suit over its Windows Phone devices.