HTC One M9 Update: HTC Will Release A New High-End Phone This October

HTC's current high-end Android handset, the HTC One M9, is just a slight update to last year's One M8. If you're hoping for a more innovative handset, you'll be waiting until the fall: HTC CEO Cher Wang told investors the company is preparing a "hero product" for release in October with "significant improvements in innovation and design," reports the Taipei Times.

What is the "hero device" that HTC is cooking up? It's unlikely to be an announced product, so that rules out the China-bound HTC One M9+ with a 5.2-inch display running at 2560 x 1440 resolution. It could end up being a Windows 10 device, as HTC is listed as an official Microsoft partner.

For the past year, the most reliable source for HTC device leaks has been the Chinese Twitter account @upleaks, but details aren't likely to come from him this time. Earlier this week he apologized to HTC, saying "I apologize for the harm, and here I swear that won't leak your any confidential information anymore."

In the past year, HTC has been introducing product lines that aren't smartphones, like the Nexus 9 tablet it released in partnership with Google. It has also started to produce wearable devices, like the UA Grip, as well a standalone camera, the HTC Re. HTC even dipped its toe into virtual reality, announcing the HTC Vive in partnership with Valve.

But handsets remain the company's bread and butter, and sales haven't been great. According to research firm Trendforce, HTC isn't one of the top 10 handset makers in terms of global shipments. According to Boy Genius Report's analysis of HTC revenue, HTC's One M9 didn't even sell that well in April, the month it was released. A new high-end "hero" handset this fall might still be too late to change HTC's fortunes.