HTC 10/Perfume: Everything we know about the next Android flagship

With the dust barely settled after Mobile World Congress and the launches of the Samsung Galaxy S7 and LG G5, it is now HTC's turn to show off its latest Android flagship. The new phone, likely to be called the HTC 10, is expected to arrive at a media event in April.

A replacement for the One M9, the 10 could well become a make-or-break moment for HTC as a phone maker. Although the original HTC One and subsequent One (M8) were excellent phones, their sales figures couldn't match rival handsets from Samsung and Apple. The M9 did little to improve the situation, and although the Vive virtual reality headset is expected to be a success, the 10, known internally as the Perfume, could be HTC's last roll of the dice in the smartphone market.

As always, there is no need to wait for the big reveal, as the HTC 10 has leaked heavily online over recent weeks. Images, press renderings and specifications have all appeared, mostly thanks to Twitter leakers Evan Blass (@evleaks) and Steve Hemmerstoffer (@onleaks) trying to outdo each other.

Without further ado, here is everything we know so far about the HTC 10, along with what we expect from the Samsung Galaxy S7's latest rival.

HTC 10: Launch and release date

It is widely expected that HTC will hold a press event in April to announce the 10. This was all but confirmed by a set of images leaked by Blass and showing the 10 handset with the date of 19 April on the home screen.

The phone also has its location set to New York and the time is 10:08; from this, we expect to see the event taking place in that same US city, and for the phone to be revealed shortly after a 10am start. A recent rumour claimed the event would take place in london, so perhaps we will see HTC host multiple, synchronised launches around the world.

As for a release date, it would be reasonable to expect the HTC 10 to go on sale within two weeks of the launch event.

HTC 10: Design

Due to how many leaks there have been, we can say with almost absolute certainty that the HTC 10 will have an aluminium unibody design similar to the HTC One (M8), M9 and the more recent A9. The body will have a tapered edge and on the back there will be a centrally-mounted camera which sticks out slightly from the body.

The front will be black (possibly with other colours to come) and have a physical home button below the screen. A volume rocker and power button sit on the right edge, half way down to make them easy to reach. The M9's BoomSound speakers have been jettisoned for the new phone, with renders showing just a single speaker hole on the bottom edge of the handset. There is, however, a new fingerprint reader embedded into the home button.

HTC 10: Display, processor and performance

Rumours claim the HTC 10 will have an AMOLED screen – as opposed to the LCD panels used by the One M8 and M9 – and it will measure either 5.1in or 5.2in. Hemmerstoffer, neatly, believes it will be 5.15in. As for resolution, it is tipped to be Quad HD, which means 2560 x 1440 and a sizeable improvement over the 1920 x 1080 offered by the HTC One M9.

Inside, the HTC 10 is expected to have a Snapdragon 820 processor with 4GB of RAM, plus 32GB of internal storage which can be expanded via a microSD card slot. That processor will be running Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow with HTC's Sense UI 8.1 over the top.

HTC 10: Cameras

For both the One M8 and M9, HTC struggled to produce an impressive rear camera, leaving them to be blown out of the water by the equivalent iPhone and Samsung Galaxy. For the 10, HTC is understood to be using a 12-megapixel Sony sensor for the rear camera, with large 1.55 micron pixels. There will also be laser-assisted autofocus (as seen on the LG G3 and G4), and optical image stabilisation.

Meanwhile, it is claimed the front camera will have a five-megapixel Samsung sensor, suggesting HTC will ditch its own four 'ultrapixel' sensor in favour of something more conventional. We will be expecting greatness from HTC, especially since the company's executive chairwoman Cher Wang recently said the new phone will have a "very, very compelling camera experience".

That's just about all we know about the HTC 10. Really, the only missing pieces to this puzzle are the prize, an exact release date, and any special features HTC has managed to keep hidden. You can expect the excitement to build as soon as invitations to a press event arrive in our inbox.