At the beginning of May, HTC set an official product announcement for May 23. Everyone understood this to mean an announcement of its next flagship smartphone. Rumors pointed toward the device being called the HTC U12 Plus. Most of these rumors listed out probable and guaranteed specifications for the device. Fortunately, a major leak has revealed the device just two days ahead of its official release, but who leaked it?

A Product Reveal From An Unexpected Source


Analysts expected HTC to reveal the U12 Plus on May 23, like the company said. However, nobody thought HTC would leak the device on its own website two days in advance. A testing subdomain was recently discovered, and it showed major details on the device. We now know what the device looks like and how much it costs. In fact, the testing page probably contains everything one needs to know about the flagship device.

A Flagship Device With Flagship Specs and Flagship Pricing

HTC’s testing site showed a price in China of 5,888 yuan. That’s over $900 when converted directly into US dollars. Unsurprisingly, HTC wants to compete with other major flagships on the market from Apple, Samsung, and Google. The device comes with a Snapdragon 845 processor, 6GB of RAM, and 128GB of internal storage. A 3,500 mAh battery powers the device, and an IP68 protects the U12 Plus from the elements.

Also, the U12 Plus sports dual cameras, expandable storage, and no notch.

Smartphone Leaks Common, But Not Directly From The Sources

Leaks hit the media long before major flagship smartphones are announced or released. Large supply chains and industry insiders mean leaks are quite common. At this point, they’re downright unavoidable for most manufacturers. The average leak comes from unnamed sources or manufacturers within the supply chain, though. Even retailers occasionally leak details of a device through product pages on accident.

Rarely will the smartphone manufacturer itself leak a device just days before launch. It’s an unfortunate event for HTC, but it won’t spoil the U12 Plus announcement. Before the testing page leak, analysts new almost everything about the device. Only the specific design and specific price were in doubt by analysts. HTC needs to release a successful flagship to avoid going bankrupt, so a lot is riding on the U12 Plus.

Will the device prove popular among consumers and help the company turn a profit?