This May Actually Be The HTC M7 With Sense 5.0

You know what we like here at Android Police? Solid information. Earlier today, we reported on an alleged render of the HTC M7 that looked a little 'close-but-not-quite'. For starters, that image is not exactly the M7. But a helpful tipster decided to help us clarify some things today, by providing real images of something that more than likely is the M7.

We've been seeing a flurry of photos recently and this to be the most legitimate one yet. This is also obviously a photograph of a real piece of hardware, not a render. This photo corroborates a lot of the information that PocketNow's tipster reported that we mentioned in our last article - notably, that the home and multitasking buttons have been swapped. It also confirms that the rear of the device is considerably different from that mockup (it looks a lot like the DROID DNA, actually):

For starters, the flash is on the opposite side of the camera. The HTC logo also appears to be a glossy black, not the shiny embedded chrome that the mockup portrayed. The Beats logo lacks any accompanying text. It lacks an FCC logo or any other product certification marks, so we wouldn't consider this design 100% final.

Included with these two photos of the phone, our tipster also gave us a few screenshots of Sense 5.0 itself.

  

One of the first things you may notice is that the app icons look strikingly similar to the ones on the PocketNow render. However, those may have been pulled from some past leaks of Sense 5.0 ROMs. One very noticeable difference, though, is the clock widget. As you can see both in the images of the front the device, and the first screenshot in the row above, it's quite different from those we've seen in Sense previously. This one opts for a more subtle, vector-based look, rather than the skeuomorphic design that HTC has opted for in the past (so, yes, it seems the company's tasteshave changed). All in all, it appears that the previous render was using a lot of reliable resources, though it came up short on a few important details.

We can also see in the photos that the volume rocker will be on the right side, the front-facing camera will be on the top-right corner of the device (absent from the previous render), and that HTC may be including some new, bright rectangular widgets that will provide users with easy access to helpful information.

Until the device is officially announced, though, there is still some remote possibility that this is an elaborate hoax. It wouldn't be the first time that we've seen someone go to great lengths to create a fake. It could also be an early prototype, meaning the design could still change.

What do you think? Look real? Notice something we missed? Lusting for it with a fiery passion? Let us know.

http://www.androidpolice.com/2013/01/20/exclusive-this-may-actually-be-the-htc-m7-with-sense-5-0/