Hot on the heels of Apple’s new iPhone 5S release is Samsung and HTC, two rival smartphone makers who aren’t about to let Apple and its next-generation flagship steal the spotlight. Though pre-orders for the 5S and lower-cost polycarbonate iPhone 5C are available at midnight (3am ET) Samsung and HTC want to let you know that they’re making a respective 64-bit processing chip and gold handset too.
One of the major draws to Apple’s iPhone event earlier this were the innumerable leaked photos that suggested the iPhone would come in multiple colors not black and white for the first time in the lineup’s history. Tim Cook and company confirmed as much, giving the users the option between gold, silver, and slate.
This afternoon tech blog and fan site Android Authority dug up some leaked photos of the HTC One, the award-winning flagship by HTC that’s recently been released and re-released in various color schemes as of late. The latest color? Gold.
Android Authority claims to have found the snapshots on the same Chinese social media network that leaked HTC’s Vivid Blue variant, adding credence to the pictures’ validity. There’s no word yet as to when HTC plans on making its gold One available to the public, though its not a stretch for them to wait and see how well Apple’s gold iPhone sells first.
Samsung must be feeling equally slighted by the media as they felt the need to announced their plans on incorporating a 64-bit processing chip in its next smartphone, though nobody’s heard of what that smartphone is yet. Another improvement with Apple’s iPhone 5S is the inclusion of its 64-bit A7 processing chip, the first of its kind. A7 runs roughly 56 times faster than the original iPhone and 5 times faster than the iPhone 5.
In an interview with the Korea Times, Samsung CEO JK Shin stated plainly that ” yes, our next smartphones will have 64-bit processing functionality.” Oh, and they’ll be following Apple’s foray into the Chinese smartphone market.
I have to say I’m not surprised with either of these electronics giants following Apple’s lead, especially after Apple iWatch rumors saw Samsung anounce a clunky smartwach of its own. Judging by the gold shell and 64-bit processor alone, I think it’s safe to say the rest of the smartphone world is still looking for Apple to make moves on the innovative front, though the only issue seems to be that Apple isn’t intent on producing anything really innovative. It seems for now they’re content on working a new market, the low-end sort, with its iPhone 5C–complete with seamless polycarbonate shell, regulation A6 processor, and scaled-back iOS 7. Whether or not Samsung and HTC follow Apple down this rabbit hole remains to be seen, but they’re willingness to follow has certainly been proven.
