New HTC One To Lose Capacitive Buttons Ahead Of March Unveiling [Rumor]

HTC-One-black

HTC’s second-generation One is expected to lose its capacitive buttons in favor of virtual, on-screen buttons just like the LG Nexus 5’s. The new flagship device will reportedly make its debut at a special event in New York City in March, according to the ever-reliable @evleaks.

HTC has long been a fan of capacitive touch buttons — all of its Android-powered smartphones have them. But a new report from HTC Source claims that the Taiwanese company’s second-generation One will adopt on-screen buttons instead. The leaked image below shows exactly what they’ll look like.

HTC-m8-buttons

While the capacitive touch buttons on the original HTC One meant users could enjoy every inch of their display, not everyone like their layout. HTC decided to stick its logo right in the middle of them and move the home button over to the right side, which took a bit of getting used to — particularly if you were used to a device with a dedicated multitasking button in that location.

On-screen buttons will likely be a welcome change for HTC fans, then. It may mean we lose a little bit of screen space, but with support for full-screen apps in Android 4.4 KitKat, that’s no longer as much of an issue as it once was.

So, when can we expect to see the second-generation HTC One, codenamed the “M8” internally? Well, according to the incredibly accurate @evleaks, the device will be unveiled at an event in New York City this March — around the same time the original will celebrate its first birthday.

Not too long to wait now, then.