HTC “HalfBeak” Smartwatch Back From The Dead, Poses For The Camera

HTC has been rumored to have an Android Wear smartwatch in the works for ages now. The device leaked a few times in the past year, but nothing concrete was announced by the Taiwanese device maker.

Now the purported smartwatch makes a comeback into the rumor mill. Ever since 2015 we knew HTC’s Android Wear project was nicknamed “Halfbeak” and now we actually get to take a preliminary look at the device in question.

The folks over at Techtastic have stumbled upon a bunch of images on Weibo that apparently show the face of the elusive HTC Halfbeak. It turns out that HTC is going for the round form factor reminiscent of the Moto 360, rather than the rectangular one.

A quick look at the image set reveals the wearable features two round buttons on the side plus an oblong one. The watch appears to have a matte red/black rubber or silicone strap which comes with a surprise crack – this is definitely not a product ready for primetime. More evidence comes from the fact that Halfbeak seems to be running Android 5.1.1 – a software version that is more than a year old.

Judging by the leak, the watch will come equipped with 360 x 360-pixel display, a heart rate sensor and pogo charging pins. Under Armour logos can also be spotted on the front and back, a detail which indicates HTC will be partnering up with the sports clothing and accessories company to produce this smartwatch, once again.

The two companies already worked together on the Healthbox – a fitness system designed to assist users with recording and measuring a variety of health-related data – so it makes sense that they could team up on a smart watch.

Smartwatch enthusiasts are probably glad the HTC smartwatch project isn’t dead. The smartphone maker appeared on the list of partners back when Android Wear was introduced, so a product from this category is bound to be released at some point.

However, at this point, we can’t be sure the Halfbeak model showed in these images is more than a prototype. After all the outdated operating system and cracked wristband indicate just that.

If the rumor mill is to believe, the HTC’s first smartwatch might arrive with IP57 certification and a Snapdragon Wear 210. Naturally, it’s just speculating at this point.

Back in 2014, HTC US President, Jason Mackenzie confessed in an interview for Re/code that the company needed more time to design and produce a smartwatch truly worth buying. It’s been two years since then and the company still has nothing to show for, but given the current leak, we might be getting closer to a release.