UPDATED 07:45 EDT / JANUARY 20 2015

HTC CEO Peter Chou NEWS

HTC to enter smartwatch market alongside release of 20MP camera phone, says report

HTC CEO Peter Chou

With Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2015 just around the corner, HTC Corp. is rumored to have both a new flagship smartphone and a smartwatch in the offing.

A source familiar with the company’s plans told Bloomberg that the upcoming smartphone, code-named M9, features a 20-megapixel rear camera while the front camera sports HTC’s UltraPixel technology. UltraPixel is a sensor developed by HTC that uses fewer, larger pixels to capture clearer pictures in low-light conditions by reducing image noise.

The smartwatch will integrate with Under Armour Inc.’s (UA) fitness app and website. Earlier this month HTC and UA announced a partnership to collaborate on a range of wearables built around the latter’s app.

At this point very little has been revealed about either product. Bloomberg’s source did say that the HTC M9 harks back to 2014’s HTC M8 (pictured above) in design and size, with gold, gray and silver options. The M9 features an eight-core Snapdragon 810 processor from Qualcomm Inc., allowing for advanced video capabilities. Sound is delivered by Dolby Laboratories Inc.’s Dolby 5.1 audio technology and HTC’s Sense 7 user interface overlays the operating system.

Speaking of the operating system, it is not known which mobile OS the M9 will run, but it is likely that HTC, lacking its own in-house offering, will follow in the steps of its competitors and stick with Android.

HTC will release the products at or around the same time as MWC 2015, scheduled to take place in Barcelona, Spain March 2 to 5. Offering a smartwatch is HTC’s second venture outside the traditional smartphone space following the release of the HTC Re Camera in October last year.

Image courtesy HTC

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