HTC's next flagship dubbed 'U' has been floating around the rumor mill for a long time. Details about the HTC U surfaced online earlier this week in the form of leaked images, giving us a peek at the device's glass back and fingerprint scanner.

Another report pointed to the dismissal of the traditional 3.5mm headphone jack and also indicated that the HTC U might have IP57 certification. Now, the Taiwanese handset maker has officially confirmed that the HTC U 'squeezable phone' will be announced next month -- on May 16, to be precise. The revelation comes in the form of a tweet, which also rubber-stamped the 'U' moniker as well as the tagline 'Squeeze for the Brilliant U.'

The said tweet comes with a five-second teaser video for the upcoming HTC U. It's worth noting that the tagline, as well as the teaser, cements the addition of the smartphone's most anticipated new feature i.e. the Edge Sensor.

The Edge Sensor, as Gadgets 360 reports, alludes to the sensors on the sides of the HTC U that allows users to open apps and perform other tasks in a jiffy simply by swiping, squeezing or just tapping the metal edges. If previously surfaced leaks and the new teaser proved to be true, the sensors are likely to be placed on the bottom half of the device, exactly where a user would ideally take hold of the smartphone. In other words, a user could possibly squeeze the HTC U in order to perform a slew of different tasks.

HTC U Specifications & Features

The internet is brimming with rumors about the HTC U hinting at a 5.5-inch QHD display with 1440x2560 pixels resolution with Gorilla Glass 5 protection on top. The dual-SIM smartphone will be running Android 7.1 Nougat and will be powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 SoC.

In terms of optics, the HTC U will sport a 12MP rear camera and a mammoth 16MP front shooter. Under the hood, the device will pack 64GB or 128GB storage, coupled with either 4GB of 6GB of RAM options. It will also feature support for microSD card.

Tech tipster Evan Blass (via VentureBeat) claimed the next HTC flagship smartphone will be officially called the HTC U 11, but it will still be a part of the U range while being trotted out as the true successor to the 2016's HTC 10. He indicated that the device will be up for grabs in five hues including white, black, blue, red, and silver.

The HTC U will be backed by a 3000mAh battery with Quick Charge 3.0. The device will offer a slew of connectivity options including Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac and Bluetooth 4.2. Moreover, it is likely to feature dual speakers on the top and bottom. It will also come with the USB Type-C port, which will support the company's USonic earphones.

Video and image capture features are also likely to receive a boost in the form of real-time HDR scene detection and Smart Video Zoom support, but that's not all! There will be four microphones set in the HTC U to record Hi-Res audio or 3D audio.