M8 Leaks: What We (Kinda) Know About the New HTC One

Confirming a lot of what we already knew, now we have a physical walkthrough video on HTC's new flagship, the M8. Or, maybe the "New HTC One", but let's hope that's not the name of the final product.

Before we get to the video, here's what we already know:

• Dual rear cameras with one front-facing
• No hardware navigation buttons
• 5" 1080p display
• Android version 4.4.2 KitKat
• Sense version 6.5

The Leaked M8 Walkthrough

The video below doesn't reveal much in terms of the nuts and bolts of this supposed "tester" device, and it's clearly not a professional video, which will be clear to you from the beginning.

The fact that he is using an AT&T variant (AT&T branding in the Settings) while on a T-Mobile network would indicate that the device will be available on both the major US GSM carriers, as well as Verizon through an @evleaks tweet.

Other information that can be gleaned is a new BlinkFeed as well as new camera features, specifically a "dual shot" function, a play on Samsung's feature that uses both the front and rear cameras. And since Beats by Dre purchased back 25% of their shares from HTC, it's in the realm of possibility that Beats integration may be absent from the device. But for me, the biggest reveal is presence of an SD card slot, something a lot of us were missing in the original HTC One.

Who the Hell Is This Kid?

The release of this video has brought up some interesting side stories, like how the kid got his hands on the device, and how HTC reacted to it.

While the first point is hard to address—did he steal the phone, do his parents or family members work for HTC—what is clear is how HTC reacted to the video.

Uh oh. As you can see in the video, while Roshan attempted to cover the IMEI numbers on the device, he failed kind of miserably. For HTC, that's all the information they need to track the device, and their Senior Global Online Communications Manager, Jeff Gordon, was on top of it.

Add to that the fact that you could clearly see a rough location (using the weather widget), and the sleuths over at Reddit were ready to pounce. The post was taken down in swift order, but screenshots are for life. The idea of a $10,000 bounty may seem ridiculous, and it's unclear whether there was any truth to it, but who knows. Ten grand to a "competing phone manufacturer" would probably be chump-change for a hands on look at a rivals flagship product.

Hopefully this works out better for him than the guy who found an iPhone 4 at a bar.

The Official Release - March 25th

"Life is about to become twice as beautiful. Coming March 25th."

Hmm...hinting at the dual cameras much? The device will be officially announced at HTC's event on March 25th, but until then, enjoy some "official" teasers, courtesy of HTC's YouTube channel.