We recently told you that Apple posted a job listing that seemed to confirm the company was getting serious about producing some of its devices, and possibly the iPhone 6 using Liquidmetal. Apple has been rumored to be working on devices made out of Liquidmetal for a few years and now a new report is claiming that HTC is following Apple's lead again, and will be releasing a smartphone later this year that will be built out of Liquidmetal.
One of the most talked about features of the HTC One is its full anodized aluminum unibody case, something it seems to have gotten inspiration from Apple. HTC knows that one of the reasons the HTC One is doing so well has a lot to do with its design and use of quality materials like aluminum. While Samsung is currently selling nearly double the amount of Galaxy S4s than HTC is selling of its HTC One smartphone, many people in the tech community have referred to the HTC One as being one of, and if not the best smartphone ever built due to its metal build. Samsung needs to get on the metal tip and drop its cheap plastic cases for something that feels good, and metal seems to be the common denominator in that area.
A new report from Digitimes claims that HTC knows that Apple has recently signed another 2 year contract with Liquidmetal Intellectual, a manufacturer in the U.S. that Apple has been working with for years. According to the report, HTC wants to beat Apple to the punch by releasing the first Liquidmetal smartphone, and it reportedly has plans to release the smartphone later this year. If true, HTC would certainly beat Apple to the market with a Liquidmetal smartphone, since Apple has only recently started to hire new employees to work with the material.
According to the report, HTC has already put a research and development team into place and has partnered with Jabon, a company that is expected to build the Liquidmetal cases for HTC. At least HTC is showing initiative in moving forward with high-quality smartphones, if this report is to be believed. There might be some truth to the claims, since HTC and Jabon issued the famous "no comment" when asked about the Liquidmetal rumors.
