HTC is not releasing any Android Wear smartwatches anytime soon despite leaked photos of a prototype. Chialin Chang, HTC's President of Smartphones and Connected Devices business, confirmed this on Wednesday, during the launch of HTC U Ultra in Dubai.
Chang confirmed that HTC has no plans to release any Android smartwatch or any wearables in the short term. He said that creating watches is something that HTC has yet to really study on, before they can go ahead with the production. In the meantime, the company will stick to producing mobile phones.
"I can tell you that we're not going to have an Android watch. Android watch is one thing but even Apple as a big brand is declining [in watches]," Chang said in an interview with Tbreak.
If what Chang says is true for HTC, then it seems the HTC Halfbeak will never make it out in the market. Several images of the product appeared on several online outlets back in October 2016. Photos from Phandroid reveal the Android smartwatch came with a sport band made of rubber and two buttons on the side. It has a 360x360 pixel quality.
Meanwhile, the back and front of the watch has the Under Armor logo. The HTC brand is also marked on the back of the smartwatch.
According to Chinese sources, the prototype of HTC's Android smartwatch was built with the focus on physical fitness, since it features a heart rate sensor. The company has reportedly worked on HTC Halfbeak for a year.
Regardless, Chang just put to rest rumors about the release of the HTC Halfbeak in his interview. It remains unclear though what he meant by "short term." He also did not address the development of the HTC Halfbeak. The good thing is, Chang did not rule out the possibility that HTC could one day develop its own Android smartwatch.