HTC has confirmed that it will bring a taste of the new HTC One to some of its older handsets by making its new Sense 5 user interface an over the air upgrade.
So far three lucky devices will be getting the latest version of Sense; the One X, One S and the Full HD HTC Butterfly. The company surprisingly came right out with the news in a response to a fan who posted on their Facebook page to ask if the new software would come to his One X;
“HTC will be offering upgrades to some of its existing devices in the next few months, including global variants of HTC One X, One X+, One S and the HTC Butterfly. Also, note that some features enabled by the new HTC One hardware will not be available in the software updates.”
The company won’t be bringing every new feature found in the new HTC One to older handsets – that would defeat the point of launching a new device. We very much doubt that HTC Zoe will make it across to older devices, but the good news is that they’ll get the general Sense 5 makeover, which is simplified and easy to use.
That new layout will probably include Blinkfeed; the scrolling live update system for the phone’s homepage. This feature will bring access to hundreds of thousands of news feeds from around the world, effectively turning the phone’s front screen into a constantly updating news source.
These days we tend to get bored with our phones quickly as new models and software come out. Sense 5 will bring a changed look with new icons, layouts and features here and there, which we’re sure will be welcomed with open arms by many One X, One S and Butterfly owners.
There’s currently no word on when the updates will roll out, and so for the time being if you want to get your hands on Sense 5 you’ll need to pick up a HTC One from March 15th.