HTC Sense 5 will come to older handsets, HTC confirms

By Joe Svetlik on 28 February 2013, 4:56pm

Like the look of that fancy new HTC One, do you? Can't say I blame you. If, however, your contract still has a way to go, or you're not prepared to shell out for a brand new handset, then don't worry. HTC's Sense 5 UI -- that it slathers over Android 4.1 Jelly Bean -- is coming to older handsets, the company has confirmed on its Facebook page.

Which phones would that be then? HTC says "global variants" of the One X, One X+, One S and the Butterfly. I've contacted HTC to see exactly which ones we'll see in Blighty, and will update the story if I hear back.

The note on the HTC Facebook page says upgrades will be coming "in the next few months" so we may be in for a bit of a wait. It won't turn your old blower into a brand new HTC One though, as the company notes that "some features enabled by the new HTC One hardware will not be available in the software update." Blast.

The standout feature of Sense 5 is Blinkfeed -- a homescreen mosaic of news stories, photos, and social updates that you flick through, kind of like Flipboard. Click one, and it'll come up in full-screen mode, so you can read the story/see the picture clearer/see more of the status update.

To find out more about Sense 5, check out our hands-on preview of the HTC One.

We'll have to wait and see exactly which features make it to older phones, and which stay exclusive to the HTC One. But still, it's good of the company to port its UI to those not wanting to pony up big money for its latest handset. HTC has said the One will cost about the same as the One X did when that was new, so you're looking at about £500 SIM-free, or £30-£35 a month on contract.

Would you download Sense 5? Or should HTC leave Android alone, and keep the default interface? Let me know in the comments, or on Facebook.

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Craig Lynn 28 February, 2013 18:24

As a long time HTC customer, I bet you the 2012 models will never see Sense 5. It will be left to the modding community as always. One of many reasons I moved to Samsung. You spend your hard earned on a HTC flagship and the "+" or "XE" version comes out a few months later.

CaptainPicard 28 February, 2013 20:47

As a HTC One X owner, I think we will see Sense 5 by the end of the year but I will not be waiting for it. Not many people know this, but many of the features from the Samsung Galaxy S3 and Note 2 are available as third party apps on the Play Store for all Android phones, I hope the features from Sense 5, like BlinkFeed will be eventually available for as apps on the Play Store, soon after the launch of the HTC One.