Exclusive: Telstra to launch a new Telstra Signature Series, with a collaboration with HTC

On Tuesday 26 April, Telstra will announce its new Telstra Signature Series, which will be a new Telstra flagship range designed to challenge the brand-name flagships on specification and feature, while offering a more competitive price. These new devices will have access to the premium features of Telstra’s network, including VoLTE, without the $1,000 or more price tags we’ve come to expect from the likes of Samsung, LG, HTC, Sony and others.

Telstra is no stranger to doing own-branded devices, having partnered with original equipment manufacturers like ZTE quite extensively in the past. While ZTE are making some great handsets these days, their Telstra-branded devices haven’t been premium flagship competitors. Typically, they’ve been lower-priced phones more accessible to a wider audience.

The first phone in Telstra’s Signature Series will be a collaboration with HTC, called the Telstra Signature Premium. Looking suspiciously like an HTC One A9 with a Telstra logo on it, the Telstra Signature Premium will retail for just $648, and will be available in Carbon Grey. Specifications haven’t been confirmed to Telstra staff yet (that should come early next week), but if it’s anything like the HTC One A9 (which we reckon it will be), here’s what we know:

• 5″ Full HD 1080p, Corning Gorilla Glass 4
• Qualcomm Snapdragon 617, octa-core, 64-bit, 4×1.5GHz + 4×1.2GHz
• RAM: 2GB / 3GB (* market dependent)
• Storage: 16GB (on 2GB RAM model) / 32GB (3GB RAM), expandable to 2TB with MicroSD
• Cameras
• • Rear: 13MP with sapphire lens cover, f/2.0 aperture, auto focus, BSI sensor, OIS, 1080p video recording
  • Front: HTC Ultrapixel, f/2.0 aperture, fixed focus, 1080p video recording
• Cellular:
  • 2G GSM/GPRS/EDGE: 850/900/1800/1900 MHz
  • 3G UMTS: 850/900/1900/2100 MHz
  • 4G LTE:
    • FDD Bands 1, 3, 5, 7, 8, 20, 28
    • TDD Bands 38, 40, 41
• Sensors: Fingerprint, Ambient light, Proximity, Motion G, Compass, Gyro, Magnetic, Sensor Hub processor
• GPS + GLONASS
• Bluetooth 4.1, Wifi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac (2.4+5GHz), 3.5mm stereo audio jack, microUSB 2.0 port
• Dolby Audio and Hi-Res Audio (manufactured under license from Dolby Laboratories)
• 2,150mAh with Quick Charge 2.0 support (forward compatible with Quick Charge 3.0)
• 145.75 x 70.8 x 7.26 mm @ 143 grams

We’re excited to learn more about Telstra’s Signature Series, and we look forward to future collaborations to bring great devices to people at affordable prices.