HTC may follow in the footsteps of Toshiba’s recently unveiled TG01 smartphone - by launching its own device based on Qualcomm’s 1GHz Snapdragon chip.

According to a report by DigiTimes, HTC’s expected to unveil the mystery device in Q2. Toshiba’s TG01 is expected to be available this summer.

Toshiba and HTC aren’t the only phone manufacturers to have cottoned onto the significance of using a 1GHz chip, and companies including LG, Samsung and Asus are also thought to have signed deals with Qualcomm to enable them to use the firm’s processor.

The 1GHz Snapdragon 1GHz is currently about the fastest processor available for a mobile phone, which will enable smartphones to perform tasks and runs applications more quickly and smoothly than ever before.

However, it’s worth noting that chip’s processing speed can be turned down - which some manufacturers may take advantage of to boost their handsets' battery life. ®