HTC hasn’t been doing well financially and now they are looking into affordable mid-range smart phones to drive much needed sales volume. In a Reuters report, its Chairwoman Cher Wang has said that HTC has focused too much on its flagship device last year and have neglected the critical mid-tier market. Without a doubt, the aluminium HTC One has cemented HTC’s reputation of making premium smart phones but having a flagship device isn’t enough to turn the company around.
For 2014, HTC will be looking into smart phones within the US$150-US$300 price range for both emerging and developed markets alongside their current high-end models priced above US$600. They have also added that they won’t be getting their hands into the extreme low end market. This goes in-line with Peter Chou’s past statement that HTC will resist making ultra cheap phones just to drive sales.
Compared to other players such as Samsung and even Lenovo, HTC isn’t generally known for affordable devices. It’s HTC One mini despite having mid-range hardware carries a rather premium price tag of RM1,699 when launched. In the past year, HTC has launched a variety of entry level devices such as the Desire 200 and Desire 300 but it faces an uphill challenge against other cheaper alternatives.
In order to drive the numbers, we hope HTC could come out something similar with the Moto G that’s affordable but packs a punch for the masses.
