The HTC One M8 has the best smart phone body construction but it is pricier than its direct rivals. If they plan to fight off the Galaxy S5 and even the Oppo Find 7 in terms of price, they would need to come out with an affordable solution. Now HTC is reported to be making a cheaper and plastic based version of its latest flagship which could be released as early as next month.
Word has it that the plastic version would be priced around 3,000 Chinese Yuan (RM1,566) which is a drastic price difference from its current aluminium clad HTC One M8 that carries a 5,299 Yuan (RM2,767) price tag in China. Availability and spec details are very limited at the moment and we are not sure if this would make it to international markets.
In terms of naming, we doubt they would use the “One” branding which is synonymous to premium aluminium design. However this could be as a replacement model for the current HTC Butterfly S. Last year, the Butterfly S serves as an alternative to its flagship model with a micro SD slot, faster 1.9GHz processor, larger 5″ Full HD display, bigger 3,200mAh battery while featuring the same Ultrapixel camera and Boom Sound stereo speakers. When it was released, the Butterfly S was priced at RM100 more than the HTC One. Somehow the upgraded hardware isn’t enough to justify the extra premium over the better built HTC One.
Will a plastic HTC One M8 push more sales for the struggling smart phone maker? It all depends on price and positioning. Competition is getting stiff and we have Chinese manufacturers including Oppo releasing high-end devices at affordable prices. At the same time, they would need to find differentiation to avoid cannibalising their own flagship model.
