HTC struggled in 2016. Despite absolution a few abundant smartphones like the HTC 10 and Desire 10 Pro, the aggregation absent money anniversary budgetary quarter.
To about-face things about in 2017, HTC autonomous for a altered business strategy. It reduced its calendar of smartphones, and chock-full assembly on low-end smartphones, absorption alone on mid- and high-end releases, in an attack to acknowledgment to profitability. Instead of absolution abutting to 20 models like in antecedent years, HTC appear six added exceptional phones.
Did the action work? Also, what do we appetite to see from HTC in 2018?
HTC appear two smartphones in January — the mid-range U Play and high-end U Ultra. Despite alms cast new metal and bottle designs, they bootless to impress. U Ultra was abnormally disappointing, with its baby battery, and abridgement of baptize attrition and headphone jack. It was additionally cher at launch, that dropped from $750 to $600 a ages afterwards its U.S. absolution (a adumbration that sales didn’t alive up to expectations).
The abutting artefact barrage happened in April aback HTC took the wraps off the One X10. It came with a 5.5-inch Full HD display, MediaTek’s Helio P10 chipset, and a massive 4,000 mAh battery. It alone launched in baddest markets and afar the U.S..
The aggregation assuredly affective added absorption in May with the absolution of its flagship handset. Alleged the U11, it afflicted with top-of-the-line specs, a absurd camera, and the avant-garde Edge Faculty feature.
But it wasn’t perfect. The accessory has a baby affectation for a flagship, at 5.5 inches, and blubbery bezels — authoritative it adamantine to attempt with the abreast bezel-less LG G6 and Samsung Galaxy S8. The amount was additionally too aerial at launch, as the smartphone was $50 added big-ticket than the G6, at $650.
Nevertheless, the U11 outsold the HTC 10, as able-bodied as the One M9, in its aboriginal month. HTC said the smartphone was so accepted in assertive markets it had agitation befitting up with demand. Still, it wasn’t apparent as a aces adversary to accessories like the Galaxy S8 due to its drawbacks.
In November, HTC took its bold to the abutting akin with the acknowledge of the U11 Plus. The accessory followed all the latest flagship trends, with high-end specs and a ample 6-inch affectation with an 18:9 aspect ratio. It’s HTC’s accurate flagship of the year and can go head-to-head with aloof about any smartphone out there. It comes in a few altered colors including the bright Translucent Black, which reveals assorted centralized apparatus with its apparent back.
The aftermost HTC smartphones appear in 2017 were the U11 Life (Android One) and the apart U11 Life. The Android One adaptation came active boilerplate Android, and the apart archetypal featured HTC’s Faculty UI on top. Sure, it doesn’t affection an 18:9 affectation or attenuate bezels, but it’s still a absurd smartphone. The mid-ranger came with a 5.2-inch Full HD awning and Snapdragon 630 chipset, at an affordable $350.
HTC got bigger over the accomplished year. It bootless to affect in its aboriginal quarter, but affective added absorption later, with the U11. Things got alike bigger in the aftermost analysis with the advertisement of the U11 Plus and U11 Life, HTC’s best absorbing smartphones of the year.
Overall, 2017 was still a bad year for HTC. The aggregation generated an boilerplate net accident of $80 actor in anniversary of the three abode — Q4 after-effects haven’t been appear yet. Due to the bad banking after-effects it has been experiencing for a while now, rumors started in August that HTC is attractive for a new owner.
The rumors angry out to be partly accurate in November aback Google appear it has purchased the company’s “Powered by HTC” analysis and development analysis for $1.1 billion.
But the accretion doesn’t beggarly HTC will avenue the smartphone market. It will abide to accomplish apart and advance its own smartphones, admitting with beneath manpower. How big a aberration this will accomplish in ablution avant-garde new articles has yet to be seen.
Based on how 2017 went, it’s bright HTC has to accomplish changes in 2018.
The U Ultra wasn’t able-bodied received, so it wouldn’t accomplish faculty for HTC to absolution a successor, abnormally aback the U11 Plus already competes with phones like the LG V30, Huawei Mate 10, and Google Pixel 2 XL.
HTC has to affect with its almsman to the U11. The accessory should still appear with top-of-the-line specs, avant-garde Edge Faculty feature, and a chargeless brace of USonic earbuds in the box, but it should additionally accept a beyond affectation with thinner bezels, a dual-camera setup, and a lower amount tag. After all that, it will accept a adamantine time aggressive with the Galaxy S9 and added 2018 flagships.
The aggregation should additionally accompany its mid-range calendar to the abutting level. Samsung has done a abundant job in this breadth with the contempo advertisement of the Galaxy A8 and A8 Plus. Both smartphones allotment a few things with the Galaxy S8 series, like an 18:9 screen, exceptional metal and bottle body, and IP68 appraisement for aegis adjoin baptize and dust.
To grab absorption in the mid-range market, HTC should booty a folio out of Samsung’s playbook. Absolution a few handsets aggressive by U11 Plus’ architecture that action agnate if not bigger accouterments than the A8 and A8 Plus at a lower amount could be the way to go.
That’s article we ability see at the alpha of this year. Rumor has it the aggregation will advertise a mid-range addition of its HTC U11 Plus in January, but there’s no chat on specs and appraisement yet — so we don’t apperceive how absolutely will it assemblage up adjoin the Galaxy A8 series.
This year will be an important one for HTC. Sales and banking after-effects accept to improve, otherwise, it may be affected out of the smartphone market. The aggregation played it safe, which angry out to be a compound for disaster. In 2018, it should be bolder, try out new things, and accomplish added of an accomplishment to differentiate its articles from the competition.
Here’s an idea: HTC could barrage a annual brand. It can accumulate prices low by absorption on online sales, aloof like Huawei with its Honor brand. Afterwards all, appraisement is one of the capital factors befitting HTC from success. The company’s smartphones aren’t the best big-ticket ones out there, but they’re abiding as hell not the cheapest.
There are abounding added business strategies HTC could opt for, too. The important affair is the aggregation needs to alpha cerebration alfresco the box and makes some austere changes.
It’s adamantine to adumbrate how acceptable or bad 2018 will be for HTC. We appetite to see it accomplish a bigger appulse on the market. Added antagonism is consistently bigger for consumers, it armament companies to innovate added and brings bottomward prices.
HTC’s plan is to access sales and acknowledgment to profitability. Achieving such aggressive goals won’t be easy, abnormally after its “Powered by HTC” R&D division, but it can be done. The smartphone business can change in the blink of an eye. HTC could accomplish a big footfall advanced in a abbreviate aeon of time.
To about-face things around, the aggregation has to absolution added attention-grabbing smartphones, abate prices, and advance added money into business — which is about non-existent in abounding European countries. The addition for HTC would be to stick to its old ways, and acceptable accept addition adverse year.
An overview of 2017
2018: Time for a change
Final thoughts
HTC U Ultra
HTC U11 Life
Samsung Galaxy A8
HTC accounted to accompany aback its EYE branding with accessible phone in China (Update)
HTC took its bold to the abutting akin with the advertisement of the U11 Plus.
Google acquired the company's “Powered by HTC” analysis and development analysis for $1.1 billion.
If HTC doesn't advance sales and banking results, it ability be affected to leave the smartphone market.
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