HTC came out of the gate swinging with its latest flagship smartphone. The HTC One has been well received by consumers and critics, recently racking up sales of 5 million units. HTC reported that revenue in May grew 48% sequentially as the HTC One helped sales reach their highest level in 11 months. In fact, Kevin Chang of Citigroup Global Markets believes that the HTC One accounted for half of the company’s sales, the Taipei Times reported. He estimates that shipments may have doubled from April to reach 1.2 million units. Sales of the smartphone are not expected to improve again this month, however. The analyst believes that shipments of the HTC One may have peaked and because sales of other models remain weak, and he notes that the company’s revenue is likely to be flat in June.
HTC is rumored to be following Samsung’s lead and offering a scaled-down version of its flagship smartphone. The latest rumors suggest the HTC One mini, previously codenamed M4, will be equipped with a 4.3-inch 720p display, a dual-core processor, 2GB of RAM, 16GB of storage, a 4-megapixel UltraPixel camera and Sense 5 atop Android 4.2. According to Digitimes, the smartphone will enter volume production in July and launch shortly thereafter. The website also reiterated earlier reports that HTC is developing a phablet, codenamed T6, with a 5.9-inch full HD display and a 2.3GHz quad-core Snapdragon 800 processor. Both the HTC One mini and T6 are expected to feature metal cases with front-facing speakers, similar to the HTC One. BGR recently reviewed HTC’s flagship smartphone and called it the most impressive Android smartphone ever built.
Verizon subscribers itching to get their hands on the HTC One don’t have much longer to wait. Verizon Wireless announced on its Twitter feed on Monday that the HTC One would be available on its LTE network “later this summer.” The carrier didn’t give a specific release date or pricing details but it’s unlikely that it would make any official announcement unless it planned to start selling the device in the near future. HTC, for its part, said that it doesn’t have any further details to add.
Google and HTC on Thursday announced a new version of the HTC One that runs a clean version of Android without any added overlays. The smartphone will be available on June 26th for $599 through Google Play, alongside a variety of Nexus devices and the Google Edition of the Galaxy S4. HTC isn’t looking to burn bridges with early adopters, however. The company confirmed to The Verge that it is currently “examining the best way to support early adopters of the One” who may prefer stock Android over Sense. The Verge speculates that HTC could release an update to remove the Sense user interface in the form of a stock Android ROM, however no specific details were given.
While speaking on stage at the D11 conference in San Francisco, Google’s Android and Chrome boss Sundar Pichai confirmed that HTC will soon launch a new version of the HTC One that features a stock build of Android. The handset will be available unlocked for $599 beginning June 26th just like the stock edition of Samsung’s Galaxy S4, and it will work on both AT&T and T-Mobile’s networks, including 4G LTE support. The new One will initially only be available in the U.S., and it will ship with 32GB of internal storage.
T-Mobile finally began carrying Apple’s iPhone lineup last month after more than five years of waiting, but the nation’s No.4 carrier is hardly done building out its smartphone lineup. According to TmoNews, T-Mobile plans to launch two more leading smartphones next week. First up is the HTC One, which BGR recently reviewed and called the closest thing the world has ever seen to a no-compromise smartphone. BlackBerry’s first next-generation QWERTY phone, the BlackBerry Q10, is also said to be launching next week. Both phones will reportedly debut on June 5th and the Q10 is expected to cost $99.99 up front followed by 24 monthly payments of $20. Pricing for the HTC One is unknown for the time being, but it should be in line with other flagship phones offered by T-Mobile. More →
Nokia on Thursday filed a second patent infringement complaint against HTC with the International Trade Commission. The company has alleged that HTC’s products, including its flagship HTC One smartphone, infringe upon its protected technologies. In a statement to ZDNet, Nokia accused HTC of not taking action to prevent infringement and said the company has instead “tried to shift responsibility to its suppliers.” Nokia had previously filed a suit against HTC in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California San Diego, claiming 10 of the company’s products, including the HTC One and HTC First, infringe three of its patents. In its new complaint, Nokia has asked the ITC to ban sales of the HTC One in the United States.
Recent rumors suggested that HTC will follow Samsung and release a “Google Edition” of its flagship smartphone. According to a report from Russel Holly of Geek.com, the same person who scooped the Galaxy S4 Google Edition, an HTC One running stock Android will be announced “within the next two weeks” for a summer launch. The news is perhaps the most reliable yet, however HTC has repeatedly denied plans for a Google Edition of its popular smartphone. The HTC One has been praised for its metal design, front-facing speakers and high-end internal hardware, however some critics have complained about the company’s Sense user interface that runs atop the Android operating system. Despite this, the smartphone has been well received by consumers with shipments recently nearing the 5 million unit mark.
Many industry watchers believed the delayed launch of HTC’s flagship HTC One smartphone would be its undoing. The notion wasn’t exactly a stretch with Samsung’s Galaxy S4 looming on the horizon, but comments made to The Wall Street Journal by an unnamed HTC executive suggest shipments of HTC’s new flagship phone have been impressive thus far. More →
Google announced a special edition Galaxy S4 smartphone running stock Android at its I/O Developers Conference last week. The device will be sold directly through Google Play for $649 in June and won’t run Samsung’s TouchWiz user interface. There was some speculation that other manufacturers may also release a “Google Edition” variant of their flagship devices. Although HTC confirmed that it has no plans for a stock HTC One, a well-connected developer and HTC insider reports otherwise. Twitter user “LlabTooFeR,” who has gotten accurate scoops on HTC in the past, said this week that he knows “for a fact” that a “Senseless” HTC One will be released at the end of the summer. HTC’s flagship smartphone has been praised for its metal design and front facing speakers, however some critics have argued that the company’s Sense user interface is holding the device back. The HTC One is equipped with a 4.7-inch 1080p full HD display, a 1.7Ghz Snapdragon 600 processor, 2GB of RAM and a 4.3-ultrapixel rear camera.
Of all the problems to have when launching a new flagship smartphone, trouble keeping up with demand is hardly the worst. Of course, things change a bit when a company has to pump units into channels as quickly as possible before the top-selling smartphone vendor in the world launches the Galaxy S4. HTC undoubtedly lost some sales thanks to its production woes with the One, but a new report suggests its manufacturing issues are behind it. According to Focus Taiwan, HTC North Asia president Jack Tong said that production capacity for the HTC One will double in May and increase further in June. ”Our capacity is expected to rise significantly starting from mid-May,” Tong reportedly said Friday at a press conference. “We are optimistic about our high-end sales during April and June.”
Google made a splash at its I/O Developers Conference on Wednesday when it announced a special edition Galaxy S4 smartphone. The device will be sold directly through Google’s Play Store for $649 and runs a stock version of Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean, rather than Samsung’s TouchWhiz user interface. Unfortunately it would appear other manufacturers will not be following Samsung and Google’s lead. HTC confirmed in a statement to TechnoBuffalo that it has no plans to offer its popular all-metal One smartphone with a stock version of Android. The company does offer an unlocked developer edition of the HTC One on its website, however that model still runs the company’s Sense user interface.
