HTC has an impressive portfolio of smartphones to cater to various segments in India. Now, the Taiwanese tech giant is planning yet another handset. With a major focus on the price point, HTC's upcoming mid-range smartphone will compete against Xiaomi Mi 4i, one of the hottest budget devices in the market right now.
"We have a third-quarter plan for our global launch in India to introduce a device which is specifically designed for the Indian consumer," Chia-Lin Chang, president of global sales and chief financial officer of HTC told ET Telecom.com.
He added that the new handset will be launched in India before going global. The response to its India launch will drive the upcoming smartphone's fate in the rest of the world.
"We were the first company to bring an Android smartphone to the country. Indian market is something that teaches us about new trends, which is always helpful. If we are able to serve Indian market well with the right strategy, we will be able to serve the global market well," he added.
According to the report, the new HTC device will hit the segment, ranging between ₹15,000 and ₹20,000. This will be one of the many handsets that HTC plans to launch this year.
Chang also revealed that a possibility of releasing a sub-₹10,000 smartphone is extremely low. The company aims at delivering high-quality experience, which may not be achievable by dropping the price below its standard structure. But HTC has strong plans of launching 10 new smartphones this year, most of which will support 4G LTE bandwidth and some will be priced below ₹20,000.
In India, HTC already has a strong presence in the 4G smartphone category with a 19 percent share, but its share in the overall smartphone market is just 6 percent. Comparatively, Samsung accounts for 16 percent of the market as a 4G LTE smartphone vendor, according to market research firm CMR.
