HTC reportedly to unveil HTC One M10 in March
2016/01/22 21:36:38
Taipei, Jan. 22 (CNA) Taiwan-based smartphone brand HTC Corp. (宏達電) is expected to unveil its new flagship model -- the HTC One M10 -- in March, the company's software developer LlabTooFeR said on its Twitter page.
The Twitter message posted on Jan. 20 said that HTC is expected to introduce two versions of the HTC One M10, which will be coded "Perfume," to target different consumers in the western and Asian markets.
LlabTooFeR has been described by high-tech websites as a well-known market information leaker.
It said that it is expecting "2 versions of the device: Qualcomm 820 (for EU and U.S. markets) and MTK based (mainly for China and Southeast Asia)..."
The Qualcomm 820 is believed to refer to U.S.-based chip supplier Qualcomm's Snapdragon 820 chip, and the MTK refers to the chip offered by Taiwanese integrated circuit designer MediaTek Inc. (聯發科), which could be the MTK Helio chip.
Market sources from China said that the launch time in March means that HTC will not introduce the next flagship model in the upcoming Mobile World Congress (NWC), the largest mobile device trade exhibition in the world, which is scheduled for Feb. 22-25.
The sources said that HTC does not want to immerse its new gadget in a group of new products which will make a debut in the MWC event. Many smartphone brands, such as Samsung Electronics Co. and LG Electronics Co. of South Korea, as well as several Chinese companies, are planning to unveil their flagship models there.
Jack Tung (董俊良), president of HTC North Asia, said earlier this week that his company will reduce the number of new models it will unveil this year in a bid to help consumers easily focus on its devices.
In 2015, HTC sold more than 2 million smartphones in Taiwan, the largest number in the Android camp. Tung said that HTC is determined to maintain its lead in the local market by continuing to launch models priced at a range between NT$5,000 (US$148) and NT$20,000.
The HTC executive said that the company is studying the possibility of introducing models priced at less than NT$5,000 in the market. Shares of HTC rose 0.27 percent to close at NT$74.10 on the Taiwan Stock Exchange Friday.
(By Esme Jiang and Frances Huang)
