HTC hits re-dial on smartphone pricing: New one starts @ Dh550

Taiwanese tech firm HTC says it will come out with cheaper models to reverse its downward slide in profits.

According to a senior HTC official in Dubai the new phones will be Android-based as the company sees more demand for Android as compared to the Windows platform.

Earlier, the company’s chief financial officer, Chang Chia-Lin told Reuters that new phones at a price range of $150 (Dh550) to $300 (Dh1,100) would be launched soon into the market.

The company has also plans to launch a new flagship model soon.

The cheapest HTC phone that can now be found in the market is priced at Dh650 – the HTC Windows 8X 4 GB model.

The HTC One and the One Max are priced at more than Dh2,000, while the HTC One mini is priced around Dh1,500.

Neeraj Seth, Senior Brand communication Manager - MEA at HTC told Emirates 24|7 that the company is indeed planning to launch cheaper models and said all would be Android-based.

“Android seems to be the most in demand. We are going to launch more models in the ‘desire’ segment,” he said in a telephonic interview.

However, he added that in the Middle East the driver continues to be the premium models priced at over $600. “The trend in the Middle East is for the high-end phones. The most popular are the $800-plus models,” he added.

He however added that HTC will continue to retain its association with the Windows phone.

The company has reported a significant drop in sales and an 80 per cent drop in share price.

The company has reported an 83 per cent drop in profits during the second quarter of 2013 and Chia-Lin says they are determined to reverse this trend.

"The problem with us last year was we only concentrated on our flagship.

“We missed a huge chunk of the mid-tier market,"  Chia-Lin is quoted to have told Reuters.

He also said that HTC will, however, avoid getting into the really low-end segment.