Despite the critics who cry stagnation, 2016 has seen the landscape of the smartphone world face unprecedented upheaval with even once-stable smartphone brands facing false-start after false-start and misfire after misfire. Apple has been dragged into rows with both sovereign governments and its own customers while Samsung’s gamble to seize the silicon throne blew up their faces.
However, despite all this, HTC has managed to not only stand its ground but steadily strengthen its position. During the last quarter, they managed to increase shared their market share despite pressure from Chinese smartphone makers such as Huawei, OPPO and Alcatel.
Still reaping the benefits of a number of successful new product launches in the first half of 2016, the company is poised to make even bigger gains in the lead up to Christmas.
In addition, Kantar research shows that in the 3 months to July 2016 iOS share was up slightly to 35.2%, Android share was up 4% to 60.2%, driven largely by purchasing of older model smartphones from brands such as HTC.
With analysts branding HTC “the brand that never went away,” this market share looks set to grow further thanks to the two latest additions to their Desire range: the Desire 10 Pro and Desire 10 Lifestyle.
The Desire 10 Pro, which targets the high-end segment, will feature a 5.1-inch 2k display, Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 CPU and a 12-megapixel main camera with 4GB RAM/32GB ROM.
The Desire 10 Lifestyle will sport a 5.5-inch 720p display, Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 CPU with 2GB RAM/32GB ROM targeting the mid-range segment.
The two models are also likely to come with a fingerprint sensor, making them the first models of HTC’s Desire family product to support the fingerprint identification technology.
The two handsets flesh out the company’s diverse slate, which already caters to the budget-to-mid tier Desire 530, Desire 628 and Desire 825 and premium users with their HTC One X9 and HTC 10.
With Christmas fast approaching, HTC are also well positioned to make the most of the growing virtual reality market. Their HTC Vive is already recognized as the pre-eminent, premium VR experience among early adopters – and it’s easy to envision that sentiment translating into massive commercial success come Christmas.
The HTC Desire 530 is available for $229.
The HTC Desire 628 is available for $299.
The HTC Desire 825 is available for $399.
The HTC 10 is available for $999.
The HTC Vive is available for $899.
